The Boy Who Dared by Susan Bartoletti

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. The boy who dared . New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.

Social Studies, Historical Fiction

AGES: Grade Level Equivalent 4.3, 760L

SUMMARY:

Bartoletti has created a unique novel based on the true story of a Hitler youth. Helmuth Hubener is a German schoolboy growing up during the time period just when the Nazis were rising to power. Helmuth was just a young boy who dared to speak the truth about the Nazis. Bartoletti shows Helmuth courage and allows students to question along with Helmuth what the Nazis are doing. Powerful story that allows the reader to really connect to a boy growing up during Nazis time.

VOCABULARY: 

Fatherland, penetrating, sharpnel, leaflet, people's receiver, volksempfunger VE 301, satchel, drafted, propaganda, incredulously, u-boat, national socialism, plutocracy, interpretation, idealism, doctrine, Karl Marx, Thomas Mann, Heinrich Heine

TEACHING STRATEGIES: (small group instruction)

Before: Teach students about Germany during the reign of the Nazis, discuss what children are suppose to do and the rules and regulations of living on the land/ ask students if they have ever been restricted from doing something and then decided to speak up about how it wasn't right. ask what happened to them?/ go over the timeline given in the back of the book

During: Have students try to follow the timeline in the back of the book to help them keep track of Helmuth's story./ At various points in the book questions are given. Have students answer them and discuss or write about them. For example, pg. 50 "how does such meanness and hate build a better Germany?", pg. 104 "Don't the Germans have a right to know the whole truth?"

After: Have students pick an event discussed in the book, research it more and write about what information they found./ Research as a class more about Helmuth and decide what makes this book historical fiction instead of fact. Then have students using an event they research write a short story in historical fiction. 

ONLINE RESOURCES:

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/collateral.jsp?id=31656 - reader's theatre scenes, discussion questions, german vocabulary, propaganda discussion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cto6mRGInk- photo story of Helmuth Hubener's life, great visual 

timeline of the story 

http://www.scbartoletti.com/- about the author, Susan Campbell Bartoletti