The Boys from St. Petri [Mass Market Paperback]

Bjarne Reuter (Author), Anthea Bell (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1996

In 1942, a group of young men begin a series of increasingly dangerous protests against the German invaders of their Danish homeland.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Two Danish brothers and their friends risk their lives to oppose the Nazi occupation in this dramatic novel based on a true story; a winner of the Batchelder Award. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up-A historical novel set during World War II. Lars and Gunnar, sons of the local minister, form the core of a small band of Danish high school boys who meet secretly in the loft of St. Petri church and plan petty acts of resistance against the occupying troops. When the defiant Otto, possessor of a stolen German luger, is recruited into the organization, the level of sabotage escalates. Now, instead of stealing soldiers' caps and puncturing the Germans' tires, the boys raid an airfield building. Not everyone agrees with the new course of action. When they steal explosives and plot to destroy a German arms train, Gunnar's lifelong friend abandons the group. The train is destroyed, but the boys are caught and all but Otto are arrested. Interesting subplots on teenage love, the sport of rowing, and the plight of Danish Jews add to the texture of the story. The characters are unforgettable and their encounters with the German soldiers are vividly portrayed. Readers are provided with a beautiful contrast of the peaceful Danish countryside and the tension of wartime occupation. And Bell's translation is comfortable, with simple but powerful prose. Because the pacing and the development of characters are slow and deliberate, the book will appeal most to sophisticated readers. If they can get past the rather uninspiring title, they're in for a real treat.
Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (March 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140379940
• ISBN-13: 978-0140379945
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 4.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #735,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Exciting and Dramatic Story, September 11, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Boys from St. Petri (Hardcover)

'The Boys From St.Petri' is a realistic story about a group of teenage boys that play pranks on the Germans. There are a few conflicts in this book and one of them is boy vs. boy. Two of the boys get in a fight and one a them decides to leave the group. This affects the group because the boy who left was fairly important to the book. Thankfully, the boy shows up later in the book. Another one is group vs. group. This is because the group of boys have a debate to either let the new kid into the group or not. This story is both dramatic and exciting. Towards the end, the boys get into a big dilemma with the Germans and one of the group-member gets shot in the leg. This book is almost at all times exciting and enjoyable to read. Some of the characters show their true selves throughout the story. Most of the time it happened at dramatic scenes. For example. When one of the boys gets shot in the leg, you can notice how the other boys would do anything to help keep that boy alive for at least as long as they possibly could. I would recommend this book to anyone likes action from the start. The story is very fast to start up with the main idea. I would not recommend this book to anyone who does not like drama or action. There is usually a problem accruing or about to accur. Over all, I liked this book a lot and if I were you, I would read it.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best, March 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boys from St. Petri (Hardcover)

When the Germans Invaded Denmark in World War II, there were small groups that resisted them. The boy from St. Petri was one of them. These boys start off by stealing license plates, flags, and signs. The Boys then add a new member to the group, Otto Hvidemann, a boy that works at the brickyard. Otto brings a German Luger with him and suddenly the find them selves going way up from stealing license plates, signs, and flags. They find that most of the trouble is because of the actions of Otto Hivdemann, but they keep him in any way because he is very resourceful. Then they find themselves way in over their head and they can't get out.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical, funny, and suspenseful, December 5, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Boys from St. Petri (Mass Market Paperback)

A review by Jamie
This is a very good book about a boy named Lars, it takes place in 1942. Lars is in the St. Petri group, against German Nazis, they steal caps, guns, flags, signs, and license plates. The group breaks lets a new member in named Otto, and then he helps them break into the German head quarters, the first time they don't get caught but Otto gets hurt so they have to take him to the doctors. The second time, a few, but not all of them get caught. This is also a romance story, kind of like a soap opera, because Lars is in love with his older brothers girlfriend, Irene. Read the story to find out who ends up with her. The book is historical, funny, and suspenseful, it kept me reading!