The Storks Came Back: A boy grows up in Denmark under Nazi occupation

by Afiena Kamminga

Overview

In April 1940 when his country, Denmark, is invaded and occupied by Nazi Germany, seven year old Morten has no idea how his life and that of his family and all other people in Denmark is about to change. School is interrupted. Danish Resistance against the German occupiers grows stronger step by step. Morten, eager to join the local branch of the Underground resistance movement, is told that he is too young to get involved. Five years later, now twelve, he is still told the same thing. The Danish resistance is sabotaging railway transports to prevent German troops from heading south to reinforce Hitler's troops fighting the Allied on the Western front.
When a German search party is about to discover an explosives stash of the local resistance, which includes Morten's family and friends, Morten devises an ingenious plan to save the day. Aided by a friend and his dog, he spirits the explosives away against all odds, including German road blocks, saving the lives of the local resistance fighters involved in the sabotage team.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525511585
Publisher:	FriesenPress
Publication date:	09/11/2017
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.41(d)
Age Range:	7 - 11 Years

About the Author

Historical fiction writer, Afiena Kamminga, was born and raised in the Netherlands before immigrating to Canada. With her Danish born husband, she resides on Vancouver Island on Canada's western edge. Morten's story, though fictional, was inspired by her husband's recollections of what it was like to grow up in Denmark during the Nazi occupation.

Editorial Reviews

2017-11-21
A boy and his family withstand the Nazi occupation of Denmark in this YA novel.Morten Mors, 8, is worried in early 1940, but it's not because of Denmark's recent invasion by Germany. Morten's dear, loyal Great Dane is at the end of her life and must be euthanized. Before long, though, Morten acquires a fox terrier puppy he names Snap. (Dog lovers: Snap will be fine; another dog is injured but OK.) As Morten tries to lead a normal life over the next few years—playing with his best friend, Bodil, training Snap—he discovers that members of his family are involved in the Resistance. They sometimes host fugitives; Inger, Morten's older sister, works as a bicycle courier. Morten is made to promise he'll serve only as a lookout, but he longs to fully contribute. In 1943, the underground network takes Bodil and her mother, who is Jewish, to safety, leaving Morten lonely. It's a further blow when his father is rounded up with other Danish policemen and sent to a Nazi prison camp. The Mors house is commandeered by Germans, and Morten, his mother, and sister go to Jutland, near the North Sea, to live with his uncle and his wife. Meanwhile, the Resistance strengthens, and Morten discovers a way he can help that will test his courage and resourcefulness. Kamminga (The Sun Road, 2014) writes a well-observed story of a less-explored World War II experience: occupied Denmark. Unlike other, more harrowing accounts of children in hiding or in concentration camps, this tale focuses on Morten's adaptability to changing circumstances and the Danish-ness of his life: for example, the king, on his daily ride, exchanges greetings as between equals with the postman. Kamminga makes the story's episodes—learning about the procedures of the Resistance and sabotage, how to make arrows from elderberry whips, dog training—both interesting in themselves and contributory toward the boy's coming-of-age. The book is also balanced; the chief bully in Morten's life is a Jewish boy, and the Germans aren't cartoon villains.A well-written, thoughtful portrayal of surviving hard times during World War II.

Kirkus Reviews