Once
again we owe a debt of gratitude to author Phillip Hoose for bringing us
another true story about young people’s role in history. First there was his
book We Were There, Too!: Young People in
U.S. History, a book that provides the missing stories of children’s role
throughout American history. What a terrific asset for anyone trying to include
more diverse stories into “the grand narrative” of U.S. history. Then there was
Claudette Colvin, Twice Toward Justice,
the story of the young black teenager who refused to give up her seat on the
bus well before the memorable actions of Rosa Parks. And she did more than
that, too. Through Colvin’s story we learn that civil rights movement is much
larger than we might have once thought. It embraces many, many more stories
that are continuing to come to light.
Now
we have Hoose’s latest book, The
Churchill Club: Knud Pedersen and the Boys Who Challenged Hitler. In this
book, we learn how young Knud Pederson, his brother, and some of his
schoolmates resisted the German occupation of Denmark during the early years of
World War II by performing dangerous acts of resistance. At a time when the
Danish government willingly turned over their country to Nazi occupation, the
Churchill Club refused to accept Nazi control. If ever a story raised questions
about moral behavior, this is it. Was it right to steal guns belonging to Nazi
soldiers? Was it right to destroy cars and buildings used by Nazi occupiers?
These kids ended up in jail. They suffered terribly. Yet, their actions sparked
a larger resistance effort in Denmark.
If ever a book narrated history focused on the actions of kids, this is
it. In fact, Hoose interviewed Knud Pederson when writing this book and many
quotes from Pederson are included throughout the book.
The
Common Core State Standards ask us to pay attention to how an author’s point of
view or purpose shapes content. Clearly, Hoose’s purpose in writing has
influenced his books. Readers can discuss how. In the process, they will learn
about the craft and structure of writing. How did Hoose give voice to the members of the Churchill Club? It's an interesting question to pursue.
The
Churchill Club is also ideal for adding to a text-set on World War II, a
text-set on children throughout history, or a text-set based on the many books
of Phillip Hoose (science and history). Or, it’s good to read just on its own.
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