Uncertain Soldier

August 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-When 17-year-old German Erich Hofmeyer's Nazi ship goes down at sea he's taken to a Canadian prisoner of war camp but finds that he's not allegiant enough to the Nazis for his fellow prisoners. After he is severely beaten, he's offered an opportunity to transfer to a remote logging camp where Canadians and German prisoners must work together. There, Erich befriends 12-year-old Max, who hangs around the camp. Born in Canada to German immigrants, Max is bullied for being German. A series of mysterious "accidents" leave German prisoners injured, and Erich is pressured by other prisoners to find out who is responsible because he is the only one who speaks English. Harassed by his compatriots yet shunned by most of the Canadians, Erich gets closer to the truth as pressure mounts on all sides. Bass develops complex characters with layered backstories that provide humanity to a group of people, Germans during World War II, often portrayed as one-dimensional. The plotting is methodical, increasing in tension as Erich contends with German prisoners, Canadian workers, and the camp owners who could send him back to the prisoner camp. His relationship with Max grows as Max's bullying intensifies, developing into a poignant friendship. Violence is present throughout, with spare use of profanity, brutal yet integral to the story. The author's research is evident yet deftly woven into the fabric of the narrative. VERDICT Historical fiction from a seldom seen perspective, suspenseful and nuanced, a smart addition to most young adult collections.-Hillary St. George, Los Angeles Public Library

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June 1, 2015
Reluctant German soldier Erich, just 17 and part English-a fact he carefully conceals-has been incarcerated in a Canadian prisoner-of-war camp since recovering from injuries sustained when his ship sunk. He's being brutally bullied by devout Nazis who sense his waning loyalty and, in an overworked trope, also remind him of his older brother's cruelty during his childhood. For 12-year-old Max, the son of immigrants, the situation is ironically similar. School is much like a prison for him, and his bullies are out-of-control older boys who resent his German background. The adults around him ignore the brutality. After Erich is sent to an Alberta logging camp for the winter, the two cross paths and become friends. Someone in the camp is staging dangerous "accidents" and Erich, under pressure from fellow prisoners, tries to get to the bottom of it. Suspense mounts as each boy tries different, often unsuccessful, methods of coping and ultimately resolving their worsening situations. Erich and Max, richly developed characters, make the uncertain outcome matter. Christmas, a Cree, befriends them both; genial yet emotionally restrained, he-disappointingly-comes across as more "noble Indian" caricature than flesh and blood. The story's complexity and the believably depicted historical setting help to compensate for this coming-of-age tale's unevenness. (Historical fiction. 11-18)

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