Candy Bombers: Volume 1

Berlin, spring 1948. Teenage cousins Erich and Katarina are just trying to survive in a city still devastated by World War 2 when the Soviets blockade the city isolating its citizens—and starving them—behind the Iron Curtain. But the Americans have food, so Erich sneaks inside a U.S. cargo plane...where he is caught by a sympathetic American sergeant who tries to befriend him. Though Erich has plenty of reasons to resent this man, in the end he must decide—should he cling to bitterness or learn to forgive?

In book one of this series, cousins Erich and Katarina find that survival in post-World War II Berlin isn't easy, especially when the Russians impose a 24/7 blockade around the city. But everything changes when they sneak inside an American cargo plane and meet a U.S. airman named Fred DeWitt. Though Erich has plenty of reasons to resent this man, in the end they must decide: cling to bitterness, or learn to forgive?

Publishers Weekly

Blending history, adventure, mystery and questions of faith, Elmer serves up the debut title in a trilogy set in post-WWII Germany. The initial tale offers a prologue dated 1988 in which an American boy named Nick discovers the German name Erich carved into one of the wooden seats of the U.S. WWII plane he has been exploring on the base where his father is stationed. The action then flashes back to 1948 where 12-year-old Berliner Erich is sneaking around the same vehicle. Having lost his minister father in one of the U.S. bombings of his city, and observed the hardships of his grandmother in the Russian occupied sector, Erich holds American soldiers in contempt. That's why Erich is especially torn when a U.S. military officer befriends him and his cousin, recruiting the children for a human interest news story and a series of "candy bombings" (dropping handkerchief parachutes filled with sweets upon the ravaged neighborhoods of Berlin). As the story unfolds, also in the subsequent installments (The Beetle Bunker 0-310-70944-X, set in 1961, and Smuggler's Treasure 0-310-70945-8, set in 1989), the U.S. officer turns out to be more than a friend to Erich's family, and Elmer reveals the man's connection to Nick in an exciting denouement. Though the dialogue is occasionally not very childlike, the plot unfolds at a brisk pace sure to entertain readers while offering them food for thought. Historical endnotes and a few quoted scripture passages are included. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Robert Elmer is the author of more than fifty novels, most of which are for young readers. He and his wife Ronda live in the Pacific Northwest. Visit Robert's website at www.RobertElmerBooks.com. Es autor de mas de cuarenta novelas para los jovenes lectores, incluyendo series tales como Adventures Down Under, The Young Underground, y The Promise of Zion. el es un escritor a tiempo completo que vive en Idaho con su esposa Ronda y es padre de tres adultos jovenes.