The Whispering Town

by Jennifer Elvgren, Fabio Santomauro (Illustrator)

Overview

The dramatic story of neighbors in a small Danish fishing village who, during the Holocaust, shelter a Jewish family waiting to be ferried to safety in Sweden - based on a true story.

It is 1943 in Nazi-occupied Denmark. Anett and her parents are hiding a Jewish woman and her son, Carl, in their cellar until a fishing boat can take them across the sound to neutral Sweden. The soldiers patrolling their street are growing suspicious, so Carl and his mama must make their way to the harbor despite a cloudy sky with no moon to guide them. Worried about their safety, Anett devises a clever and unusual plan for their safe passage to the harbor.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467711951
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2014
Series:	Holocaust
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	108,332
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	530L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Elvgren, award-winning author of The Whispering Town and Josias, Hold the Book, is a former print journalist who finds her story ideas in real life. She lives in Albemarle County, Virginia. With her husband, three children Caspian the border collie, Copperfield the foxhound, and Goodnight Moon the American quarter horse.

Editorial Reviews

"This slim volume is highly recommended for its fine read, for its introduction to sound historical fiction and for its gentle look at a difficult past that cannot be ignored." — Jewish Book World

From the Publisher

The setting is a Danish fishing village, but one of the book's charms is how little context you need to understand it…[The Whispering Town] feels appropriate for reading to very young children as an introduction to the subject of the Holocaust.

The New York Times Book Review - Elizabeth Wein

01/27/2014
Annet's family is part of the Danish resistance, hiding Jews in their cellar until the hidden refugees can escape by boat to Sweden. Unlike many stories set during the Nazi occupation, this one finds its protagonist, who narrates the story, an already accomplished insurgent: when her mother tells Annet, "There are new friends in the cellar," the girl knows whom to go to in the underground for additional food and even books for the young boy sheltering with his mother. These hushed requests inspire Annet to create a kind of whispering chain to guide the Jews to the harbor on a moonless night. Based on real events that unfolded in the Danish fishing town of Gilleleje, it's a story that feels urgent and refreshingly unsentimental. Elvgren (Josias, Hold the Book) never stops her reportorial storytelling for a speech about why these brave people are defying the Nazis—Annet just knows she has to act. Santomauro, who has a distinctly graphic novel sensibility, uses strong ink lines and a rich neutral palette (save for a few splashes of red) to convey a sense of secrecy, high stakes, and profound moral courage. Ages 7-11. Illustrator's agent: Advocate Art. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

04/01/2017
PreS-Gr 3—In Nazi-occupied Denmark, in 1943, a small Danish village collaborates to aid a Jewish family's flight to freedom. "New friends" have arrived at Anett's house and while they wait patiently in the cellar for a clear moonlit night to catch a ferry to Sweden, Anett visits local businesses for additional rations for them. Tension builds as suspicious Nazi soldiers comb the streets. The clever collaboration between a small child and a town save lives. Old-time radio effects layered with the dark, sparse illustrations bring this moment of Holocaust history to life.

School Library Journal

This short work, based on a true story, is superbly recounted by narrator Elizabeth Cottle. In 1943, in Nazi-occupied Denmark, Anett and her family shelter a Jewish mother and her son, Carl. Cottle deftly captures Anett's determination as she obtains food and library books for the refugees. She also conveys Carl’s fear and hope as well as the threatening aggression of the Nazis. Sound effects of plates and cutlery, squeaky doors, and animals convey a sense of place. A neighborhood effort to spirit away the pair to Sweden provides a hopeful conclusion while still giving young listeners a picture of the horror of war. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

MAY 2015 - AudioFile

2014-01-29
Residents of a small town in Nazi-occupied Denmark work together to provide a hidden Jewish mother and son safe passage to neutral Sweden. "New friends" are being harbored in Anett's dark basement for two nights. Though afraid, she allows their whispering voices to lead her down the stairs. Anett brings food from her mother's kitchen and books from the library until the boy and his mother can secretly board a fishing boat that will cross over to Sweden. Most of Anett's daily encounters with neighbors and shopkeepers show that the townsfolk support Anett's family in their dangerous effort. When the Nazis begin to search houses each night, the situation becomes even more perilous for Anett's family, and her father determines that they must be taken to the harbor despite the obscuring clouds. Without moonlight, the Jews are beckoned from door to door, guided only by whispering voices—"This way"—that indicate the route to safety. The direct simplicity of the story's telling serves well as an introduction for younger children to the Holocaust. Dark cartoon sketches reminiscent of Tomi Ungerer in opaque black, blues, grays and khaki green markers and word bubbles with the key words of direction paint the ominous atmosphere. This uncomplicated narrative of Danish resistance will facilitate teaching and discussion of a difficult yet necessary subject. (author's note) (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews