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Title details for Hour of Need by Ralph Shayne - Available

Hour of Need

The Daring Escape of the Danish Jews during World War II

by Ralph Shayne
Tatiana Goldberg
ebook
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Hour of Need is a graphic novel telling the true story of the resistance to Nazi rule in Denmark during World War II and the heroes that saved the Danish Jews by helping them evacuate to Sweden.
In the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, legend had it that should danger ever come to Denmark, the mighty warrior Holger Danske promised to wake from his centuries-long slumber to protect its citizens.
When the Nazis move to round up young Mette and her fellow Danish Jews in a surprise raid in 1943 after years of letting Denmark rule its people, her father must make life and death decisions to save his family. Overnight, they have become refugees at the mercy of the complete strangers they meet during their escape. The mythical Holger Danske's promise to the Danish people manifests in the compassion and bravery of a school teacher turned resistance leader and other ordinary citizens who bravely defy the Nazi regime to come to her rescue in her hour of need.
Told from the point of view of Mette returning to Denmark years later with her grandchildren, Hour of Need tells the story of how the people of an occupied nation—from king to fisherman—risked their lives to evacuate their Jewish countrymen to Sweden in small fishing boats. Hour of Need is a tribute to the heroes that saved the Danish Jews and how humanity triumphs in the darkest hours.
Developed in partnership with the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center. Find out more at ilholocaustmuseum.org.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    September 12, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9781499813593

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • School Library Journal

      November 1, 2023

      Gr 6 Up-This graphic historical fiction of the Nazi Resistance in Denmark during World War II begins in present-day as Mette visits Denmark with her grandchildren, and alternates with the daring story of the Danish people who saved the lives of its Jewish community through heroic resistance. Included is the story of King Christian and the apocryphal tale of him riding on horseback with a star of David to show solidarity; the story of "Svend Otto Nielsen," pseudonymously known as John, who fearlessly sabotaged the German attempts to deport Danish Jews to concentration camps; and the stories of everyday Danes who, without reservation, aided in evacuating most of the Danish Jews into Sweden. The book also introduces readers to Jewish culture in Denmark. Danish culture is also covered, specifically the Hans Christian Anderson fairy-tale version of the mighty warrior Holger Danske, who became a symbol of the Danish resistance to the Nazis. The full-color artwork is dramatic, with dark shadows portraying their harrowing escape and realistic drawings showing landmarks in Denmark. VERDICT Recommended purchase for libraries looking for stories of heroic acts by everyday citizens, less-than-well-known stories of resistance to Nazi Germany, and the saving of a majority of the Danish Jewish population.-Vi Ha

      Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      October 15, 2023
      A Jewish girl survives the Nazi occupation of Denmark. In 1940, when Mette is 5, the Germans invade Denmark. Raised in a secular, assimilated family, Mette doesn't even know she's Jewish. When she's 8 and her father shares the dangerous secret with her, she understands so little of what it means to be Jewish that she responds, "But I thought I was Danish." Meanwhile, in 2009, an older Mette brings her American grandchildren to visit Copenhagen. As she tells them her story, she can offer more than she understood as a small child: Factual recitations (King Christian X's family tree, the messy Treaty of Versailles, the planned mass deportation of Denmark's Jews, and the complex pragmatism of Danish surrender) mix with tales of stubbornly patriotic anti-Nazi resistance. Older Mette's narrative follows both her memories of the mass rescue of Danish Jews in October 1943 and the story of real-life resistance fighter Svend Otto Nielsen. Shayne concludes by drawing comparisons between past and present and reminding readers of the importance of learning from history. Though at times the artwork is emotionally moving, for the most part the illustrations are cluttered and static, and the book relies more on telling than showing. As a result, the work feels surprisingly dull and even confusing--as the narrative jumps back and forth in time, it's often unclear who is being depicted and when. A dry account that nevertheless imparts significant historical lessons. (Graphic historical fiction. 9-11)

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Formats

  • OverDrive Read

subjects

Languages

  • English

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