Summer of My German Soldier (Puffin Teenage Fiction)

Another of my favorite books from childhood! Beautifully written, the tale of forbidden friendship between a young Jewish girl and a German POW still stands as a powerful voice for compassion today. Perfect to provoke discussion about the times and practices of World War II occurring in rural America. It amazes me that after all the years that have passed since I first read this book it still occupies a special place in my heart and mind, which is the very meaning of a beloved book.

right before school started, i check to see what summer reading was. i realize why had read more then the require (you have to read 3 book each summer and read at least 6 or 7) but then realize you read from certain genre. While I read a sci-fi and realistic fiction book, i hadn't read a historical fiction book. I simply hadn't come across one, and i already read most of classic for my age level, ( for example, i read diary of young girl, book theif, boy in stripped pajama, roll of thunder hear my cry, ect). Since it was labor day weekend, I couldn't go library and parent were busy and couldn't drive me to the book store, so my mo suggest i get a book on kindle. Summer of My German Solider look like only interesting book so I bought it. About 3 hour later i done reading it.

It love this book! It so good. It seem very historically accurate. The character really come to life. They theme of book are good. It my favorite kinda historical fiction, as i call, a political love story. It interesting and i couldn't put it down. It has a very good moral. It basically the moral is that people aren't evil, but sometime they end being force to support evil ideas. It also has theme of self esteem and showed that you are the only person that has to like yourself for you to be happy and don't try to seek approval from other if feel like doing the right thing

I would totally recommended this anybody, especially someone looking for a historical fiction novel that doesn't have overly dramatic historical correct after taste to it. ( you know, when historical fiction novel make feel like really have no idea about that era and but supper amount of emphasisi on everything about era becuase i believe historic fiction shouldn't make feel like written in that era and that intend to be read by someone living in that era.)

Open Road Media has re-released multiple Bette Greene novels in the ebook format, and Summer of My German Soldier was one of them. The book was released in 1973 and has been a staple in many required reading curricula for middle and high schools. While I was not forced to read this in middle school, it was one of the recommended books to read, which I did.

Summer of My German Soldier is about Patty Bergen, a young Jewish girl from Jenkinsville, Arkansas, and Anton Reiker, a German prisoner of war, and the relationship that they forge.

The thing to consider about Summer of My German Soldier is that prior to the ebook release, the book has been considered a work of fiction. There had been a lot of speculation that Ms Greene had written this novel based on her own life, and there had been a lot of denial on her end.... until recently. At the beginning of the book, she has an affidavit declaring that the book is autobiographical.

Now, having said that, a new light has been cast on the story, making it entirely different from what I read almost twenty years ago. The realities and cruelties that Patty endured are incredibly palpable. The corporal punishment she goes through is difficult to read. Her voice is so real that it made my heart ache.

I had a little bit of a problem with reading Patty's character because she was so starved for attention and would fabricate little white lies. However, since she is twelve and the Esau of she and her sister, it is understandable. While her time with Anton is brief, it had haunted her for the rest of the life. Because of him, she learns self-worth.

It's amazing how Summer of My German Soldier, which is set during the Second World War, is applicable to modern times. I can understand why it is required reading for some schools. There are a lot of themes and lessons to be learned from this story, some of which have made a lasting impression on me. Because of the subject matter and the violence towards Patty, I was only able to give it three stars.

A young adult classic, but I waited until advanced adulthood to read Summer of My German Soldier. Big mistake. I think I missed the nuance of pre-teen angst that drives so much of the story, and wanted to slap the protagonist repeatedly. There - I got that off my chest.

So why four stars? Upon further reflection, it occurred to me that Ms. Greene captures a number of feelings that I recall from my youth in a way that doesn't throw them in your face the way many modern teen angst novels do. The grinding boredom of small-town life. The inability to think through consequences. The romantic fantasizing over exotic people. The sense of injustice for the mistreated of society. The desperate need to do something important in the world.

I very much recommend this novel to tweens and young teens, although nearly anyone will be able to find something of themselves in the story.

I picked up this book because I remember seeing the movie with Kristy McNichol when I was young, and thought it terribly romantic. Either my memory of the movie is rose-colored, or they changed the story a lot - because this book what not at all what I expected.

In 1943, twelve year old Patty Bergen is having the most boring summer of her life in Jenkinsville, Arkansas when the news arrives that they are getting some German prisoners of war. Although Patty's family is Jewish, the girl knows little of what this means besides being excluded from things like the Baptist Bible Camp. Patty is starved for the love and attention of her abusive parents, and her only friend is the Bergen family's housemaid/nanny Ruth. After speaking with a German POW once, Patty becomes absorbed in a puppy love fantasy about him, and helps him hide after he escapes from the camp - bringing disaster for herself and all she cares about.

I can't imagine this as a popular children's book in our current politically correct society because of the scenes of violent child abuse and the class and race strife. But it doesn't have the chops to stand alone as an adult book, either, like To Kill a Mockingbird. FYI - German POWs and Japanese American internment camps both really existed in the Arkansas Delta during WWII. For me - it was very interesting to read as an Arkansan, (I`ll get flamed for this, assuming anyone actually reads what I write) because beneath the surface, the prejudices are very much the same today in small towns.

I listened to this book (audio tape) from Recorded Books, Inc. and it was exceptionally well read. I enjoyed the follow-up, Morning Is A Long Time Coming as well. Bette Green is a writer's writer (I'm a fiction writer, too). Her work spans all ages. In fact, I consider it unfortunate that, simply because her protagonist is a teenager, her books have been placed strictly in the young adult category. It takes wisdom of life and knowledge of psychology to recognize that this is the story of an abused person. Her life's choices and experiences often pertain to the severe abuse she suffered as a child, from physically and mentally cruel parents. I know, because her parents might as well have been mine, although my physically cruel parent was my mother, whereas Patty's was her father, a raging, Hitler-like tyrant. One wonders how this wonderful young person even survived, for her father was about as monstrous a parent as I've ever encountered in literature - or real life. In some ways, however, her mother was worse - mocking, humiliating, goading, tormenting her daughter. That was my fate, too, and it leads to many tragic symptoms, not the least of which are constant, tortuous self-doubt and the conflicting

traits of people-pleasing/provocative "truth"-telling. I adored Patty, however, and loved her quest for love and self-acceptance. That, too, mirrored my own. Brilliant writing for all ages... I just wish there was another sequel that tells us what happens to Patty when/if she returns to the States. Does she marry Roger, the French photographer? Does she finally, truly confront her rotten parents with what they have done to her/what they are? Does she get a big inheritance from her grandparents so she can become the writer/journalist we believe she can be? And I can't help wondering why she didn't tell Anton's father and sister that she had seen him? She says that she didn't want to bring them any further stress, but wouldn't that have made them feel good, to know that, before his death, someone had truly loved and cared for him? Oh, well. I will just have to imagine these things, and isn't that what's so marvelous about great literature? It causes you to use your imagination! Thanks, Bette Green, for a thought-provoking, empathic read.

Summer of My German Soldier is about a young adolescent 12 year-old-girl named Patty who is Jewish. She falls in love with a Nazi soldier when she is at her father's shop. He asks her what kind of pencil sharpener he should buy. He falls in love with her. Her grandmother then takes her out on a fancy train ride, and buys her new clothes. Patty loves this outing because her parents do not really understand her at back at home. Anton then escaped from the prison after her train ride with her grandmother. She feeds him, in her garage, and takes care of him, only until she has to eventually tell Ruth. He then leaves her. She often sees him walking, and calls out, but he does not hear her. One day when he actually heard her, she went inside the house and stole tons of food all for him. Later that day, her father comes home and notices a ring on her finger. She said that it was from a nice man who wanted food, so she gave it to him. Since she was so nice he gave her the ring, when it was really from Anton. Her father, as usual, got really upset at this, and suspected that he did something to her. She swore nothing happened, but with his stubborn mind, whacked her across the forehead. Ruth pampered and watched over her. Since Ruth was talking Patty's side, Patty's dad fired Ruth. It was the first time that she had ever been fired. Near the end of the book Patty hears that Anton gets killed, and is devastated. The overall book was enjoyable, but some did not really make sense. For example, even though we knew that the father of Patti was moody, it really did not make sense for him to beat her at the times that he did. When he was in the garage, and his temper rising, he slapped her across the face asking her where she got the ring. Secondly, I thought that some parts were rather slow, and did not need to be there. I would rate this book four stars out of five because I enjoyed the story, but some parts of the book did not need to be there, and some parts were slow.

Patty Bergen is a not-so-ordinary Jewish girl growing up in Arkansas during World War 2. Shunned by her cruel father and cold mother, twelve-year-old Patty daydreams of what it would be like to be loved by someone.
It just so happens that Patty's small town of Jenkinsville becomes the site of a POW camp for German soldiers. One day, the prisoners are led into her father's department store by soldiers to buy hats. Patty, who is working there at the time, has her first encounter with Frederick Anton Reiker, who from the first meeting strikes her as being different.
In a remarkable twist of fate, Anton escapes from the prison and has to hide at Patty's house in their "abandoned" attic. There, the friendship only grows stronger-in Anton, Patty finds acceptance and love-all the things she has missed from her family. But inevitably, the time comes for her family to find out about the secret she has been hiding...
Bette Greene has done a wonderful job of making this a passionate and thoughtful book. Her portrayl of Anton shows us the other side of Germans during World War 2-is it possible that some really were just decent people unfortunately pulled into the cruelty of Hitler's Germany? We contemplate with Patty the risk she takes-is it worth it to undoubtedly "lose" her family and whatever friends she still has for a lonely German soldier? And maybe, we wonder with Patty, are some things more important than patriotism?
The only flaw in this book was the relationship between Patty and Anton. It seemed to me like it was a little too "romantic" for a relationship between a 12-year old and a 22-year old. I think the story would have been more realistic Patty was a bit older and/or Anton was younger. Thankfully, Bette Greene still created a wonderful story of frienship despite this flaw, and it is still a book DEFINITELY worth reading.

Patty is a twelve year old American jewish girl. She is living in a small, remote town during the heat of world was two. Not much happens normally in the little town.

Until the POW's came.

The American soldiers have captured a group of Nazi-German soldiers, and have decided that Patty's little town was the safest place to keep them.

Patty is intrigued at the idea of having something important happen in her little town. Especially when she meets Anton, a young POW who takes a shine to everyone who meets, including Patty.

But when Anton escapes the POW camp, Patty ends up hiding him in the garage behind her house. She knows how much trouble she would be in - with her violent father and the American troops - if anyone found out. But she hides him there because she loves him, with all of her heart. He confides in her that he did not want to join the army - he was made to - and that he missed home.

This story is beautifully written. It can be a little boring in parts, but other than that, very good.

The book " Summer of My German Solider" is a great book. I am 10 years old and had to read this book for an english project. I feel this is a good book to read because it shows how teenagers deal or overcome with the problems they face in life. Most think because it is about WWII that it would be relly borrrringg!!! but it isn't.Then again some people don't like love stories either. I think this book is a great book to read because it is funny, mysterious, exciting, and there are a few facts in it.
The story is about a girl named Patricia ( Patty) who is 12 years old.Her family is really mean to her and they don't show any appreciation. Then one day while she is working in a family store she helps a boy or a POW/ Nazi then they start to talk. They get into a conversation and patty doesn't think he is bad, he can speek great english. That was when her live started to change.
The next time she say him was trying to hitch a train ride. HE ESCAPED from jail!!! Her live wasn't over. She hides him from her family, and freinds. She doesn't tell anyone that she is hidding him. She gives him food and water to. Then the secret comes out!!!
You should pick up the book summer of my german solider and start reading it today. It sad, happy,mysterious, adventures, and factual. I would rate it a 9.9999 star rating out of 10.
(10 the best). I love this book !! so you should love it toooo

My fascinating book is called Summer of My German Solider, by Bette Greene, and it is a book that is so wonderful that when you can't put it down. It has several conflicts in it , but I am only going to talk about two. The first conflict is that a brave and bold girl named Patty is devastated because nobody likes her except her housecleaner Ruth. For example, her mother always nags her about how she looks or how she needs to look. Her father always says she is the mistake in the family and that his life would be much better if she wasn't born. The other conflict I am going to talk about is her love life. I bet you wonder why that would be a conflict ,but what you need to know is that this was back in WWII and Germans were a problem. There is this German that was brought to America from Germany as a prisoner, and as soon as Patty has a wonderful and intelligent conversation with him, she thinks she is in love with him. The end you will have to read, I told you this was a wonderful book didn't I? This is why you should read Summer of My German Soldier.

This book gives one much to think about whether you loved or hated the book. Basically, the story is about the 1st love of a girl with an older young man. Conflicts abounds has he is a German soldier and she is a Jewish girl. I found that small parts of the story were a little far fetched but not totally unbelievable. I do like the fact that this story gives children another point of view for the war. I do like the story as it causes one to stop and think about judging people because of their own actions and not be their race. It would be an excellent addition to a classroom library.

I love this book for many reasons. First, because it is so politically incorrect, in its depiction of the unlikely alliance between a misfit Jewish girl and a rather naive German prisoner of war in the small minded setting of WWII era American rural south.
This book was published in 1973, and written by a Jewish woman who was the same age as the protogonist, Patty Bergen, during WW II and who likewise grew up in a rural Arkansas town. My guess is that it wouldn't even be published today -- the very idea of giving a German the benefit of the doubt is now taboo, in the aftermath of Daniel Goldhagen and his book, Hitler's Willing Executioners, in which he has supposedly proved, once and for all, that all Germans are evil, and equally responsible for the Holocost.
Yes, it is shocking that Patty felt so abused by her Jewish parents that she sided with a German. Unfortunately, that's how people sometimes behave in real life. That's why this book transcends the genre of young adult novels -- all the major characters are deeply flawed, from Patty, who should know better than to committ treason, to Anton, who should have sat tight, seeing as he was being treated just fine by the Yanks, to her self-centered and I'm afraid all too typical parents. We see that being a member of a beleagured minority group (Jews) doesn't make Patty's parents saints. They are as class conscious as any of their redneck neighbors.
This book, if published today, would probably be attacked for being antisemitic, simply because some of the Jewish characters aren't perfect. (Her grandparents, by the way, provide a contrast of warmth and fairness.)
This book provides no panaceas at the end, when the heroine is still far from in the clear. It is a morally challenging book that surprised me at every turn with its realism and fearlessness.
In a way I have more respect for it than I do for To Kill A Mockingbird, which other reviewers here compared it to. That book itself has become a predictable cliche, much imitated, of moral right and wrong -- of course white people are always wrong, and black prisoners innocent victims. Greene's book, on the other hand complicates the simplistic liberal equation.
A breath of fresh air in an era of PC censorship.

I had heard many good things about this book. While it was an interesting idea for a book, I found that I just couldn't connect with any of the characters or even the storyline for that matter.

Patty is a twelve year old girl who lives with her parents and sister and is cared for by a nice woman named Ruth. A little bit on the wild side, Patty is definitely not her parent's favored child. In fact, it seems like they'd like her to just disappear. She tries to be helpful and kind and make them like her, but she always seems to fail.

When a POW camp is established right outside her town, she gets a chance to meet some of the prisoners when they come to her father's store for hats. One in particular is kind to her and speaks to her as if she matters. His name is Anton and he is more of a scholar than soldier. Patty finds a chance to becomes friends with him when he escapes from the camp and takes to hiding in her garage at home. She brings him food and shares stories with him. Gradually she comes to appreciate him even despite their differences because he is kind to her and actually seems to care about her. However, they both know it can't last and that he needs to move on before he's caught. Its a danger to both him and Patty to be staying there.

The characters in this, with the exception of Ruth, were just terrible. Patty, to me, was a brat and while I still thought her parent's were louses, I couldn't even like her. Her parents, as said before, were terrible people with no redeeming qualities. Anton was only in the book for a little bit and never really gets fleshed out as a character. The only one I liked was Ruth. She was kind with a few flaws and just seemed to be a real person. The rest were just awful with no sense of good in them. It just wasn't very realistic. Another thing I found a bit hard to understand about the characters was the affection Anton felt for Patty even before she helped him. As a twenty something year old man it just seemed odd that he would find this connection with a twelve year old Jewish girl with no other reason than that she sold him some items at the store and was polite to him.

The writing was easy to read since it was a juvenile book. Since its an older book there are racial slurs in it and that could have the potential to offend some people. Most of the book is dialogue so there is not a great amount of description on the setting of the book and the characters were only minimally described. I did like the dialogue in this book; Greene does a wonderful job of expressing the characters feelings about the war and about their family life through their words.

I just couldn't bring myself to like this book. I wanted to but there was nothing to draw me into the story and care about the characters. Its probably a good book to introduce war themes to children but otherwise I'm not sure what its uses are. It doesn't help my opinion that the book seemed unfinished at the end as well. I kept waiting for some explanations on why people felt the way they did about Patty and what would happen to her after she left the school. It felt incomplete.

Fascinating idea for a plot but only carried out fairly well instead of the excellent book it could have been. It wasn't all terrible, as I said before I liked some of the conversations that took place in the book. It just wasn't what I expected the novel to be when I had heard about it from others.

Summer of My German Soldier
Copyright 1973
230 pages

This story takes place in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during the summer. The place in which it is located is important because it was in this time that World War II was being held in.

This book is mostly about a Jewish girl named Patty Bergen short for Patricia who meets a man named Frederick Anton Reiker. This man is a German soldier who is being kept prisoner. Patty doesn't think of herself much until the day he changes her life upside down. Accompanying them in this miraculous book is her little sister named, Sharon who usually takes up everybodys attention and her nanny or servant named, Ruth. Ruth is like a mom and a dad for Patty. Pattys parents are also some of the characters in this book. They don't think of her much of her much better yet they don't think of her at all. Think they are going to change then start reading think they aren't do the same.

In my opinion, this is a good book it is sort of like a soap opera. So the people who just love to read or see soap operas should really try to read this book. I truly enjoyed reading this book because in some parts it had sort of like a romantic mood and then again it had a battle mood. (This book reminded me of a heart with a stake going through it. I would recommend this book because it like teaches you a lesson about love at first sight. So if I were you I would be careful with what I saw.

My daughter is now too older and far too accomplished a reader in her own right to need or want me to read to her, but I wish I had known of this when we were still reading together. I read this for a couple of reasons. As a native of Little Rock I wanted to read what is perhaps the most celebrated juvenile novel to have come out of my home state. Second, I have seen it highly praised and wanted to see if the praise was justified.

The praise was indeed justified. The novel is about a 12-year-old Jewish girl living in a small fictional town in northeastern Arkansas named Jenkinsville. As far as I can guess it is somewhere between Forrest City and Memphis. Wynne is mentioned as a nearby town. Looking at a map I would guess Jenkinsville is approximately where Parkin, Arkansas is. The protagonist of the novel is Patty Bergen, who is as isolated as a child can be. Her mother is unrelentingly critical of her while her father is both dismissive and physically abusive. At the time of the action of the novel she is virtually friendless as well, with most of her friends off at Baptist summer camp in the Ozarks (as any Arkansas Baptist would know, Siloam Springs). And as a member of the only Jewish family in town, she feels religious alienation as well. In the course of the novel only a few people seem friendly toward her at all. Her grandparents in Memphis give her a kind of love that her parents deny her. The black family maid and cook acts as a sort of real parent that her parents seem incapable of being. A Memphis newspaper reporter accords a level of respect to her that few others seem capable of. And, surprisingly, the town sheriff seems truly compassionate. But most of all a young twenty-year-old German prisoner of war helps her more than anyone else believe that she is "a person of worth." The book is filled with ironies as the two people who help her most with her sense of self-esteem are a black maid and a German prisoner, just as it is ironic that his is most aided by that same black maid and a young Jewish girl.

This is a deeply affecting, moving novel. Patty is a deeply flawed, yet wonderfully realistic character. She has a habit of telling petty lies that partly serve to garner her respect that others deny her and partly to force others to pay attention to her. The scene in which she is forced to go for a horrible perm on a blisteringly hot day is a chillingly vivid and realistic portrait of what would seem like hell to a small girl.

As others have noted, this is on many levels a sad book. But it is also, I think, an optimistic one. One can't help but believe that Anton, Patty's German soldier, was right: Patty is a person of worth. It is difficult to believe that she didn't turn out well after the events of the novel and that what made this possible for her was what others helped her realize about herself. In the short run, one imagines things got worse for her. As Ruth, the black maid, told her, her parents were "irregular" or "seconds," meaning that just as some pieces of clothing were sold cheaply because they didn't measure up, so Patty's parents never had and never would measure up. One can sense that Patty's home life remained bleak and unhappy, but that she still was going to turn out all right. She was, she had learned, a person of worth.

I recommend this to adults as well as younger readers, but I especially recommended parents reading it to their children. It isn't just a great read, it raises a host of difficult and fascinating questions.

Note: I was right! I just read an article about Bette Greene and learned that she was raised in Parkin, Arkansas. I think it is safe to assume that Parkin is the real Jenkinsville.

In this book, Patty Bergen discovers who she really is and what she stands for in the world. Anton, a German prisoner of war whom she meets in her father's store, helps Patty to discover this. By allowing Patty to take care of him after he escapes from the POW camp, he makes Patty feel beautiful and needed, when she before felt as if she were ugly and unwanted. Even though Patty knows it is wrong to hide a German soldier, she does it anyway because she loves him. She knows that Anton is not a Nazi, but is a human being who deserves to be treated like one. Anton helps Patty to see others this way as well, and she discovers that love knows no boundaries. I loved this book because Patty is so easy to identify with! Any age group would enjoy this story.

Oh my goodness, this was possibly my favorite book in middle school! My mother gave me HER copy that she read as a teenager, so it was very special to me. I know I read it at least three times.

I am currently a freshman in college and have read many love stories since Summer of My German Soldier, but this book still stands out in my memory. The power of the forbidden love, the danger of a German soldier in the WWII American homefront climate, the intensity of the moral choice Patty has to make in hiding Anton...it all makes their time in the tree house more gripping...and the ending...so heartbreaking!

The only issue I remember having was the story feeling a little slow at first and then picking up in the middle. I think this was to the advantage of the plot though, which revolves around an intriguing idea, but one that teeters slightly towards the improbable; it is not hard to believe though once the story begins, as it is populated by the voices of such honest characters that the very dramatic scenario becomes wholly true and heartbreaking (I was faintly reminded of this distinct element of the storytelling from Summer of My German Soldier when I read Twilight...very faintly though:).

I never read the second book, but I might someday, if I need what I expect is a very good read to relieve a sudden attack of nostalgia :) And I will surely pass my copy along to my daughter one day :)

This is a story of Patty Bergen, a trouble making, homely thirteen-year-old growing up on the American World War Two homefront. Patty's parents are verbally abusive, and her father is known to beat her on occasion. When a German POW escapes from the local prison camp, she allows him sanctuary in hidden rooms in her home. This German soldier proves to be her first love and one of the only people who truly loves her back.
I, personally, would not recommend this book for pleasure reading. The novel had well-developed characters, and that was mostly what the author concentrated on. It seemed Bette Greene wanted to just develop a character, and not a story. When something tragic happens to Patty, I'm so busy learning everything about her that I did not shed a tear. Summer of My German Soldier seems to be an analysis of the adolescent human mind, not a novel I could fall in love with.

I was prompted to read this book through having seen the movie (and choked back the tears) many years ago. I'm not terribly sure that I agree with the reading age though; this strikes me as being more suitable for teenagers than nine year olds.

The subject matter is tragic and treated with a simplicity that is damning. Patty Bergen, a Jewish girl, befriends a German prisoner of war, seeing beyond the "Nazi" hatred of her peers to the person inside. She is eventually backed up by her parents' African-American housekeeper, the only other true-hearted soul in this entire story. Anton, the German soldier, is a self-proclaimed coward, but he discovers his own inner courage when it comes to the crunch.

Through these three main characters, so different in their attitudes from the narrow-mindedness and sheer cruelty of the others, we learn that it's possible to go beyond the outer looks of a person and that what is inside truly counts. Patty's daydreams are poignant and sad, highlighting the difference between what she needs and what her reality actually is.

The self-righteous townspeople are racists and have committed more than one atrocity in their time. And the innocence of the main character, who notices but does not quite understand, is beautifully portrayed. We get the impression that she is on the verge of losing that innocence, her belief that all people are essentially good, and the feeling of that is so sad.

In a way this story is a fable - a bitter one, for sure. But I found that the story was compelling and moving, and above all thought-provoking. If nothing else, it teaches us that not all is what it seems. I still wish that it had had a happy ending.

Have you ever heard the saying, everyone has a story to tell? Well, my all time favorite, Summer of my German Soilder, proves it. The tale of Patty Bergen, the lonley, abused jewish girl living in Arkansas who meets Anton, a nazi who is a POW outside of her town, is a cleverly woven tale by renowed writer, Bette Greene. Every moment in this story is to be treasured, and a must read for any teengage girl who likes historical fiction, and for that matter, ANYONE AT ALL! This is a book where you really feel what the characters are feeling. When I read Summer of my German Soilder, my heart poured out to Patty, Anton, and most of all their story.

A great read! I've just started reading the sequel. Patty Bergen is a character of character from a very early age. Her
sense of decency overrides her common sense which caused me to admire her and at the same time want to smack her up alongside the head.

The summer of my German soldier takes place in Arkansas, during WWII. The story is about a girl named Patty who feels that her parents are mean and cruel to her because they don't appreciate anything she does for them. The only person who she can find acceptance in is her housekeeper, Ruth. Patty's small town in Jekingsville, becomes the site of a POW camp for German soldiers, and one day the soldiers are allowed to visit her father's department store to purchase some hats. Patty, who was working that day, met one of the German soldiers named Anton Reiker. Soon after, Anton escaped from the prison camp and hid out at Patty's house in her abandoned attic. Later her family found out what Patty has been up to.
If one of the characters were to run into trouble it would be Patty. In the book Patty makes wrong choices that get her in alot of trouble. Knowing that she is Jewish she's not allowed to talk to any of the German soldiers that come to her hometown. She disobeys and does it anyway. she helps the German soldier that escaped from the prison camp. Later in the story the FBI catches up to what Patty has been up to. Her hometown then turns against her and calls her a trader and sees her as a bad person.
My favorite character in the story is Patty Bergen. But, if I were in her place I don't think I would have done the same thing she did by helping the German prisoner who escaped the campsite. For example, it's like me hiding out Bin Laddin in my attic. I could never turn my back on my country and help him. Patty is a twelve-year old brave girl who takes the risk of hiding out a German prisoner. Her parents always brush her off to the side. Patty feels left out in her family kind of like an outcast. I can kind of understand were Patty is coming from for her to help that German soldier. Since her mother or father doesn't pay any attention to her she feels like she needs someone to talk to or any one that has interest in her and would care about her. She obviously doesn't care who it is because she starts talking to a German prisoner and he's in his twenty's. The thing that I like about her is that she's a good-hearted person.
If I were to relate to any of the characters, I think it would be Patty. I had an experience kind of similar to what Patty went through. My parents always told my sisters and me we weren't allowed to have a boyfriend until we were eighteen-years old. I was the one who disobeyed my parents. When I was about thirteen-years old I had a boyfriend anyway. I would lie to my parents about where I was going or whom I was going with. After a while I felt guilty, and I felt like I had to confess. I waited to long to tell them and they ended up finding out. After that it took me a while to earn my trust back from them. So I think it's best for parents to be open with their children. Don't tell your kids you can't do this, you can't go there, or you can't hang out with a certain person because they don't like them. Later in life their parents will realize they should not tell their kids "no" just for the heck of it or just to be strict. I could see who was a bad person to hang out with, or a bad place to go.
I enjoyed reading this book, but it took me a couple of chapters to get into it. I had a favorite part and a least favorite part. My favorite part was when Patty met the German soldier at her father's department store and supplied him with a place to stay, clothes, and food. My least favorite part of the story was when Patty's father beat her because he didn't like her friend Freddy. I don't think children should get beaten by their parents, especially a young twelve-year old. I could see if it was a little kid getting disciplined, but spanked on the hand.
I think I would recommend this book for someone else to read. It's a good book. The kind of person I recommend to read this book is a girl or boy who enjoys reading romantic stories.

I kept waiting for a revelation to explain the deep animosity Patty's parents felt for her, and I wanted to know why--if Patty was smart enough to know Anton had to remain hidden--she intentionally revealed Anton's ring to an adult who had never been anything close to friendly or sympathetic to her. Two very loose ends.
But then I came here to see what others thought and kept coming across the word "romantic." Excuse me? A girl who isn't yet in 7th grade and a young man who would be about to start his junior year in college?
Though the covers of the various editions always seem to be trying to make her look older and him younger, the fact that anyone could see their relationship as "romantic" is majorly creepy.
Given the difference in their ages, I found Patty's obsession with Anton vaguely disturbing (despite the fact--yeah, yeah, I got it--that she had no love at home). The only way I could mentally tolerate Anton's continuing relationship with her was to tell myself that he recognized her feelings and that he was desperate enough to escape that he was using her--understandable, not romantic.

This book is really interesting in my opinion. I think it is a book that makes you think about your actions, look further than now. What will happen in the future if you do this? I read this book a couple years ago and I loved it so much that I read it again and again. Now dont get me wrong, I dont like romance novels, I do however, like this book. I would recommend this book to anybody who loves fiction and historical fiction. I hope this helps, happy reading!

I just finished reading this book, and I absolutly LOVE it. I cried through most of it! Patty Bergen feels alone until she meets Anton, a Nazi soldier, and realizes what true friendship is. She is abused by her father, ignored by her mother, and is always looked over because of her younger sister's good looks. Through the trials that Patty endures, she learns what it means to truly love someone. It is easy to relate to the feelings that Patty has because of Greene's wonderful style of writing. I highly recomend this book to anyone who loves reading! Enjoy!

Summer of My German Soldier is one of the greatest novels of our time, in my opinion... It is the tale of a young girl, Patty, during the midst of WWII, and all she has to deal with, like abusive parents and life without one ounce of love-- But then she meets Anton, a German soldier in a prisoner camp, who seems to hold everything she was missing in her life... One thing to add here: Patty was Jewish. Summer of My German Soldier is an exceptional book to read; you will come out of it feeling good about your life, the pain of Patty's life, and extreme anxious-ness to get the sequel book, Morning is a Long Time Coming. Get this wonderful novel, because I know you will enjoy it! :)

The historical fiction novel, Summer of My German Soldier, written by Bette Greene, describes the cultural aspects of daily life during World War II. This novel published by The Penguin Group in 1973 was a finalist in the National Book Award and won an ALA Notable Book award. This book takes place in Jenkinsville, Arkansas during World War II. Throughout this novel times are tense for the protagonist Patty Bergen, because she risks losing family, friends, and her freedom, for whom she dearly loves, Anton Reiker. Summer of My German Soldier is a very descriptive and educating historical fiction novel, which sets this book apart from others in many different ways, including its setting, content, and themes. This novel did not include information about the war as most World War II books do, that making this novel more unique. Many believe that the theme "longing for love" really stands out in this novel. Throughout this novel Patty is longing for her parents to find appreciation in Patty and to love her as others do. This is one of very few books in which exemplify such love in a World War II set book. Also, Bette Greene makes this novel so interesting by creating a character, such as Patty who is so lively and modern. Many readers of Summer of My German Soldier believe that the major purpose of this book is to see each other as real people with wonderful qualities, and to love each other for what they are and not for what people label them as. The appropriate reader for this novel would be 12 and up and people who love a mix of historical fiction and romance.

Summer of My German Soldier is organized in an orderly manner, conflicting with great drama and a thrilling plot. The illustrator Robert Hunt did a great job on the front cover of this novel. The image shows Anton holding Patty gently on a cloudy summer afternoon. Anton Reiker, the Nazi prisoner of war shows signs of awareness and how much he cares about Patty, while Patty shows trust in Anton, her lover. The layout of this novel is so well thought out, including the photos, the table of contents, and the text.

Bette Greene definitely achieved her purpose in writing this young adult novel, for this book taught many readers a life lesson, which is to realize that we can't classify people as good or bad because of their nationality, race, or religion. Summer of My German Soldier captures important aspects of the 1940's such as the horrors of World War II. Summer of My German Soldier is a fascinating young adult piece of literature. Those who enjoy reading historical fiction novels and those who enjoy romantic novels will absolutely adore this book. Though, if you are the fantasy type of reader, I do not recommend this book to you. It enhances your historical knowledge, while at the same time, you sit back and enjoy a teenage "love story".

Mesmerizing, addicting and unforgettable. I guess there could be more words that describe this book, but then I would have written my own novel. Summer of My German Soldier written by Bette Greene captures a heart felt story of a twelve year old's forbidden love.
Bette Greene spins you around a story about a Jewish girl named Patty Bergen that just so happened to stumble upon a new beginning of her boring life when a camp full of German Soldiers arrived in Jenkins Ville. Hatred for the Nazi's were burning. What Patty didn't expect was that she would be harboring one of them. As her love for her German soldier grows, lies are made and trusts are to be broken.
While I was reading this book, it seems that Bette Greene has already brought me back in time where a slice of cake would cost only thirty cents. This book is recommended for readers who like to get lost in words of romance, rebellion, and adventure all mixed together. This isn't just your average cliché love story so forget about the "Twilight Series" or the "The Notebook" because Summer of my German Soldier will leave you speechless.

Reviewer: Nada Karrakchou, from Rabat Morocco.
The Summer of My German Soldier, is set in Arkansas during the period of World War II. The two main themes discussed in this book that seizes the attention of the reader are parental relations with their children, and race issues. At the surface this book is very simple to read and understand, but how profoundly it is analyzed depends on the reader�s maturity and capacity to understand different issues of life. Patty Bergen a 12 year old girl maintains an apathetic relation with her parents, who seem to neglect their daughter and set issues concerning her on the sidelines, at the end of their preoccupation. By reading this book one can be very thankful about his/her own family. Parents in the life of a young person are a very important factor. I believe that parents are the guides of the journey of their kids in the world during childhood, teenage life, and a little less during adulthood life, when one is more capable of assuming himself. Personally my parents are the keys to the door of my happiness in my teen life. It is very important that parents make sacrifices in order to procure healthy and happy lives for their children.
The idea of a loving family is something that Patty is not familiar with, due to lack of love. Patty is neglected by her family and her father is a very strict person. He even goes as far as beating her because she does something that doesn�t please him. I believe that child abuse is one of the biggest crimes that one can commit. Beating does not result in anything positive. It only leaves negative prints in a child�s memory. This lack of love and lack of attention on the parents part, led Patty later on to make decisions that cause her problems.
Race issue is another major theme discussed in this book. Since Patty is a Jewish girl, she is warned not to approach the German soldiers that have been sent to prison camps in her town, Jekingsville. However, after she meets one of the soldiers, Anton Reiker, she helps him hide once he escapes form the prison camp. This event can be analyzed two different ways. First it could be said that Patty does all of this to try to get the attention of her parents. She puts herself into so much trouble by helping the prisoner that on one side it seems she could have done this partly to get her parents to pay attention to what she is doing. On the other hand, the more obvious reason she does this is for love, care and attention. Since, Patty receives barely any love from her parents she has to compensate for this lack of love by seeking care from another individual. Anton comes at the correct moment and finally she finds a person who is able to appreciate her for what she is, with her qualities and her bad sides. The main reason she helps him, is because she finds in Anton care and kindness, and somebody to talk too; factors that her parents were never able to give her. I recommend this love story to all fans of romantic books.

This story was about two people who are stuck between love and war. Patti is a very adventrus girl. She loves going to her dads store,and helping out. But, her dad beats her. Anton is a german soldier who is staying at a war camp. The war camp is a place for german soldiers. Patti meets Anton at her daddys store, and immediatly she falls in love with him. One night Anton escapes from the camp, and Patti sees him. She hides Anton in her garage. Then he falls in love with her. But, he knows he is putting Patti in danger.

Summer Of My German Solldier was a very good, enjoyable, and emotional book which I took to, but it, in the end, became very sad. I felt extremely sad and sorry for Patty as I read the last section of the book. Although the last part of the boook was very sad, it also kept me reading. I wondered where Patty would go, what she would do, and what would happen to her.

I had thought that this book would end "happily ever after", but I was wrong. It did, in its own way, end happily, but definitely not the way that I had expected.

I rate this book with five stars for many reasons, though. A few were the emotion, ther happiness, and the sadness. I now feel that I must read the sequel; let's put it that way.

The book describes how Anton and Patty fell in love. I would definitely recommend this to a friend. I just love all things romantic. This book showed me the true meaning of friendship. Friendship doesn't mean abandoning someone, it means being there for them. It means willing to give your life for a true friend. This is the tale you will share with your loved ones for generations.

Tweleve year old Patty desperately needs attention. Her parents abuse her emotionally and physically. Her only friend is a her maid, Ruth, a black woman. She is a Jewish girl and her hometown is turned into a camp housing area for German Soldiers. She meets a young German soldier, Anton and falls in love. Anton gives Patty a ring, which she cherishes. She hides him in her garage when he escapes from the camp and gives him food and keeps him safe. The whole town finds out that she has hid a Nazi in her garage. The whole town shuns her, she even gets spit on and she is sent away. They treat her like they treated the Nazis in the beginning of the book when they first arrived in their small town in Arkansas. At the end Ruth comes and visits Patty and gives her hope that better times are coming for her. Ruth also gives back the ring that Anton gave her, which she thought was gone foever.
This was a very sad book. It shocked me how terrible everyone treated Patty, she was just twelve years old. It really shows us true love. Love between a young Jewish woman and a German man. Also, it show us love between Patty and Ruth to only other person to believe in Patty. It also show us the hard times that Patty had to face growing up.
Patty is such a strong girl. She had lived through such heartache when she was so young. When reading this, it got me thinking if this book was based on a true story and if the author based it on her own experiences.
The one thing that I didn't like about the book was the cover. I think that it doesn't represent the book well at all. I would have never picked up this book by just looking at the cover. It also probably wouldn't attract boy readers either because the cover makes it look like just a mushy love story. But in reality this book is about alot more than just love.
Overall GOOD BOOK!!!

I recently read Summer of My German Soldier By: Bette Greene for my Literature for Young Adults course at BSU. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, especially the World War II POW camp setting. The majority of books that I've read involving prison camps are about Allied prisoners and the Holocaust. The POW camp in the novel was located in the small town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas. The prisoners were German Nazi soldiers. One of the main characters in the novel is a soldier named Anton Reiker, who escapes from an American prison camp. Anton is aided in his escape by an unlikely amazing 12-year-old Jewish girl named Patty Bergen. Patty's life is quite complicated in itself. Her parents are abusive and neglecting. Her only haven is with her younger sister Sharon, Anton, and Ruth her family's housekeeper whom treat her as an equal. Patty met Anton while working in her family's general store. Anton is much older than Patty but treats her as an equal, unlike others in her community. The friendship of Anton and Patty blossoms throughout the novel. I really enjoyed the novel. However, the cover of the novel threw me off because it portrayed a romance novel type picture. I think male readers are going to be less likely to read the novel because of the cover, which is upsetting, because the novel really didn't have an excess of romance especially considering Patty and Anton's ages were so far apart. I would definitely recommend Summer of My German Soldier to both males and female readers!

Summer of My German Soldier was a wonderful drama. It tells about a 12 year old girl, Patty, who lives with her abusive family in Arkansas, during WW2. One day she sees a kind, young POW escaping. She offers to hide him in her garage, and he accepts, starting a dangerous time for them both. This book was incredibly sad at times, but it was an excellent book. I'd recommend it for readers age 12 and up. If you enjoyed this, you may want to read the sequel, Morning is a Long Time Coming.

This is a really, really, REALLY good book! I suggest that all girls read it, but I'm not sure boys would like it very much. It was pretty emotional, because the man she falls in love with dies and her parents don't love her. It also presents some issues about culture and race, which I think make it even better. Even though the reading level is ages 9-12, I think older people would like it just as much, if not more. The content also seems better suited for older kids than nine-year-olds. I really think you should read it!

This story takes place during World War II and is set in a small town named Jenkinsville. The story is about a prison camp for German POW's, and how a German POW escapes, and all the problems he runs into. The main characters are Patty, the daughter, who is always getting into trouble. Mr. and Mrs. Bergen, Patty's parents, run a local store. Ruth, the Bergen's maid and house cleaner, listens to and hears all the problems in the Bergen's household. Anton is the German prisoner of war who becomes Patty's friend. Most of the story was about Anton breaking out of prison camp and Patty hiding him. Throughout the entire book my favorite character is Anton because he is smart and witty and always knows what is going on.
I was unable to relate to any of the characters directly in this story because I am not like any of them but at times I have felt that same way they do and have had similar relationships with people. I've often felt like helping some one in need. I've also felt like purposely disobeying my parents. So even though I did not feel that I could relate to any characters I was able to relate to how they felt. In the story Ruth and Patty where really close and shared a lot of feelings I'm the same way with my parents. So even though it is not exactly the same it is close.
This book is moderately enjoyable but not the best I've ever read. My favorite part of the book was when Patty is lies to the FBI about Anton because I find it funny that such a young girl is able to lie to such a high authority figure. My least favorite was the beginning because there was no action at all. If I could change any part of this book it would be to make the prison escape more interesting.
The book was OK over all, but I would not recommend it to any of my friends or any one I know. The only type of person that I think would like this book is a history nut. Over all I only give this book a 5 out of 10 stars because I did not find the book particually exciting.

Although a beautifully told tale of adolescent anxieties and revelations, Summer of My German Soldier is slightly flawed because Patty the narrator is unconvincing. The author gives her wonderfully lucid and intelligent thoughts, observations and dialogue, which sound out of place coming from a twelve-year-old. Fifteen or sixteen would have been much better.
Also, Patty's Jewishness in a small southern town is not explained or examined to any extent.
Other than those two small details, the book is entertaining, thought provoking, happy, very sad, realistic and believable. Today's young adults will still identify with the ups and downs of the universal adolescent. Summer of My German Soldier is sure to keep young adult readers involved to the very end.
Melissa Gilbert plays a more convincing, older Patty in a made-for-television adaptation of the novel. If possible, middle and high school students should have the opportunity to view the video after they have read the book.

: " Summer of My German Soldier" is about a girl named Patty, who is 13yrs old, and how she tries to hide a secret from everyone, except a black woman, who is her maid and nanny, Ruth. Ruth is her only friend until she meets Anton, a Nazi soldier. Anton (his nickname) is a prisoner of America after the WWII. The narrator tells where the Nazis stayed when the war was over. Plus Bette wrote how people treated the Nazis when they came over- but also Bette writes how some of the Nazis were nice! I thought that this is an awesome book!!!

I think someone said this before that the book is called "Summer of my German Soldier" yet the german soldier is only in a few chapters of the book, which is not exactly what you would expect and kind of leaves something missing. Even with that though, it is a pretty good love story with the irony of the younf jewish girl falling in love with the german soldier, and what happens to the girl at the ending is defintily something that is not expected as you reas through it.

Patty Bergen is a twelve year old, Jewish girl who lives in a household where she is barely noticed. Her mother only loves her youngest daughter and her father could care less wether she was around or not. When Patty's small hometown in Arkansas is chosen to become a site for a camp housing German prisioners during World War II, Patty finds a friend who will love her for who she is. Even though she is Jewish, Patty discovers that the German soldier, Anton, is not a mean,hateful person, but is a lonely prisioner, much like herself. When Anton runs away, Patty can't think of anything else to do than to help Anton get to freedom. She brings him food, clothes, and shelters him in her old garage. Even though it is against the law and patty may lose all her friends, she has to help the only person who has ever really apprecaited her for who she is. After Anton leaves by hopping on a train, Patty's life pretty much returns to nermal. Until, the detective Patty has come to hate gets Patty to confess her crime by telling her of Anton's death. Patty is sentenced to six months in a reform school for girls, but she is certain she did the right thing and will travel to Germany to find Anton's family some day.

This is a beautiful story, told from the perspective of twelve-year old Patty, who is ready to see more than her parents can show her of love, and yes, at her age, of romance. Patty is loveably brave with her tooth-and-nail grit, but Greene never loses sight of the vulnerability of being twelve-years old. There is one awkwardly written scene, in which Anton is a bit too self-congratulatory for really having risked nothing, but overall, this book shows a different kind of Nazi soldier than the stock characters, and it shows heart.

Summer Of My German Soldier is a well-written book about a young girl during WWII. The main character, Patty, is faced with many conflicts not necessarily related to the war. It is a little depressing, and not a book I would recommend for a fun read. It was hard to get into, and it was boring until the end. If someone were to ask me if they should read it, I would tell them that there are better books out there.

Patty Bergen lives in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, a little town with a big future. She is Jewish and lives in the time of World War Two. She is constantly insulted and hurt by her unloving parents. At this time her town because a site for a camp that holds German prisoners from the war. Patty meets one of the prisoner boys named Anton and risks her life in hiding him in her own house so that he can escape back to his family in Germany. While hiding him she befriends him more and more everyday and sees the kind-hearted wise, loving man that Anton is, rather than just a "Nazi" like the rest of the world thinks. She realizes that he is the only one in the whole world who truly loves her, that would give his life to save her, as he takes the chance of coming out of hiding to save Patty from being terribly beaten by her father. The author does a good job of showing the closeness that comes between Patty and Anton and the love that they feel for each other regardless of background, family, or what side of the war they are on. I do wish that the author added more events to the story that make the reader even more attached to the characters and their love to each other. The outcome of the story is truly real feeling and has an absolutely stunning end.

Summer of My German Soldier is about a young Jewish girl who is neglected by her parents and alone until Anton, a German soldier who is being held as a POW, is brought to her town. But now she is doing something against everything she is supposed to be for. She is hiding him away to keep him safe and unharmed. She knows if anyone finds out that her life is over. But this cannot overcome the power of love. I thought this book was OK because the excitement was few and far between.

"Summer of My German Soldier" is a compeling book about a young Jewish girl who harbors an escaped German P.O.W. during World War Two. She is torn between love and loyalty to one's counrty, and of course, love prevails. This is a great book that really shows how caring people can be for others, despite what others like that person have done to people. This is a 'must read' for anyone.

This wonderful book stole my heart away. Patty Bergen, the main character, is so realistic you find yourself thinking that she is going to jump right off the page and come to life. This book is suberbly written and shows the tragedy of war and how it affects people. The ending was so wonderfully written, introspective, and sad that I couldn't stop crying for a half hour!!

I loved this book!! a elemantary teacher in soegel, Germany helped me read this book so can learned how to read english.. this was in the mid 80's was in the 4th or 5th grade learning a new languish. I have been trying to find a copy to give to my wife so she can read it. the teachers name is Ms. Curry thank you very much for all you done for me and my older brother.

This book would be good for poeple thatloves to learn and read about things that had happened a long time ago. Kids should be aware of what had happened. THey shold be aware that such horrible thing is happening everywhere and it could happen again. This is a book about a girl about 12 years of age and was forced to move. As she lived on with the life that she feared... she had fallen in love with a boy named Anton... He was considered a NAzi but not taken as one. Patty thought of him as a boy that is the same and that is in love with her. That is all that she can see in him. a lonely boy that needs to be loved my others. But who to think it was his enemy? well he sure didn't. this is a book that needs to be understood by people with a heart and that are willing to be taught of he hardship that had happened.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I like books that are set in war times; it helps me understand better how the people felt and how they dealt with the war, since I could not experience it myself. In this book, you could get both sides of the feelings, one being Patty; an American Jewish girl and the other Anton being a German Prisoner of war. I think that it was amazing how an Jew and a German could unite and make such a strong bond, with the heat of World War 2 going on. I did not particularly enjoy the ending of the book. It sort of left you hanging about the becoming of Patty after she got sent to a reform school. Although this book was a bit depressing I would recommend it. It is a war romance that I believe is quite accurate to the feelings of people then, although it is a fiction book.