My Friend the Enemy

June 15, 2014
It's exciting when a German plane crashes near Peter Dixon's town, but is it right to help a wounded enemy soldier when your own father is off at war fighting the Germans?"They're all the same! They're killers! Murderers!" That's the sentiment regarding the Germans in Peter's English village. But when Peter and his friend Kim come face to face with the missing German pilot, it's no longer so easy to hold such strong convictions, especially when he's hurt and in need of help. Is it right to help the enemy? Getting to know Erik becomes a lesson in empathy for Peter and Kim. Hiding and helping Erik feels right, but it's complicated: Doing the right things means doing a lot of wrong things, such as stealing food and lying. But they hide him, feed him, clean his cuts and bandage his arm, and in the process become friends. Besides, Peter enjoys being with a girl, and Erik becomes their shared object of concern. Smith's simply written debut novel, related from Peter's first-person point of view, takes readers inside Peter's head and delineates his moral dilemma, his sadness over his missing father and his growing affection for Kim.Bombing raids, a crashing German plane and an encounter with a Nazi soldier-what could be more exciting? (Historical fiction. 8-14)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 6 Up-Twelve-year-old Peter lives just outside a small town in England during World War II and is feeling the effects: rations are tight, tensions are high, and many of the men are on the front lines of the battle. A German plane crashes in a field near Peter's home, and the town is thrown into a frenzy when it is discovered that the German soldier inside the aircraft escaped death by parachuting into the nearby woods. Peter and his friend Kim are exploring in the forest when they come upon the soldier. Seeing that he is just a scared young man, the two friends decide not to turn him in, and instead they find him a safe place to stay and help him recover from his wounds. As expected, Peter and Kim cannot hide their friend for long, and they must deal with the consequences when he is discovered. Filled with action and tense situations, this story will keep readers engaged from its explosive beginning to its dramatic ending; lovers of historical fiction will especially appreciate this interesting take on life on the homefront during World War II. Although Peter and Kim have an emotional understanding that seems beyond their years, their struggles will remind readers to look for the humanity in everyone, even in those considered enemies.-Sarah Reid, Broome County Public Library, Binghamton, NY

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