Brothers in Valor

Children's Literature

This novel is based on an intriguing true story about some German teens who organized a small resistance movement against Hitler. Members of the Church of Mormon, the young men realized that the Fuhrer's hatred did not jibe with the teachings of Christ. Although they knew the possible consequences, they listened to foreign radio broadcasts and put out fliers telling fellow Germans the real truth about the war. Tunnell never lets us forget that these young men were still children, despite their bravery; when awaiting trial, they recall the cakes their mothers made, or games they'd played together just a few years earlier. Yet it's the idealism of youth that makes them take a stand—they can't understand why their elders, who always told them about right and wrong, would simply shrug while atrocities took place. "I'm only telling the truth, like a good Mormon should," one of the boys says. No matter what your religion, you have to admire courage like that. This book could generate some very interesting classroom discussions about valor. 2001, Holiday House, $16.95. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Donna Freedman

VOYA

In this gripping story set in Hitler's Germany, Rudi Ollenik tells how he and his two best friends, members of the Mormon church, are apprehended, tortured, and prosecuted by Germany's highest court for conspiring against the Nazi regime. Based on the true story of the Helmuth Hübener Group, a German resistance organization, this historical novel illustrates the Mormons' tenuous status in a country that considered their faith proof of the American conspiracy. The book emphasizes the sacrifices of German citizens who recognized that opposition to the Nazi regime was a defense of their beloved country. Only eleven years old when the story begins, Rudi describes the pervasive Hitler indoctrination that included pressure to join an appealing youth group whose time schedule competed with his church's, movies that create Jewish villains, and math problems that rationalized the annihilation of undesirables. Five years later, realizing that Hitler considers himself a god, Rudi and his friends listen to forbidden BBC broadcasts and circulate flyers containing the truth about Hitler's government and the war. At times, the actions and dialogue seem too mature for the characters' ages, but these young men are credible as consistently religious, intelligent youths confronted with moral choices. Readers who admire the fortitude and courage of Irene Opdyke in her nonfiction account, In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer (Knopf, 1999/VOYA October 1999), will be fascinated by this fictionalized presentation of a little-known heroic struggle. Its combination of readability and serious focus makes it a strong choice for intergenerational discussion. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J S (Better thanmost, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2001, Holiday House, 260p, $16.95. Ages 12 to 18. Reviewer: Lucy Schall SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-This fictionalized account of the experiences of the H bener Group, three Mormon teens who refused to accept Hitler's leadership, offers readers solid history but little literary flair. Told from the viewpoint of Rudi, the youngest member, the story moves quickly from 1937 through the execution of the ringleader, Helmuth, in 1942. In the course of events, he must contend with the fact that his mother loves a Gestapo officer, whom she marries. The group's nonviolent efforts to fight Nazism entail the dissemination of information garnered from illicitly heard BBC broadcasts. Karl, the eldest, would prefer resistance through more volatile means, but he bows to Helmuth's ultimately long-successful plan, discovering that spreading information can be more detrimental to the enemy than a single dramatic stand. Rudi matures, growing from a politically ignorant schoolboy into the young man who witnesses his friend's death. Tunnell does a superior job in showing how religious organizations within Germany responded to Nazism's attractions and demands, and in depicting the humane underbelly of such inhumanly murderous figures as the Gestapo- here in the form of Helmuth's stepfather, grieving at Helmuth's death sentence. While less compelling as storytelling than Bjarne Reuter's The Boys from St. Petri (Puffin, 1996), the facts upon which Tunnell builds his tale demand critical self-questioning by his readers.-Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.