A Father's Promise

by Donna Lynn Hess

A Father’s Promise by Donnalynn Hess is historical fiction set during WWII. Adolf Hitler’s ominous statements seem only a distant threat to eleven-year-old Rudi Kaplan until the Nazi forces invade Poland and bomb his home city of Warsaw. Rudi finds out that he is Hitler’s enemy not only because he is a Pole but also because he is a Jew . . . and a Christian. Rudi has only his imprisoned father’s promise that the family will be reunited after the war. In this Christian fiction book Rudi must learn how to survive in hiding, how to be truly brave, and how to die to himself and trust the God who is mightier than any army.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, World War II, Middle Grade, Historical, Young Adult

250 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1987

About the author

Donna Lynn Hess has over 25 years of experience working in the publishing business. She is a teacher at Bob Jones University and has also written textbooks and novels.
She is a member of the Modern Language Association and the National Art Education Association. She enjoys reading, exploring museums, and theater excursions with friends.

Reviews

[Bridget Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I really have no idea how many times I've read it over the years. But without fail -
It makes me sweat.
It makes cry.
It makes me laugh.
And then I cry some more.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, although it wasn't quite what I was expecting. For a WWII book, it was pretty light on action, although not on tension and uncertainty. This would be a good introduction to the subject of WWII and the Holocaust for children who have not been exposed to the topics, as it's obvious that bad things are happening, but there's no description at all, except for seeing malnourished survivors of the concentration camps.

The style wasn't my personal favorite, although I'm admittedly not in the target age range. Possibly because of that, I had a hard time really getting to know the characters. Not that I didn't like them; I just didn't feel like I really got to feel their emotions and struggles in the way that I like to. But it was still a good story with a lot of worthwhile lessons.

3.5 stars

Content--the Holocaust and German atrocities are touched on lightly; a few instances of violence; effects of war seen; mentions of deaths

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars & 5/10 hearts. At first I was a little disappointed in this book. The writing isn’t amazing, and I was led to believe that it was. But I quickly fell in love. It’s true that the writing style is a little weak, at times. But the humour is excellent. There are some lovely little bits of description. The characters are quite realistic. And mist of all, there are the most amazing messages. I love, love, love Rudi’s father. He has so much wisdom and said so many good things. I loved his constant, unshakeable faith in God when everything was crashing around him. I love his protection of Rudi. And I LOVE Salek’s family’s salvation story. <33 This is a book I recommend to all ages; and yes, it is a great WWII story.

A Favourite Quote: “‘Remember, son,’ he said, ‘you’re most afraid when you can think of no one but yourself.’”
A Favourite Beautiful Quote: “… he could see only the tops of the tallest forest trees. Outlined in the moonlight, they looked as if they have been traced in silver on a deep blue velvet sky.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “‘The Germans will enter the city this evening…. [T]hey want us to “tidy up” so they can walk through the central part of town in a military fashion. Hitler’s men must do things in military fashion! … All of us are expected to line the streets as they march in. They not only expect clean streets but a welcoming committee. We must greet them with due “pomp and ceremony.”’”

[Lydia Therese · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Father's Promise is by Donna Lynn Hess.

I read this book for school and I very much enjoyed it. It was VERY good for assigned reading. I am impressed!

4 stars out of 5.

[Leah Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rudi Kaplan is a young Christian Jew living in Warsaw. When the Nazi army invades his city, life grows increasingly difficult. When things are tough, though, Rudi knows he can depend on his father. That is, until his father tells him he must leave. As he struggles to survive the war, Rudi must learn to trust his heavenly father as well as his earthly one.

Audience: 11 and up, or family read-aloud

[Bretton · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this book i read it in like 3 days only becuase my mom made me go to bed and eat breakfest lunch and dinner, it is so sad but truely shows true faith in God, my friend has read this book 15 times(at least ) no joke he loves reading he loves history (so do I) so our mom's have a hard time finding something that is christian our reading level and true that really teaches amazing lessons this is one of them. LOVE THIS BOOK. MAKES ME CRY.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.
I read this as a child and loved it.

I read this to my children and cringed.

The war complexities were handled well, admitting of the horror and atrocities, all within the understanding of what was age appropriate. The author incorporates a variety of different responses to the war, on both sides. The immediacy with which some moved on after the war and the camps, however, made my head spin. I recognize this could be an effort to guard children from material too scarring, but in this case, I found the lightness of spirit to be disrespectful to the living endless nightmare those in the camps knew. So that being said, this would certainly be suitable for children to get more of a sense of that time period who are not able to visit holocaust museums.

My other complaint has to do with the premise of the book, claiming safety for the son based on Psalm 91:1. This is not the purpose of that passage. And we are not to read the Bible as one searching the tea leaves or like a spiritual horoscope. I am not arguing against the possibility, indeed the reality, of God keeping Rudi safe and preserving his life, of the unbelievable endurance of his father, of their eventual reunion. But what of others who knew the Bible and claimed promises and did not survive? Surely there were those as well.

When I read “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty”, finding that “the shelter of the Most High” was apparently … the forest … womp womp. Nope. And that is not bad news. Because this promise transcends the here and now of this life, no matter the scale of the nightmare.

I am still glad I read this. We had a fantastic discussion about this, about how to be intellectually honest and spiritually robust, how to read your Bible carefully, in a way that’s true to the message of the Book and not trying to stuff yourself in there in a way that wouldn’t work for everyone else in the world. It was my 10yo son who likened this response to reading a spiritual horoscope. Well done.

Our goal is to ||: read, talk, and think:||.
Goal accomplished.

[Hanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A simple story, simply written, that spans the entire World War II (beginning in 1939, because the story is set in Europe). Details of Nazi occupation in Poland are shown but not analyzed, and the perspectives of Nazis by the characters are varied: we are shown the "Nazis are clearly evil" opinion (the main characters); the "Nazis won't bother us if we are good and obedient subjects" opinion (good supporting characters who aren't Christians); and the somewhat pro-Nazi stance. Active resistance against the Nazis is a more rare perspective, and portrayed in an almost bad light.

The plot is straightforward, and explicitly ties in with scriptural truth. However, there are a few parts that seem set up in the beginning, but end up not influencing the plot at all. Also, since the 250-page book goes through the entire war, there is plenty that is glossed over or ignored altogether. This partially results in a story where Rudi doesn't actually seem to accomplish much, since specifics are left out. The horrendous effects of the Nazis' reign are not actually presented so horrifically.

But overall, the book is a good World War II fictional story for middle-grade readers, and it has a good Christian message.

[Kim Friant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book so many times as a kid! My mom always loved it, it was assigned reading in elem school, it’s published by BJUP, so of course I was gonna read it, but then I fell in love and read it over and over again thru my school years. It’s such a great book to help teach kids about WW2 and the Holocaust without being too graphic. Fair warning, it is a very Christian book and if a kid hasn’t had any exposure to the Bible, then they aren’t going to understand certain portions of this book. This reading completely surprised me by making me cry thru the whole book. Never once have I shed a tear when reading A Father’s Promise. But this time, the same story that I’ve known and loved almost my whole life, made me weepy! Rudi and his father’s faith never wavered, even in a time of such horrible circumstances. Seeing the struggles of the Polish people under the Nazis, even before deportations, and in a way that is appropriate for kids, hit me in a new way. I would absolutely recommend this to any kid, even those who haven’t heard Bible lessons. It’s such a great educational tool!

[Lena Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book. I read it for the first time in fifth grade, and I loved it. Now that I'm older, I didn't love it, but I did really like it, and I understood why I used to enjoy it so much. The plot has its cliches, but also some original moments that I liked. The characters are good, believable for the most part, and fun to read about. The writing is done well, thought it is not amazing. In general, I would say the quality of this book is a little over mediocre, but for whatever reason I just really liked it. Rudi was a sweet and pleasant character, and I loved his friendship with Salek. I also liked the promise his father gave him, and the way in which many of them talked about God. My final thoughts? It's a good book, but not so much so that it astounds me. It's definitely more for kids.

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a delight to discover this fictional account of a Jewish boy, Rudi Kaplan, sent by his father to survive in the woods outside Warsaw, Poland, as Hitler and Stalin carve up their lives. Although written by a woman, I appreciated the masculine tones of the story which make it a particularly strong title for boys. Discoveries about community, obedience, heroism, self-sacrifice, courage, bravery, and risk are woven into Rudi's experience as he becomes a young man in the countryside. While deep losses are acknowledged, the survival of Rudi and others close to him provides a gentle landing to his astonished encounter of Warsaw and her people after the threat has passed. Highly recommended.

[Lindsey Stomberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this as a family read aloud as we were learning about WWII in our homeschool this year. It was such a good book. It taught some great lessons on friendship, family, anger and forgiveness, and so many more. The ending was moving. The Gospel message is clear throughout. This is one I would love to read again and again it was that good.

[Deanna Peshl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a mandatory read for us in 6th grade. I loved it. Its one of those books that children can latch onto and learn easily through. I still recall being very passionate about our weekly book reports and illustrations in relation to this book.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down as I wanted to know what would happen to Rudi and his father. It's a great read!

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the books that stands out quite vividly from my younger years of reading. I loved it, and it may have been what started my interest in WWII.

[Lilhanni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book really sad but at the same time interesting It is more of a christian story about a boy whoose mom died and dad is taken away and he has escape and survive the Nazi's

[Megan Blanchet]

its a great Christian book for teens. i love it.

[Eduard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psalmul 91:1-14 VDC
[1] Cel ce stă sub ocrotirea Celui Preaînalt și se odihnește la umbra Celui Atotputernic [2] zice despre Domnul: „El este locul meu de scăpare și cetățuia mea, Dumnezeul meu în care mă încred!” [3] Da, El te scapă de lațul vânătorului, de ciumă și de pustiirile ei. [4] El te va acoperi cu penele Lui și te vei ascunde sub aripile Lui. Căci scut și pavăză este credincioșia Lui! [5] Nu trebuie să te temi nici de groaza din timpul nopții, nici de săgeata care zboară ziua, [6] nici de ciuma care umblă în întuneric, nici de molima care bântuie ziua-n amiaza mare. [7] O mie să cadă alături de tine și zece mii la dreapta ta, dar de tine nu se vor apropia. [8] Doar vei privi cu ochii și vei vedea răsplătirea celor răi. [9] Pentru că zici: „Domnul este locul meu de adăpost” și faci din Cel Preaînalt turnul tău de scăpare, [10] de aceea nicio nenorocire nu te va ajunge, nicio urgie nu se va apropia de cortul tău. [11] Căci El va porunci îngerilor Săi să te păzească în toate căile tale; [12] și ei te vor duce pe mâini, ca nu cumva să-ți lovești piciorul de vreo piatră. [13] Vei păși peste lei și peste năpârci și vei călca peste pui de lei și peste șerpi. [14] „Fiindcă Mă iubește”, zice Domnul, „de aceea îl voi izbăvi; îl voi ocroti, căci cunoaște Numele Meu. [15] Când Mă va chema, îi voi răspunde; voi fi cu el în strâmtorare, îl voi izbăvi și-l voi proslăvi. [16] Îl voi sătura cu viață lungă și-i voi arăta mântuirea Mea."

[Misty Espinosa]

So sad

[Lillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very encouraging, I connected with the characters easily. The ending was perfect! I hope that everyone who reads the book that there faith would be strengthened.

[Bo]

This book deals specifically with Hitler's overthrow of Poland and what the Jews went through in that place and time. It is told from the perspective of a young Jewish lad (11 years old at the time the book begins). It gives good insight into what life was like, although I did feel it was a bit unrealistic in the plot at times. Covers a broad span of time, from the beginning of the war til the end. A good book to delve into the topic of WWII. Does give the Gospel and emphasizes trust in the Lord.

(My edition of the book is older than this one, and the cover looks different.)

[Lori G · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6th grader had to read this for school, so I decided to read it along with him. I thought it was very interesting and I love to have God in there and it explain what Christian’s felt during that time. It’s is heartbreaking at times. But so is the whole holocaust . It was a good introduction for him to what happened during that time. And it opened up really good conversation.

[Kori Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, my favorite books are WWII books. This one was exceptionally wonderful. I have read many stories, both fictional and non-fictional, about those who have been in Nazi work camps, but this is the first I have read about a child who escaped into the forest to avoid being taken to one. I cried in several places, but laughed just as hard in others. I also really liked how much the characters rely on God for their lives each day. Because that's how it was for Jews in Poland while the Nazis were there. Without God's protection, there was no way they could live another day.

[Sarah Brazytis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a favorite growing up! The subject matter is serious and even traumatic, with WWII, the invasion of Poland, bombings, abusive Nazis, and so on. However, I thought the author handled it gracefully and gently, letting young people see the ugliness of war in a controlled manner. It prepares you for learning more later on, without burdening the young mind and heart.

That said, Rudy is a great character, and Oscar is unforgettable! Anna is a dear, and who wouldn't want to find a darling new sibling?

As Polish-American, an all-around great read!

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible story! My favorite out of all the WWII fiction I've read thus far. I highly recommend this!

-Clean language
-Shows reality of war and cruelty without being overly graphic
-Characters' example of an unshakeable faith in God
-Hope in Christ and compassion for fellow-man
-Masterful writing!!!

[R. L. Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book for the history buff in your life! Even as an adult, I love it! Well written, not too much detail and not too little to empress the horrors of WWII. Plus a good lesson on forgiveness, revenge and Justice.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was really good! i loved it!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is UH-MAY-ZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I read this in 5th grade.

[Ekaterina Ivanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very interesting and sad and an AMAZING BOOK!! It was a book with a good ending that made me happy and that made me cry. I had to read this book for school. I loved it. :)