"The executioner works on Tuesdays."

The first page sets the mood for this haunting work of historical fiction, which is based on the life of Helmuth Guddat Hubner, a member of the Hitler Youth and the title character of THE BOY WHO DARED. Susan Campbell Bartoletti has taken one episode from her Newbery Honor Book, HITLER YOUTH, and fleshed it out into a thought-provoking novel.

The story begins on day 264 of Helmuth's imprisonment by the Nazis. In a cold prison cell he reflects on his past while waiting to find out if he has a future --- or if he will be put to death for being "an enemy of the state."

In his cell, Helmuth remembers his mother, Mutti, and older half-brothers, Hans and Gerhard. He also looks back with fondness on his special closeness with his grandparents, Oma and Opa, who care for Helmuth and his brothers while Mutti, a single mother, works nights.

Life is not easy for his family or for the German people after losing the Great War (World War I). At school Helmuth learns how the Treaty of Versailles --- the peace agreement that ended the Great War in 1918 --- has forced Germans to make costly reparations, which have led to unemployment, poverty and inflation. Even more, the treaty has caused shame and humiliation to the once proud and cultured German people, who gave the world Brahms, Beethoven and Bach.

Growing up, Helmuth remembers hearing strong opinions of neighbors and family members after Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialist Party and newly elected chancellor of the Third Reich, promises to make Germany strong again. Soon after Hitler comes to power, young Helmuth is entranced with the parades of "brown-shirted men wearing red-and-black armbands and tall, black, shiny boots." He vows to fight for the Fatherland, and Hugo Hubner, a Nazi soldier who becomes Helmuth's stepfather, is proud of his decision to join the Hitler Youth.

Helmuth is a bright and outspoken lad who yearns for the truth. He finds comfort in the Church of the Latter Day Saints and his Mormon faith. As Hitler and the Nazis gain a stranglehold throughout Germany, Helmuth witnesses patriotism turn to fanaticism. Neighbors turn against neighbors, books critical of Hitler are burned, and radios linking Germans to the outside world are seized as the Nazi leader's quest for power spreads across Europe.

After seeing a classmate scorned and beaten up for being Jewish, and later watching a Jewish neighbor who served nobly in the Great War get hauled off by Nazi stormtroopers, Helmuth becomes disillusioned and vows to take action. But can one teenage boy stand up against the Nazis? If so, how and at what risk?

THE BOY WHO DARED is a story about having the courage to act upon one's beliefs, no matter one's age or the risks and consequences involved. Bartoletti's use of flashbacks builds the suspense, and her inclusion of numerous photos, along with a Third Reich timeline, complement the experience of reading this memorable novel.

--- Reviewed by Donna Volkenannt

Susan Campbell Bartoletti's THE BOY WHO DARED tells of one Helmuth Hubener, a German schoolboy caught up in the bravado of the new Nazis who offer hope to his world. His patriotic spirit is stirred - until he sees the rights of Germans diminishing, the persecution of Jews, and a dangerous world created. A series of flashbacks brings his world and its conflicts to terrifying life.

Helmuth Hubener is a young Mormon schoolboy when we meet him in 1933 and a mere 16 years upon his execution in 1942 at the hands of the Nazis. His alleged crime was distributing anti-Nazi leaflets with information he got from listening to the BBC, illegal at the time. When he met his early demise, young Helmuth was the leader of a three-person resistance group with no ties to organized partisans. Using flashbacks, the author describes Helmuth's personal evolution as a resistant and the devastating grip Hitler asserted over the German citizenry. We are privy to the lives and thinking of Helmuth's family and friends and, through them, are witness to the growth of the Nazi state and the public reaction to its harsh edicts. This historical novel calls to mind Sky by Hanneke Ippisch and The Traitor by Howard Fast. Helmuth's reasoned decisions are clear and a reflection of his Mormon faith, which extols honesty. This is a young man whose ideals motivated him to see his neighbors' situation with clarity and make a difficult, life-changing choice, rather than be one of the silent and relatively safe majorities. Author Susan Campbell Bartoletti encountered this compelling story while writing the Newbery honor-winning non-fiction book, Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow. Ages 11-14. Reviewed by Naomi Kramer

This book was exceptionally written, giving you an instant connection to the character. Which, realizing from the beginning that this is based upon a REAL person's life, the ending is extremely difficult and emotional. I knew going into the book, how it was going to end; however, I still wasn't prepared for it- so have some kleenex handy before you reach the end. This book definitely sticks with you for days afterwards, and I couldn't help but wonder what could drive a government to committ such actions against its own people? And, how could so many people just go along with it?

I can understand how Helmuth thought; simply wanting other people to know the truth, and hoping he could help to stop the insane war. However, he simply underestimated the capacity for evil and cruelty within the Nazi regime. If he had lived, I think he would have been become a great leader in post-war Germany.

The Boy Who Dared
Susan Campbel


Helmuth stands ready. Quietly, with dignity and courage, he looks up at the guillotine. He knows he did the right thing.
The Boy who dared takes place in Germany during World War Two right when Hitler comes in power. Helmuth, the main character breaks the law and listens to the British radio, his loyalty and thinking changes for the worse of his countryman. I guaranty that you have never read a book like this.
This book amazed and shocked me till the end. The plot was very well planed and the flow of the book was amazing. I acutely felt like I was in the book living the life of
Helmuths life. It was wonderfully written and well thought of. I recommend this book to any one who doesn't mined a slow beginning and loves history. Every time I had to put down this book I couldn't stop thinking about it. The only thing I hate knowing fact that this was a true story and that he was a real who thought he could change history. So, my final review, two thumbs up.
- Erik o.

I enjoyed the book so much that my 12 year old is reading it not. He will then do a WW2 book report on it. I enjoyed every bit of it. It made me wonder how so many people did not recognize what was going on and yet this teenager was able to see through all the propaganda. A great read!

I couldn't put this book down once I started it. The incredible courage Helmuth had -- as a teenager!-- to do what he could against the Nazis during WWII in Germany was staggering. And since its a historical novel based so carefully on Helmuth Hübener's real life, it gave me lots to think about. Would I be this brave in this kind of situation? Honestly, I really don't think so. What makes a hero? What freedoms do I take for granted? How can people be so cruel to one another?
I LOVED this book and everything it made me think and feel.