The Boy Who Dared

        The author of the book The Boy Who Dared, is Susan Campbell Bartoletti. The Boy Who Dared is a book about a 17 year old boy named Helmuth, who gets arrested by the Nazis because he was caught listening to foreign radio channels from Britain called the BBC and selling pamphlets with the information from it on it. It tells the story of Helmuth of why and how he was arrested for that crime.
        Susan Campbell Bartoletti was born on November 18, 1958 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She lost her father when she was only two months in a car crash, so she grew up with her mom and her stepdad. Her mother and stepfather later on moved them all to Scranton, Pennsylvania, when Susan was in Kindergarten. When Susan was older she attended Marywood, University and Binghamton, University.
        Susan worked as a teacher at a college and her dream was to be a full time writer, but it was hard because she wasn't able/had enough time to both teach and write. Susan won many awards for her books Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow, The Boy Who Dared, Kids on Strike, and A coal miner's bride. She won the John Newbery Medal, Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction, and the Jane Addams children book awards for books for older children. She is also mostly known for her nonfiction books.

The Boy Who Dared - Prompt 4

In the book The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, the most memorable/powerful moment in the story so far for me is when the court gives their sentence to Helmuth of the death penalty to him even though he is not an adult yet. In the story it states, "Hübener, for listening to a foreign radio station and distributing the news heard in connection with conspiracy to commit high treason and treasonable support of the enemy: to death and loss of his civil rights during his lifetime." This quotes shows how Helmuth's court sentence went that day. That quote explains how Helmuth was sentenced and why, which really stays in your mind for it is a very memorable moment.

The Boy Who Dared - Prompt 3

In the Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, what motivates Helmuth to keep selling the pamphlets and listen to the radio is he wants people to know the truth. Helmuth sells the pamphlets to try and let people know what really is going on in the war that Hitler has started, he listens to the radio to gather information to put in his pamphlets. In the text it says, "This is a war against lies, If we want to win, we can't attack in straight lines.We'll leave leaflets (pamphlets) everywhere - in telephone booths, mailboxes, apartment houses - for people to read and pass on, like a chain letter." This quote shows me that Helmuth wanted to sell pamphlets to people, so they can read them and pass it on to other people, so they can find out the truth about Hitler.

The Boy Who Dared - Prompt 2

Dear Hans & Gerhard,
       I have not seen or heard of you guys in a while? I am wondering if you guys were okay and if you's are safe. Many things have been happening since you guys have gone away like well, I have been arrested. It seems the Gestapo Gang has found out that I have been making pamphlets indicating hurtful and harmful stuff about Germany and Hitler. I am worried that I may be sentenced to death. I guess I am sort of writing to you because I need my brother right now at this moment. Hans and Gerhard, will you please right a mercy letter for me to the Gestapo gang, please, I truly need to get out of here. People need to know the truth about the war and if I don't show/tell them then who will. Gerhard this is for you, I got all the information I know about the war truly from the foreign radio you brought home that one day when you came to visit. I know I wasn't supposed to go through your stuff, but I had to and I deeply apologize for that. I really hope though that you and Hans will figure out some way to get me out or at least carry on with my mission and sow people the truth.

  Forever remember,

Helmuth

The Boy Who Dared

In the book, The Boy Who Dared, by Susan Campbell Bartoletti what the writer did to to capture my interest in the beginning, was she left me on a clip hanger. Susan Campbell got my interest in the beginning opening pages by the clip hanger she wrote, the clip hanger was when she wrote about Helmuth being in jail, but didn't tell you why, which caught my interest because I kept thinking why he got put in prison. In the text it says, "In a cell on the ground floor, the light shifts dark shapes into a bed made of wooden boards with no mattress or blanket. On that bed, thin, huddled figure, Helmuth, a boy of seventeen, lies awake." This quote reveals some knowledge of Helmuth being in prison at the age of seventeen, but she doesn't tell us why he is there. The author doesn't explain how he got there or why, she only explains that he is there, and that is what caught my interest. The clip hanger of wondering how he got in prison is what got me interested, so I continue to read the book.