Archive for the ‘A Year of Borrowed Men’ Category

“…The story, it turns out, is not about prisoners or the ravages of war so much as it is about kindness and humanity—a powerful message equally relevant today. Adults may have to interpret the wider framework, but at its heart, this family tale is a tender evocation of empathy, bravery, and friendship. This is Barker’s […]

“This book, based on true events, looks at a German family during the Second World War who are given French soldiers on loan to help with their farm. Seven-year-old Gerda can’t understand why they must be treated like enemies and when they are shown kindness, her mother is threatened with prison. This story reminds us […]

“…Based on the childhood memories of Gerda Schlottke, the author’s mother who immigrated to Canada after the war, the text is augmented with family photographs and an appended note. The choice of Gerda as narrator adds to the story’s appeal for Gerda is unaware of the many horrors associated with this war; for her, it […]