When German bombs shatter Marit's peaceful village life in Norway, she and her family begin a long and harrowing wartime-occupation experience that will test their strength and courage. Mama and Papa slip away to work underground in the resistance movement as Marit and younger brother Lars are shipped off to a coastal island to live with grandfather Bestefar. Tensions rise when Bestefar mandates peaceful cooperation with the Nazis, while Marit and her plucky aunt Ingeborg look for ways to fight back. Opportunities abound, as when Marit stumbles upon a seriously wounded resistance fighter and, at grave risk to herself and her family, tries to keep him alive. Evoking the grim reality of war and its effects on ordinary citizens, this suspenseful historical tale is also noteworthy for drawing attention to a region of Europe not commonly featured in children's fiction about World War II. Casanova appends an enlightening author's note, a glossary (with pronunciations) of foreign words, and suggestions for further reading about wartime Norway.

When the Germans invade Norway in 1940, Marit and her younger brother Lars are sent to live with their aunt and grandfather on a (relatively) safe island. But after the Nazis come there, too, Marit decides to help the secret Resistance. Although the integration of Norwegian history and customs is effortful, the book is easy to read and intermittently exciting.

When the Germans invade Norway in the spring of 1940, ten-year-old Marit and her little brother Lars are sent to the tiny island of Godoy to live with their grandfather and aunt while their parents, an English teacher and an engineer, join the Resistance. Marit dislikes her cold grandfather but loves her aunt, and comes to an uneasy equilibrium with the German soldiers on the island. When she accidentally discovers an injured resistance member, she embarks on a perilous ocean trip to complete his mission—to exchange what looks like an ordinary compass for a bucket of klipfish, or codfish. Casanova details Norwegian life during the occupation uncommonly well—including the deportation of ten percent of Norway's teachers for refusing to teach according to Nazi orders—but the pace of the story is uneven, with a bit of a deus ex machina ending as Grandfather takes them all off to the Shetland islands. Still, this is a worthwhile book about a rarely documented facet of the war that some readers will find fascinating. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

Gr 4-7-Like Sandi Toksvig's Hitler's Canary (Roaring Brook, 2007), which was set in Denmark, Casanova's Norwegian-based novel highlights the plight of one family's struggles to survive under Nazi occupation. After the German invasion, Marit and her younger brother, Lars, are sent to live with their grandfather and aunt on a remote fishing island while their parents work for the Resistance. As time passes, Marit remains loyal to the ideals of her peace-loving and free-thinking society violated by the forceful takeover of the Nazi regime. Confused and even angry about her grandfather's passive compliance with newly imposed regulations, she defies him and sides with her aunt's political views. But when Aunt Ingeborg is deported with other teachers resisting the Nazi-ordered propaganda curriculum, Marit finds herself in a lonely position. Then she comes upon a wounded Norwegian Resistance soldier, and she must make adult choices that could put herself, her family, and even her neighbors in mortal danger. Casanova spins an adventure-filled and harrowing story of dangerous boat rides, secret missions, encounters with Nazi soldiers, and a riveting escape on the "Shetland Bus." Norwegian vocabulary embedded in the text and defined in a glossary adds authenticity to the narrative. Another novel of heroism and perseverance during Europe's darkest days of the 20th century.-Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MI Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.