Publisher and Publication Date: Bethlehem Books. First published in 1962. The E-Book edition I read was published in 2014. Genre: Children/Young adult literature. War literature. Historical fiction. Reading level is 4th grade and up. Format: Kindle E-Book. Pages: 212. Source: Self-purchase.
Rating: Excellent.
Link @ Goodreads to see the list of Hilda van Stockum’s books.
Direct link for the book at Bethlehem Books.
Additional links for the book: Audible/ Amazon (paperback)/ Amazon (Kindle) Thriftbooks/ AbeBooks.
To hear the story read on YouTube: Stories With Auntie Virginia.
Summary:
The Winged Watchman is a World War II historical fiction story with the primary audience of ages 10 and up.
The main characters are two brothers named Joris and Dirk Jan Verhagen. They live with their parents and a young sister in a rural area of the Netherlands.
When Germany invades the Netherlands, Joris is 6 and Dirk is 10.
Nearby neighbors have an older son who believes the Nazi ideology. He helps them (the enemy) in tracking down Jews and anyone who breaks occupation law.
The Winged Watchman is a story sharing what it was like for the Dutch during the German occupation. It shares the underground work against the occupiers. It shares how neighbors can become enemies. It shares how two young boys and others help the Resistance and Allied Forces.
Examples of themes in the story: love, charity, war, peace, honesty, suffering, judgement, survival, rebellion, wisdom, hope, sacrifice, family honor, deception, good and evil, heroism, bravery, courage, perseverance, compassion, and kindness.
The Winged Watchman is a moral story with themes that explore areas of character like strength and endurance. The characters have life and death choices to make even though they are children.
The elements of the story are strong. The characters, setting, plot, conflicts (both internal and external), and resolution are all strong and memorable.
Before reading the story, I did not realize it was a family with a strong and active Catholic faith. I was unsure where to post this review. I have another WordPress blog that is for reviews of Christian books. After some thought, I posted it on this blog which has more children and young adult reviews. It also has more World War II book reviews.
My Thoughts:
What I love the most about this story is the strong characters of Joris and Dirk. The story has adults who also display strong characters. But these boys are remarkable and admirable because of their youth. They are the kind of book characters a reader does not forget. They make an impression.
Other reasons why I love this story:
- I love the gentle revealing of the story of Joris and Dirk’s young sister. This is a secondary story.
- The uncle of the two brothers is involved in the Resistance. This is also an interesting secondary story.
- I love the relationship between Joris and Dirk and their parents. Their intimate conversations and how they display strong morality in their lives are evident.
- The story has strong right and wrongs. The evil of Nazi Germany and in opposite are those who are willing to sacrifice for good.
- The descriptions of the environment and especially their home and mill are pictured easily in my mind.
I recently read The Borrowed House and wanted to read more books written by Hilda van Stockum. This is a book that compliments The Borrowed House because of the similarity of young people who are faced with adult-like decisions. In each story, the young people have adult figures who are negative or a hindrance to their welfare.
If you are a reader who will not like reading about a family who prays, or attends a Catholic worship service, or other themes of Christianity, this is not the book for you.
July 10, 2024
[Review] The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum | Impressions In Ink
maximios Review
Publisher and Publication Date: Bethlehem Books. First published in 1962. The E-Book edition I read was published in 2014. Genre: Children/Young adult literature. War literature. Historical fiction. Reading level is 4th grade and up. Format: Kindle E-Book. Pages: 212. Source: Self-purchase.
Rating: Excellent.
Link @ Goodreads to see the list of Hilda van Stockum’s books.
Direct link for the book at Bethlehem Books.
Additional links for the book: Audible/ Amazon (paperback)/ Amazon (Kindle) Thriftbooks/ AbeBooks.
To hear the story read on YouTube: Stories With Auntie Virginia.
Summary:
The Winged Watchman is a World War II historical fiction story with the primary audience of ages 10 and up.
The main characters are two brothers named Joris and Dirk Jan Verhagen. They live with their parents and a young sister in a rural area of the Netherlands.
When Germany invades the Netherlands, Joris is 6 and Dirk is 10.
Nearby neighbors have an older son who believes the Nazi ideology. He helps them (the enemy) in tracking down Jews and anyone who breaks occupation law.
The Winged Watchman is a story sharing what it was like for the Dutch during the German occupation. It shares the underground work against the occupiers. It shares how neighbors can become enemies. It shares how two young boys and others help the Resistance and Allied Forces.
Examples of themes in the story: love, charity, war, peace, honesty, suffering, judgement, survival, rebellion, wisdom, hope, sacrifice, family honor, deception, good and evil, heroism, bravery, courage, perseverance, compassion, and kindness.
The Winged Watchman is a moral story with themes that explore areas of character like strength and endurance. The characters have life and death choices to make even though they are children.
The elements of the story are strong. The characters, setting, plot, conflicts (both internal and external), and resolution are all strong and memorable.
Before reading the story, I did not realize it was a family with a strong and active Catholic faith. I was unsure where to post this review. I have another WordPress blog that is for reviews of Christian books. After some thought, I posted it on this blog which has more children and young adult reviews. It also has more World War II book reviews.
My Thoughts:
What I love the most about this story is the strong characters of Joris and Dirk. The story has adults who also display strong characters. But these boys are remarkable and admirable because of their youth. They are the kind of book characters a reader does not forget. They make an impression.
Other reasons why I love this story:
I recently read The Borrowed House and wanted to read more books written by Hilda van Stockum. This is a book that compliments The Borrowed House because of the similarity of young people who are faced with adult-like decisions. In each story, the young people have adult figures who are negative or a hindrance to their welfare.
If you are a reader who will not like reading about a family who prays, or attends a Catholic worship service, or other themes of Christianity, this is not the book for you.