Customer Reviews

Sky: A True Story of Courage During World War II

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If you haven't read Sky you're missing out, big time.
Sky is a book about a young girl's courage during World War II. Hanneke Ippisch was a young Dutch girl who was born into a wealthy family and always had everything that she needed. Later in her life when the war had begun, she didn't have as much as before. Her family learned to not eat dessert since it was so difficult to get at the time. She joined a resistance group against the Germans who, at the time, were occupying Holland. What had been going well for a while, suddenly became a bad fate when she is arrested by the Germans in Holland in 1945.
Some strengths in this book are that it tells about what was going on in Holland during World War II and that the book was easy to understand and well-written by Hanneke Ippisch herself. It shows the feelings of Hanneke, though not in great detail. The book really "pulls you into the story." You'll find yourself feeling differently all the time, happy, sad, happy, sad, etc, as the story changes throughout the book.
I feel that the story is better and more interesting during the war than before the war. It has much more feeling and action. Before the war, her life wasn't as interesting and I didn't look forward to reading as much earlier in the book than later in the book. When the war was going on, I was left in suspense at the end of every chapter and I was excited to read more.
Sky is full of many pictures taken of Hanneke and Holland taken during her life. It is helpful to have many visuals with captions telling what the pictures are of.
I had many favorite parts in Sky, but some would give away the story. My favorite part was when Hanneke was in the resistance and helping people (victims of the war) find a safe place to live. She had a lot of courage, it was definitely something that I could never do. She helped many people and saved many lives when she was a part of the resistance.
My least favorite part in the story was when Hanneke was arrested by the Germans for working in the resistance. It was very unfortunate that after helping people for so long and she was arrested.
I would feel that the main idea of this book is to teach young readers about Holland in World War II and to give the message to always have courage and hope in hard times. The book is a good example of this because even though Hanneke knew that she could get arrested in the resistance and that it was hard work. One passage in the book tells about when Hanneke joined the resistance. She was told that it was hard and not a romantic or adventurous job. After thinking strongly about it for a long time, Hanneke decided to join the resistance.
In conclusion, Sky is a very good book. It is one that I didn't regret reading, and I do regret reading many books. I feel that Hanneke Ippisch had a good idea to write this book because it is a very good story to write a book about, teaching young readers to have courage through any hard times.
This book is great for any reader in middle school. It is easy to follow and collects much interest. I would definitely recommend this book to any young, middle school reader who wants to know more about Holland during the war, about the resistance toward the Germans, and the punishments that that could lead to.

Last spring Hanneke Ippisch came to our little private school to talk to us about her book. She was elderly, of course, but she was sweet, kind, hopeful and energetic. Hanneke passed around the real letters she had written on toilet paper when she was in jail (there are photos in the book) and then scolded another child for popping her gum (it reminded her of the gunshots duing the war). She gave us a moving speech (I cried) and then signed books. In each book she wrote, "Let Us Remember!". I had read the book before that day and I was so moved by her story that I simply had to talk to her. I told her my name and she told me that her best friend had the same name. I smiled, but she said that her friend had died during the war. I somehow felt connected to that young girl. I reccommend her book immensely, because her heart is so full of hope and she is the bravest woman you could ever meet. LET US REMEMBER!

This autobiography is one I have read several times, and have taught for about 6 years now. Every time I read it, I marvel at the depth of literary talent of this author. Her use of extended metaphor, using the sky as a barameter for what is happening in the world, is genius. The use of things blocking out the sky (the Hindenburg, her tears, the darkness, the prison bars, etc) reflects her talent. I've spoken with Hanneke twice, and find her to be a fascinating individual. This novel is an absolute must-read!