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Dec. 23, 2005
Historic tales of heroic youth
New books take readers into the past, with lessons for the present.
CYNTHIA RAMSAY
Tough kids. Brave kids. Kids who are not sheltered from reality.
Kids who are thrown into the middle of a harsh and cruel –
but not hopeless – world. These are the protagonists of two
new books aimed at preteen readers: The Righteous Smuggler
by Debbie Spring and The King of Mulberry Street by Donna
Jo Napoli.
Young boy saves Jews
The Righteous Smuggler takes place in the early 1940s in
Amsterdam. Hendrik, the 12-year-old son of a fisherman, goes on
fishing trips with his dad, hangs out with his friends and otherwise
lives the care-free life we wish all children could enjoy. When
the Nazis occupy Holland in 1940, however, things begin to change:
Hendrik's Jewish friends are barred from school and ostracized by
other classmates, some begin to disappear. Following the example
set by his parents, Hendrik is determined to support his friends
and he devises a plan to help smuggle them out of the country.
Written in a frank and compelling manner, The Righteous Smuggler
doesn't shy away from the brutality of the Holocaust. There are
many page-turning moments, as Hendrik witnesses Jews being carted
off by Nazis or must divert soldiers' attention away from his Jewish
friends. Hendrik admits his fears in these instances, but they are
overcome by his disgust with them.
The plan that Hendrik and his parents carry out is based on actions
taken by many non-Jews in Holland and other occupied countries during
the Second World War. Despite the threat of arrest and death, there
were daring and humane people who helped Jews escape the Nazis'
reach. In The Righteous Smuggler, Hendrik and his father
risk their lives by hiding Jews on their boat and sailing them out
onto the North Sea, where they are picked up by another boat and
smuggled to England.
Spring's style of writing makes completely believable the way in
which Hendrik comes by his convictions and the fact that he has
the courage to fight for them. The ending of the story – an
epilogue in which Hendrik, in 2000, is honored as a "righteous
gentile" at Yad Vashem in Israel – is quite moving. It
accentuates the goodness that exists in humanity and is a positive
way to conclude a heroic tale.
The Righteous Smuggler is the most recent title in Second
Story Press's Holocaust Remembrance Series, which has also produced
the acclaimed The Underground Reporters by Kathy Kacer and
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine. It is intended for nine-to-12-year-old
readers. For more information on the series, visit secondstorypress.ca.
Welcome to America
The King of Mulberry Street (Random House Children's Books/Wendy
Lamb Books) is historical fiction for the eight-to-12-year-old set.
It takes place in 1892, beginning in Napoli, Italy, where readers
meet nine-year-old Beniamino, whose family is "as proud of
being Jewish as of being Napoletani." Beniamino is poor and
fatherless, but he knows the streets and is resourceful: with money
he makes from odd jobs, he helps his mother buy food. This innate
ability to survive becomes crucial when Beniamino is sent to America
by his mother – without his knowledge that he is going alone.
When he arrives in New York City, life is not just lonely and challenging,
but downright dangerous. Beniamino, having changed his name to Dom,
must fend off immigration officials who mark him as a orphan to
be placed in an institution, as well as the padrones, men
who pay the passages of homeless boys and then force them to work
off the debt by begging. There are also street thieves, beggars
and other homeless boys with whom Dom must contend. And he must
find work, if he is to return home to his mother, which is his main
focus from the moment he steps off the ship. Finally, there are
the small matters of food and shelter.
Dom proves a resilient, smart child. He manages to find other people
from Napoli by listening to their accents. He befriends a few of
them and becomes part of a small community in the city. His idea
to make money ends up paying off, not just for him, but for his
friends as well.
Reading The King of Mulberry Street, one can easily envision
New York City at the end of the 19th-century, especially the areas
in which the immigrants lived and the religious and social hierarchies
that existed at the time – and which still exist, though to
a lesser degree. The location and time in which the story takes
place are integral to its appeal. They ensure that The King of
Mulberry Street is a gripping tale that will engage young readers
from start to finish.
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