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The Silver Sword

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A classic story from World War Two, this tells how three children, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are helped by the young orphan Jan to escape from the horrors of Warsaw after the arrest of their parents. How the children travel across war torn Europe surviving every kind of danger and privation is thrilling and deeply moving. It is the story of a terrible time made bearable by the strong streak of humanity at its heart and by the unusual acts of kindness the children experience on their travels. It's based on true stories of children after the war, and these are stories children of today probably haven't heard. How do mere children survive a long trek? Full thoughts here (and yes, this is really my Escape from Warsaw review but the British title is The Silver Sword and I like that way better): Though not normally drawn to science fiction, I really enjoyed this book, partly for its powerful visual imagery, but mainly because it is the kind of book that makes its readers think about modern living conditions, and question assumptions society too often makes about the value of technological “progress” whatever the cost. (1974)

Classic children's story shown over thirteen episodes concerning the Hensman brothers, Robin, John and Harold, who spend eight months living as outlaws in the forest of Brendon Chase. Hope, Julia. (2008) “One Day We Had to Run”: The Development of the Refugee Identity in Children’s Literature and its function in Education. Children’s Literature in Education 39. 295–304 Ruth sees where they left Edek, but he is no longer there, nor is the small boat she told him to take cover under if it rained. Ruth and Bronia also realize Jan is nowhere to be found, but Bronia soon observes him on a small embankment behind her. She calls and asks if he can see Edek, but he only cares for Ludwig. Published just eleven years after the end of the war, The Silver Sword was ahead of its time, and was used for both educational and recreational purposes. As a war text, it's not the most informative, but as a story about what it was like to be a child and survive, it's a veritable source of accuracy. I think it's a book that will be read for years to come, and although it's not one often mentioned, I don't think it'll ever be forgotten. Throughout the novel, Serraillier juxtaposes the hatred and destructive nature of Nazism and the people who supported it against the kind and helpful people who rejected it, people who were willing to take a chance, even risking of arrest and death, to help the children

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The story is their journey across war-torn Europe trying to reunite with their father and mother in Switzerland. It's a fascinating journey filled with bravery by this group of children. They show great ingenuity as they find themselves in situation after situation and manage to continue on their journey. So many things happen as they go through the various zones that Europe is divided into; Russian, British and American. The Silver Sword was adapted for television by C.E. (Cecil Edwin) Webber, best remembered for his contribution to the creation of Doctor Who while working as a staff writer for the BBC in the early 1960s. And Barry Letts, future ‘Who’ producer played the father, Joseph. The series was deemed “family entertainment” and was broadcast late afternoon on Sundays. As such it was billed as an "exciting wartime adventure" in the Radio Times and didn’t dwell too much on the horrors of warfare. And that’s exactly how it was presented – an epic journey across Europe. Unfortunately, the BBC budget didn’t stretch far enough for location filming and the entire production was studio bound (at Lime Grove) and turned to narration as a way of explaining some of the journey as well as some of the more dramatic incidents, such as the capsizing of a boat and the near drowning of the children as they try to cross Lake Constance.

In the summer they leave the city for the woods and Edek constructs a house with branches. Food is plentiful because the peasants are kind. Edek becomes one of the chief smugglers; he is calling at a house in a neighboring village when the secret police arrive and find cheese sewn into the lining of his coat. They take him away, and for two years there is no news of him. Outside, he sees a van. Voices downstairs stop, and outside Edek can see Stormtroopers taking his mother to the van. When she is inside, he fires, hitting a soldier in the arm and puncturing a wheel. The van careens away swiftly. He was born in London, the eldest of four children. His father died as a result of the 1918 flu pandemic when he was only six years old. He was educated at Brighton College, and took his degree at St Edmund Hall, Oxford and became an English teacher. He taught at Wycliffe College in Gloucestershire from 1936 to 1939; at Dudley Grammar School in Worcestershire from 1939 to 1946; and at Midhurst Grammar School in West Sussex from 1946 to 1961. As a Quaker, he was granted conscientious objector status in World War II. As the superintendent comments that he wishes all cases could end as happily as hers, she runs out and gleefully informs the others. The family cries and exults together. Joe Wolski is an American soldier of Polish descent; because of this, he identifies with the children right away. He drives them to safety and assists in their being found by their father. The BurgomasterFour child refugees hide out in Warsaw at the end of the WW2. When it is finally over they set out on a journey across Poland and Germany to Switzerland, where they hope to meet their father, who escaped from a Nazi prisoner of war camp earlier on in the war. When Edek is captured too, the girls are desperate. Then they meet orphaned street urchin Jan, who carries with him a talisman of hope: a silver sword paperknife that they recognise as having belonged to their mother. How could we possibly imagine that it was right to show children of all people this terrible chapter of human history? [...] Significantly none came from children, by whom this story is remembered with gratitude because it treated them as responsible citizens who could be trusted with a frank account of what the war and its by-products, like juvenile delinquency and refugees, was really about.” ( 1958) recaptured. He also crossed paths with a British Army officer named Mark, who wrote a letter to his wife about the chimpanzee and its antics.

Ivan is a sentry at the Russian outpost in Warsaw. He has a soft spot for the children and is always bringing them supplies for the little school Ruth runs, or things they might need for their journey—such as shoes for Bronia, or chocolate bars. Although Jan dislikes him at first, Ivan is tolerant of Jan's combativeness and tries to reach him by fixing his broken box. Kurt and Frau Wolff In the early hours of the morning, Ruth and Bronia set out in one canoe, the boys in the other, with an additional stowaway passenger in the devoted Ludwig. They float downstream with the current, but the moon makes them visible from the banks of the river. A soldier clambers into the water to try to stop them and even tugs a paddle away, and there are shots fired from the bridge. They continue down river but have to get out and push when they run aground. They float over the water until they get to the mouth of the Danube. Edek runs to his sisters’ room and busts it open. He tells them what he did; Ruth says that was silly, and they must get away. They barely have time to dress properly. They cannot go out the front door; the only way is the roof. They climb up the attic and out on the roof through a skylight. Edek warns tiny Bronia not to make a sound. At the ruins of his home, Joseph finds a silver letter opener in the shape of a small sword. He also meets a young boy there carrying a wood box. Eventually he befriends the boy, Jan, who shows Joseph how and where to safely jump a train to Switzerland. Before he leaves, he gives the silver sword/letter opener to Jan and asks him to tell his children, should he run into them, that their father has gone to their grandparents in Switzerland to find their mother, and to follow him there. Jan puts the sword in his wooden box for safekeeping.

About Ian Serraillier

The man obeys and takes Joseph to his chalet. There is an old woman sitting by a bright fire. Joseph explains why he is wearing the Nazi uniform, and shows them his number on his arm. They believe him, and bravely decide to let him stay. They give him a warm bed and tell him he can hide in the woodshed if guards come looking for him.

Morris Gleitzman brings heart and humour to the difficult subject of the Holocaust in this ground-breaking children's book. Malewski, Anne. (2021) Growing Sideways in Twenty-first Century British Culture: Challenging boundaries between childhood and adulthood. Amsterdam and Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company Jan then helped Joseph find a goods train going towards Germany, on which Joseph made his escape from Poland to Switzerland.its an amazing and intriguing story that fact and fiction Ian is an amazing writer and has lots of determination like Joseph in a way

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