Janet Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 Hitler’s Canary by Sandi Toksvig The ‘blurb’ It’s April 1940 and German troops are pouring onto the streets of Denmark. 12-year-old Bamse is ordered by his father to keep his head down and stay out of trouble. But Bamse and his daring friend Anton can’t resist playing the occasional practical joke on the invading soldiers. When it becomes clear that the trouble isn’t just going to pass them by, the people of Denmark decide to take action and Bamse and his eccentric family are about to take part in one of history’s most dramatic rescues - smuggling Denmark's Jewish population, across the water to Sweden, and safety. Many of the characters are based on Sandi's own family, including her father, Bamse, and the book was inspired by the stories her told to her. I didn't know anything about Germany's occupation of Denmark in WW2 before I read this book. It centres around Bamse and his older brother, who is a member of the Danish Resistance movement, and their actions against their occupiers. At first Bamse is concerned for his brother, but eventually after witnessing the treatment of his Jewish friend Anton and Anton’s family he joins too, helping out in small, but vitally, important ways. His parents also have a role to play when events take a terrifying turn for their Jewish neighbours. Things go fairly smoothly when the Germans first invade - they assure the people of Denmark that they’re only there to protect the country from the allied forces. The government still continue to function and are in charge of things like radio censorship. But as the war progresses, the Jews start to be persecuted and it is people like Bamse and his brother who take action against this persecution. As the ‘blurb’ says, this is based largely on fact. The Danish underground resistance movement were responsible for the fact that 99% of Denmark's Jewish population survived the Holocaust as they helped to co-ordinate a mass evacuation to Sweden - a neutral country - right under the Germans’ noses! I love books that make me want to go and find out more and this certainly did that. It’s aimed at ages 9 to 12, but despite being a little older than that ( ) I thoroughly enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLKeating Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 (edited) Well I'm only two years over the recommended age () so might go and see if my library has this, it looks like a good read and WW2 interests me a lot! Thanks for your post. Edited February 2, 2011 by JLKeating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNinthWord Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 I'd be tempted to read this just because it's Sandi Toksvig. And also because the topic is an unusual insight into WWII which I haven't heard much about before. But she's such a funny comedienne, I'd imagine her writing is humorous and clever. I didn't even know she wrote novels. Anybody know if she writes novels for adults as well as for children? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted February 2, 2011 Author Share Posted February 2, 2011 According to Wikipedia, she's written a fair few for adults but I've not read any. I'd quite like to try one now, just to see what they're like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNinthWord Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 She's written a lot more than I'd expected. Will definitely have a look at reading one or two of her novels now, just to see what they're like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 I read this book a few years ago and loved it. I've never been a fan of Toksvig as a comedienne, but her writing skills far outstrip her comedic abilities (in my opinion) and this is nothing short of wonderful. My review is HERE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 3, 2011 Share Posted February 3, 2011 This liddle canary is currently flying my way. Darn these good reviews. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 I used to quite like her in Whose Line is it Anyway? but I'm not really familiar with her comedy, as such. Sorry Chrissy - but you're sure to enjoy it! I hope! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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