Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

When Germany invaded Denmark in WWII, Denmark didn't resist. Their government thought to protect their people by allowing Germany to take over. It did prevent loss of life, and the Danish people were able to live their lives more-or-less normally. In neighboring Norway, it was a different story. The Norwegians resisted, tooth and nail.

Not every Dane was happy with their government's decision, and that's where this relatively unknown story comes in. Knud and Jens Pedersen, mere schoolboys, got some friends together and began actively sabotaging their German occupiers. When they were finally found, arrested, and imprisoned, the movement grew and spread. This book is the story of "The Churchill Club," those schoolboys who set off a movement in their nation.

The story is told in both the third-person, with supporting historical research, and in first-person by Knud himself, as well as a few others. There are also photographs and illustrations.

Possible objectionable material: Many, if not all, of the boys smoke. They are imprisoned and poorly treated. They set things on fire. General hooliganism, but for a purpose.

Who might like it: Anyone interested in WWII history, especially those parts that are not as well-known. Girls are minor characters in the book, but do have a presence. The book is aimed at ages 12-18.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

In this wonderful piece of narrative nonfiction, Hoose brings us the experience of Knud Pedersen in his own words. As a Dane, the teenaged Pedersen was perturbed that his government had caved so easily to the Nazis demands, agreeing to cooperate with the Nazi soldiers in exchange for relative safety. While Norway was fighting the Nazis, it took a while before opposition to the Nazis took hold in Denmark, and that opposition was started by a group of teenagers headed by Pedersen. At first, the boys contented themselves with painting graffiti and doing small amounts of damage to Nazi property, but soon escalated to major acts of arson as well as stealing weapons and accumulating quite an arsenal. When the Danish people saw that not everyone was acquiescing to Nazi demands, the Resistance was able to take off. The Churchill Club, as the group called itself, continued to bedevil the Nazis, although the boys found it difficult to think about actually killing the soldiers. Eventually, the group was found out and arrested, and spent a lot of time in various jails. By this point, however, the Resistance was going full force. Luckily for the boys, they were tried by Danish officials and, in part because of their age, were not sentenced to death.

Many readers want to know all there is to know about World War II, and this is an absorbing read that hits close to home. Read it with Jablonski's graphic novel series about the French Resistance (Resistance, Defiance, Victory), Preus' Norwegian Resistance novel, Shadow on the Mountain, or the Couloumbis' War Games, which centers on the Greek Resistance.

Based on intensive interviews with Knudsen, as well as Knudsen's amazing archive of photographs and research, this well-researched book tells a riveting tale of people who stood up for what they believed, even though they were very young. I have always been interested in the various resistance groups, especially since most of them utilized my primary source of transportation-- the bicycle!

This was a great length, had amazing primary source information, and was extremely interesting. I am so glad that Hoose followed up on a forgotten e mail with Pedersen, because this was a fantastic book.

Give a book talk on this in your 6th-10th grade classroom and put it in the classroom library OR use this for a literature circle OR use as a mentor text for writing on history topics with the integration of primary sources--interviews, photos, and documents. Lots of ways to use this book in the classroom. Hoose's book is appealing because it's about teens who took action. The young men did not like how Denmark's leaders did not resist Nazi occupation. With limited knowledge and an abundance of determination and courage, they became saboteurs---demolishing Nazi equipment and vehicles and then began even stealing arms--that they didn't know how to use! Their resistance and arrest spurred adults across Denmark to begin resisting. It's a powerful story--and much of it is told in the words of one of the teens that Hoose interviewed. Hoose is the author of one of my favorite middle school books - Twice Towards Justice--about Claudette Colvin, a teen who refused to give up her seat on the bust BEFORE Rosa Parks did.

Summary: When Germany invaded Denmark in April 1940, fourteen-year-old Knud Pedersen and his fifteen-year-old brother Jens were appalled by how quickly the Danish government capitulated. There was no Danish resistance, while in neighboring Norway, thousands of people fought the Nazis. Knud and Jens organized some of their school friends into the RAF Club, inspired by the British pilots who were fighting the Germans. The boys used their bicycles to commit acts of sabotage, such as turning signs around and cutting phone wires. When the Pedersen family moved the following year, the boys found new recruits, this time calling themselves the Churchill Club. The club’s activities grew more serious and bold, focusing on amassing a cache of weapons stolen from German soldiers. A year later, the boys were caught and sent to prison. But their actions had inspired a nation, and the Danish resistance was born. An epilogue tells what happened to all the boys; a lengthy bibliography and notes section encourages more reading. Ages 11 and up.

Pros: A powerful and inspiring story of heroic boys who squeezed their acts of sabotage in with studying for the junior high exams. Told alternately in the third person and the first person voice of Knud Petersen, and illustrated with many photos.

Cons: None of the boys escaped unscathed. While all survived the war, many had lifelong difficulties stemming from the stress of their activities and jail time.

The Boys who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose tells the tale of a band of boys who possessed the courage to fight back against the German war machine after they took occupation of Denmark. Philip Hoose, the author, worked closely with Knud Pederson, an actual member of the Churchill Club, to bring this story to print. Upon finding out that his country had surrendered to Germany without a fight, Knud decided to take matters into his own hands. He formed a group of teenagers that committed minor acts of sabotage like breaking signs and defacing buildings. As the war progressed, the club members committed more daring acts, such as burning motorbikes and stealing weapons and ammo. Will these bicycling tricksters be caught? What will they do next? Do these young saboteurs ever kill anyone? You will have to read to find out! This book reads like a historical fiction but all the characters did exist and all the events entailed in the book really did happen. This book is a quick and easy read. I would definitely recommend it to anyone 13 and up. The Boys who Challenged Hitler gives the reader a snapshot of a part of history that is seldom discussed; and it all started with a band of boys who wanted to make a difference. I give this book 5 Heroic stars.
Zander H., age 13, Gulf Coast-America Mensa

A group of teenage boys in Denmark created the Churchill Club. Their purpose was to sabatoge the Nazis through grafitti, destroying things, and stealing weapons. Most of the boys were eventually caught and sent to jail, but they inspired other Danes to create an underground network to undermine the Germans. The boys were brave and a bit crazy like only teenagers can be. The story is told with lots of quotes from Knud Pedersen, one of the Churchill Club leaders. It’s a pretty quick read. I highly recommend reading The Boys Who Challenged Hitler to anyone teenager and up who is interested in World War II.

The author of THE BOYS WHO CHALLENGED HITLER is Phillip Hoose. The genre is nonfiction because it talks about World War 2 and how Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club were trying to challenge Hitler. The Churchill boys were mostly 9th graders at Aalborg School.
German transport planes flew over Danish rooftops.There were black marks on each wing of the planes to show it’s a German plane. Germany wiped out 106 of 121 Norwegian vessels. Only one of the Norway’s nine submarines survived the war. The Churchill Club was arrested because they stole guns and grenades from the Germans,and vandalize houses. I would recommend this book if you are interested in the history of Hitler.

Insufficiently balanced in viewpoints, misleadingly oversimplified, the author takes the side of then teenage resisters as if their (natural for teens) viewpoint is the only view with truths; as if their view was truth with a capital T. I was born in Denmark, of American teacher parents; several family friends were in the Danish resistance. -Other acclaimed books on the Danish Resistance, such as Hitler's Savage Canary by David Lampe, (the several types of Resistance) and A Conspiracy of Decency (Danish rescue of most Danish Jews, an effort by many Danes and surprisingly even by a few Germans) by Emmy Werner, while very much on the side of being and becoming Resisters, (as I am too) also understand (as Philip Hoose and his sole source: Knud Pederson do not), the very practical, good management the Danish government did in the early years of the war, saving many many lives, and keeping as much Danish autonomy as they could. The Danes and the Germans each, in a modern term, tried to "Spin" each other, Danes angling for as much independence as could, while resistance built, until, also naturally by August 1943 the Germans had become way too much to take, a huge strike by most of Copenhagen broke out, the Germans-Nazis then reacted by taking over what there was of Danish government, tried to arrest all 9,000 Danish policemen, and so on; and the Danish Resistance became very much stronger.
The author and his then-teens (as would be natural for teens -but author as an historian has an obligation to understand and share more than one pov), judgemental put down of the Danes in 1940 having surrendered in one day, April 9, rather than gone on as Norway did for several more weeks/ several months of active resistance until being defeated and taken over. The Danish government accepted the German offer ('Surrender now and you will still have much self-government' vs keep resisting and many thousands will be killed - and then you'll be taken over with Germans controlling everything.) While the teens who became the Churchill Group naturally wished the Danes had made symbolic resistance, the Danes knew if they did they would be slaughtered. Rather, work with the Germans -not that they liked this,.
Philip Hoose the author does not understand that geographically Denmark could not militarily resist the same way Norway could. As Danes know, Denmark is basically flat; whereas Norway has fjords and mountain tucked villages, and mountain ranges that offer good defensive positions to hold out (as Norwegians did) for several weeks to months of active military resistance. And soon, unlike Denmark, the Germans imposed Norwegian Nazi leadership, the infamous Quislings, on the Norwegian people,
The Danish Resistance had a welcoming of a whole range of ways to Resist. There was sabotage, yes, but also: Very popular illegal underground newspapers, and a humorous chiding of Germans when they could (such as a sign saying "This German has no pants" put on a traffic controlling German soldier's position that had a sandbag wall up to his waist). Another example of Danish resistance including humor: A popular diary sold to German soldiers resembled the approved one except in the back were detailed instructions and a prescription fillable in any Danish pharmacy, to temporarily incapacitate the soldier.
A family friend in the Danish resistance, a doctor, coordinated distribution of illegal underground hope-sharing, action-inspiring newspapers for the Aarhus-Horsens area. In 1944 he was arrested by the Germans and brought to Aarhus police station, that had been taken over by the Germans. He was imprisoned in Germany for the duration. Fellow Resistance prisoners smuggled in parts to make a radio to listen to the BBC.
A friend of his, also in the Resistance, was involved with Anti-Collaborationist activities.
Philip Hoose also fails to understand how the King's daily horse ride through Copenhagen streets was a form of Resistance. Since some German soldiers also waved to him, Philip Hoose doesn't get it. Like the British monarchy helping rally and inspire the UK by staying in London and interacting with the people, the Danish King was and is beloved for staying in Copenhagen, and through his subtle example, rallying the Danes.
In sum, I can't recommend this book as much as I'd like because of the narrowness of its points of view. Parts are offensive to me and to Danes who do appreciate and understand that the Danish Resistance and Danish people welcomed and needed a whole range of rallying, in-spiritizing, caution with open military resistance (no way to defeat the Germans that way) and forms of Resistance. Another example: by working with the Germans, albeit uncomfortably, this helped with a German tipping off his Danish friend that the German Army was about to round up the Jews; leading to the justly acclaimed succesful effort by Danes all over to rescue and smuggle to Sweden most of the Danish Jews (7,100 of 7,800). Another surprising German I learned helped: The German Harbor Master of Copenhagen had all coastal ships in his command put into drydock for a key several week period from late Sept thru mid-October 1943 (the main weeks of Jews being smuggled to Sweden).

Thank you,
Carl Cushman Hybels

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler is a remarkable and excellent book about the true story of a couple of Danish boys’ struggle to fight the Nazi war machine, and the reaction it set forth in their great nation. This heroic tale of young men who fought for what is right shows the importance for always standing up for yourself, even if defeat seems inevitable.
Knud Pedersen, a young man living in Odense, Denmark, was having a normal day on April 9, 1940, until German planes flew by and dropped leaflets that informed the citizens that Denmark had become a “protectorate” of Germany. Since the Danish government realized they could not fight the Nazis, they surrendered without a fight. However, Knud was lot going to stand by and let his country be taken over, and he started the RAF club, named after Great Britain’s Royal Air Force, with some friend to resist the Nazi war machine. However, he moves to Aalborg, Denmark, and creates the Churchill club then and there to follow the same purpose.
This book is about a group of young men’s reaction to the invasion of Denmark and how they set off a chain reaction in their country. I rated this book 5 stars because it has excellent plot development, interesting characters, and thrilling tales of resistance and sabotage that constantly kept me sitting on the edge of my seat.

THE BOYS WHO CHALLENGED HITLER: KNUD PETERSON AND THE CHURCHILL CLUB by Phillip Hoose tells the amazing true story of teens who stood up to the Nazis in Denmark during World War II.

The book’s introduction discusses how the author learned about the story and connected with one of the Churchill Club members. This work of nonfiction then alternates between a narrative discussing the formation and activities of the Churchill Club with the recollections of member Knud Pedersen.

Filled with historical photos, maps, artwork, and other primary source documents, the fast-paced story is presented in short chapters that follow the teens from their acts of sabotage through their trial and imprisonment during the War. It concludes with a discussion of what happened to the group members after the War.

To ensure that this book doesn’t get lost in the nonfiction section, consider featuring it along with works of historical fiction. Or, even better, suggest it to youth who enjoy dystopian fiction. This work of nonfiction contains the elements of resistance fighting that youth enjoy in dystopian works. It’s also a great choice for youth who enjoy real-world military and adventure stories.

To learn more about the author, go to [...].

Winner of the 2016 Robert Siebert Award for informational books-Phillip Hoose tells the story of the story of a defiant group of Danish teens who were ashamed that their country acquiesced to the Nazis at the outset of WWII. They banded together to sabotage the Germans occupying their country-and bringing worldwide attention to the cause of resistance, but at a heavy price to themselves personally. I LOVE nonfiction that enlightens me to events or things in this world I would otherwise be ignorant of!! Yay nonfiction!!

When Denmark was occupied by the Nazis during WWII, the citizens seemed to roll up and allow them to take over everything. Knud Petersen and his friends, however, would not stand for it and started a small group of saboteurs in his city of Odense and then continued in Aalborg when his family moved. Except for his brother, who also helped, no others in his family knew until the day they were betrayed and arrested. Knud and his brother served the longest sentences, but all of the arrested conspirators survived their prison time. While they were serving their time, others in the country finally picked up the torch of harassing the Germans, the boys’ courage inspiring them and shaming them into action.
Philip Hoose was inspired to tell this story when he read a small exhibit at the Resistance Museum in Copenhagen. At the time, Knud was till alive, so he could hear his entire story in person and exchange 100’s of email of questions and answers. It s a great look at the power of these teens to inspire an entire country.
MS, HS – ESSENTIAL.

I didn't know anything about the Danish resistance movement before I picked up this book. To learn that it began with teenagers was truly fascinating. It's so important to learn about history from the people who lived it. I am glad we got to hear Knud's story before he passed away.

Riveting tale of Danish students who decided to resist the Nazi invasion of Denmark! Their actions not only caused trouble for the Germans, but inspired others to join the cause. Insightful, interesting, and a good read. Particularly inspiring for anyone wanting to know if their actions can indeed make a difference.

I found this incredible true story inspiring and well written. I will recommend this book to all ages over 10. Actually, I think everyone over age 10 should read it! It's not wordy plus it is a little more interesting than a history book!

The Churchill Club gives us a view on a little-known resistance group in Denmark during WWII. I was aware of them, but had no idea that they were all boys aged 14 to 20! They made a huge contribution to their country and to helping the Allies win the war. This book tells their story from their beginnings as a small group of friends and siblings to their arrest and what they did after the war.

The courage of these young people, their moral core, their resourcefulness, intelligence, the lengths they went to protect their families and school from being associated with their activities. This is an inspirational story for all time

Mr. Hoose, as always, delivers a wonderful read on a fascinating subject. I cried more than once. Knud Pedersen is a fascinating character, and Hoose had the privilege of interviewing him and hearing his story directly I enjoyed it immensely.

Disappointing, it lacked emotion and tended to be rather boring. The characters were very forgettable and seemed to change view points as the story progressed. I found the history enjoyable and I did learn some new facts.