Pennies for Hitler by Jackie French
Angus and Robertson, 2012; 311 pages; p/b. ISBN 9780732292096.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. From its opening pages, Pennies
for Hitler will hold the young (and not-so-young) reader within its
grasp. Pennies for Hitler is the latest in Jackie French's
impressive
list of works, and again she does not disappoint. For those familiar
with her bestselling novel Hitler's Daughter, Pennies for
Hitler is its
companion piece. French tells her story with artistry, and with such
poignant sensitivity for the small boy Georg, the reader cannot help
being drawn into his world.
Georg is the only child of his English academic father and German
mother. It is 1939 and he is happy attending the Adolf Hitler Schule in
Alfhausen - meanwhile Hitler is amassing his troops to the cries of
Heil Hitler. On graduation day at his father's University, Georg learns
that his great-grandfather was a Jew, and he witnesses the death of his
own father. Unwittingly he is caught in the rising power and terror of
Nazi Germany. His mother arranges an escape from Germany that enables
Georg to reach England and the relative safety of his auntie's home in
London.
However hatred has long arms, and this child who has already lost so
much, is soon facing a familiar foe in a new environment. Georg buries
his German origins deep within, and eventually, after surviving the
London blitz, he prepares for a journey across dangerous waters to
Australia. Soon however, a new foe emerges providing Georg with a new
perspective. Two years older, and not wishing to run anymore, he learns
a life lesson.
This novel highlights the hardships, hatred and horrors of war. Jackie
French weaves her story through these sensitive waters admirably. While
factual incidents have been her inspiration, it is a work of fiction
nonetheless. In the author's notes, French has included background
information supporting the origins of some of the scenes used in her
narrative. I highly recommend this novel for middle and senior school
students of history and literature.
Colleen Tuovinen