This gem of a book, based on real events, tells us the perilous story of how the Norwegians saved $9 million of their treasury from falling into German hands during World War II. And not just any Norwegians, but children, played the crucial role in slipping the gold bullion out from under the Nazis' noses.

As the Germans invade Norway, the Norwegians realize that their bullion will be seized and put to bad use unless they can figure out how to spirit it away. Who is least likely to provoke German suspicion? The children, of course ( who seem to have been treated a bit better than the Slavic children of Eastern Europe.) A plan is developed to have the children sneak the bullion away, bit by bit.

The gold bricks are put into the hands of the children of Riswyk, buried in snow, tucked under blankets on their sleds and moved right out from under German control. After leaving Riswyk, the bullion was shipped to America for safe keeping.

It has its scary moments, with the Germans almost but not quite figuring out what is going on, and well-presented dilemmas, such as what to do when a bad guy doesn't seem so bad. The book has its scary moments, though nothing as horrible or nearly as violent as some of the trash they see on TV or in video games. The basic facts are scary enough without gory embellishment.

I don't know how precisely the story tracks the facts, only that the basic story is true. It is an exciting tale, regardless, while helping kids register the facts that a)they can make a difference b)bad guys are to be avoided and opposed, even when they're being nice.

I read this story when I was a kid, and loved it. I'm glad to see it's still around and available for my kid, who will be reading it soon. This seems best suited for about 8-12 year olds, depending on their reading level, of course. The great thing about the book is that kids will learn a little about history, whether they want to or not, and kids who think history is boring may well find themselves surprised to find out otherwise.

I also am happy to see kids outwitting their elders for a good cause, not the usual dreck we see on TV: Instead of kids fooling their stupid parents and sneaking out the back door to do who knows what, this is positive stuff. Hmm. There's a moral here somewhere.


Cheers all around, to the Norwegians, to the author and to the publishing house for keeping the book and the story alive.






Recommended: Yes