Winter in Wartime

A teen boy supports the underground resistance of Nazi-occupied Netherlands in this thrilling WW2 historical fiction novel for kids ages 10-15.

This “harrowing and well-plotted” Dutch classic is based on the author’s own childhood in Holland during World War II (Wall Street Journal).

It’s the winter of 1944-45, and Michiel’s country has been at war since he was 11. Now he’s 15, and his country is under Nazi occupation, including the town where Michiel lives and where his father is the mayor. No longer able to attend school, Michiel spends his days running urgent errands on his bicycle, avoiding Allied bombers and German soldiers alike. Then one day, his friendship with Dirk—the neighbor’s older son and a member of the secret underground—involves him in the care of a wounded British pilot. When a German soldier is found murdered and the townspeople are blamed for his death, Michiel’s already-risky mission turns life-threatening. 
 
Winter in Wartime has never been out of print in the Netherlands since it was first published nearly 50 years ago. Based on the author’s own boyhood in wartime Holland, the action and adventure of Michiel’s mission makes for a gripping read, while the anguish of his experience underscores the ultimate anti-war tenor of the novel.