When the Soldiers Were Gone [Hardcover]

Vera Propp (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

After the German occupation of the Netherlands, Benjamin leaves the Christian family with whom he had been living and reunites with his real parents who returned from hiding.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A dramatic true event turns pallid in this unconvincing first novel set at the close of WWII. Living on a Dutch farm with Mama and Papa, Henk has rejoiced with them at the defeat of the "bad soldiers"?but his whole world turns upside-down when "Mama and Papa" tell him that they are not in fact his parents. Henk's real name, which he has forgotten, is Benjamin, and his real father and mother are David and Elsbet, Jews who have survived the war in hiding. The boy's reunion with his parents and his transformation from Henk to Benjamin should be exciting subjects, but the characterizations are so pat as to flatten the material. In attempting to narrate from Henk/Benjamin's perspective, Propp relies on artificial-sounding interior monologues with lots of wide-eyed questions: "It wouldn't be proper to call [David and Elsbet] by their first names. What should I call them, he asked himself. How do I know they are really my parents as they say they are?" The dangers of the war, revealed in flashbacks and through Elsbet's conversations with her son, never take on immediacy. Middle-graders interested in a more authentic treatment of problems Dutch Jewish children faced in coming out of hiding after the war should see Ida Vos's novels Hide and Seek and Anna Is Still Here. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?An uncomplicated account of a boy's readjustment after World War II in Holland. Eight-year-old Henk is stunned when he discovers that the family he has been living with are not his blood relatives. After being reunited with his biological parents, who are Jewish, Henk learns that his name is really Benjamin Van Sorg and that he was sent to live with a Christian family during the war. As he slowly adjusts to his new life and identity, memories from his early childhood gradually return, including the yellow star on his coat and a frightening encounter with a Nazi soldier. At the end of the book, when he and his parents return to their house, the place seems familiar and welcoming, and he finally feels that he is home. Propp's use of simple language helps the story flow smoothly. The author creates and sustains a mood that coincides with the readjustment phase that takes place after a trauma. Historical facts are successfully integrated into the narrative, and Henk's first-person telling makes the effects of the war tangible to readers. When the Soldiers Were Gone rates highly among other stories about the period, such as Jane Yolen's more sophisticated The Devil's Arithmetic (Viking, 1988) and David Adler's Hilde & Eli (Holiday, 1994). A moving, well-written novel.?Adrian Renee Stevens, Beaver Creek School, West Jefferson, NC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 112 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (February 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399233253
• ISBN-13: 978-0399233258
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,954,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When the Soldiers Were Gone, January 17, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: When the Soldiers Were Gone (Hardcover)

Have you ever been with someone else for so long that you don't know your real parents? It is based on a true story. It's about a boy named Henk who was hidden during the war. His real parents came to get him, but he doesn't remember them. When they got home they celebrated his return with cake. One day they went to the park, but Henk was afraid because he remembered when a Nazi soldier would come out of his position and try to hurt him. He remembers other things from his past, which help him adjust to his new life.
I like this book because it's historical. It was after World War II. It also tells how Jewish people were treated. The soldiers didn't let the Jewish people do anything. After the war the Jewish people could have normal lives. I give it four stars, because it was good. It told what it was like while he was hiding during the war and went on with his life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alex's Review, February 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: When the Soldiers Were Gone (Paperback)

. This is a super great book. I say you should read it. The characters are Hank (Benjamin), Mama, Papa, Elsbet, and David. The problem in this story is Hank has a problem with someone in his class, the bully's name is Max. He threw a rock at his head and made a big cut on his for head. My favorite part is when Hank went to his real parents. The setting was in the county and the 1900's. I give this book 5 stars because it is a super book. I would recommend this book to a friend because he likes the books I read and they are like the book I read.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive and historically accurate., December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When the Soldiers Were Gone (Hardcover)

Our third grader enjoyed the historical perspective, the Dutch names, and could relate to the feelings of fear and confusion of the little boy.