|
|
Shadow On The MountainStock informationGeneral Fields
Special Fields
DescriptionShadow on the Mountain recounts the adventures of a 14-year-old Norwegian boy named Espen during World War II. After Nazi Germany invades and occupies Norway, Espen and his friends are swept up in the Norwegian resistance movement. Espen gets his start by delivering illegal newspapers, then graduates to the role of courier and finally becomes a spy, dodging the Gestapo along the way. During five years under the Nazi regime, he gains--and loses--friends, falls in love, and makes one small mistake that threatens to catch up with him as he sets out to escape on skis over the mountains to Sweden. Praise for Shadow on the Mountain "This engrossing offering sheds light on the Norwegians' courage during World War II. Preus masterfully weds a story of friendship with the complications faced by 14-year-old Espen and his friends as Nazi restrictions and atrocities become part of their everyday lives...This is at once a spy thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a chronicle of escalating bravery. Multidimensional characters fill this gripping tale that keeps readers riveted to the end." "A closely researched historical novel... relates this wartime tale with intelligence and humor...Ms. Preus deftly uses together historical fact (Espen is based on a real-life spy) and elements of Norwegian culture to conjure a time and place not so terribly long ago." "Margi Preus, who won a Newbery honor for Heart of a Samurai, returns with another riveting work of historical fiction... This fine novel, which includes an author's note, a timeline, a bibliography and even a recipe for invisible ink, is based on extensive research... The result is an authentic coming-of-age story, perfect for readers fascinated by the diary of Anne Frank or Lois Lowry's classic, Number the Stars." "The final chapters, which chronicle Espen's dramatic escape to Sweden--days and nights of mountain skiing, Nazis in hot pursuit--take the book into adventure-thriller territory without losing the humanity that characterizes Preus's account." "Preus makes crystal clear the life imperiling risks that Espen undertakes and the danger to his family." "As readers understand the risks that Espen took, they will want to learn more about this period. That Espen escaped to Sweden by traveling at night on skis with five different guides should intrigue them." Awards Author descriptionMargi Preus is the author of The Peace Bell and two forthcoming books for young people as well as co-author of The Legend of the Ladyslipper and A Book of Grace. She also writes and co-writes plays, sketches, adaptations, comic operas and theatrical titbits for a variety of children's and adult theatre companies. |