The Boy Who Dared

Susan Campbell Bartoletti's 'The Boy Who Dared' is a thought-provoking historical fiction novel based on the true story of Helmuth Hübener, the youngest person executed by the Third Reich for opposing the Nazi regime. Told through flashbacks as Helmuth awaits his execution in a Berlin prison, the story chronicles his transformation from an enthusiastic participant in the Hitler Youth to a brave young man who secretly listens to forbidden radio broadcasts and distributes anti-Nazi pamphlets. The book explores themes of moral courage, individual responsibility, and the power of truth in the face of propaganda. It includes historical context, maps, and photographs, making it an excellent resource for children aged 10-14 interested in World War II history and stories of resistance.

Day 264. It's morning. Soft gray light slips over the tall redbrick wall. It stretches across the exercise yard and reaches through the high, barred windows. In a cell on the ground floor, the light shifts dark shapes into a small stool, a scrawny table, and a bed made of wooden boards with no mattress or blanket. On that bed, a thin, huddled figure, Helmuth, a boy of seventeen, lies awake. Shivering. Trembling. It's a Tuesday. The executioner works on Tuesday. In October, 1942, seventeen-year-old Helmuth Hübener, imprisoned for distributing anti-Nazi leaflets, recalls his past life and how he came to dedicate himself to bring the truth about Hitler and the war to the German people. - Publisher.