Book: Nazi Prison Camp Escape (2020)
Author: Michael Burgan
Genre: MG, Historical (WWII)
Opening lines from the book …
On a summer morning in 1942, Bill Ash joined the other prisoners trudging across the sandy ground toward a small concrete building.
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THIS BOOK…
1) The book starts with an exciting escape. Bill Ash goes through quite of few of these escapes from the various POW camps where he was prisoner. And the prison tends to move his around a lot, so we get to see lots of prison-break attempts.
2) I loved the theme of the importance of freedom. Ash knows he can sit out the rest of the war and be treated relatively well as a POW (Prisoner of War). And yet he doesn’t do that. He does make the risk of trying to escape. I found that pretty fascinating.
3) (Slight Spoiler) I did find it interesting that Ash isn’t actually part of the “Great Escape” itself since he was in the “Cooler” when it happened! (End Spoiler)
4) That cover art … I was rooting for the men to escape! You can just feel the tension in that cover.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This will appeal to those interested in non-fiction and World War II. I love the history behind it all. Having watched the movie (the book does reference it), reading this book brought that viewing experience back to me.
YOUR TURN…
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Note: I’m posting this for Greg Pattridge’s Marvelous Middle-Grade Monday…
Of Maria Antonia 
Sounds like a book I need to add to my reading list. Don’t think I’ve read any stories about POW camps during WWII — guess I assumed those caught went to concentration camps or had resistance groups helping them to freedom. Thanks for sharing as I like to read different WWII stories where I learn something different.
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I’ve not read this one and I especially enjoy WWII themed books. Have it on my list now thanks to your enticing review. Thanks for featuring on MMGM.
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A perfect MG book for young history buffs – who like fiction with their facts! Just the sort my kids would have devoured, had it been around then. Thanks for sharing it.
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This sounds like such a thrilling story, and readers interested in WWII (of which there are many) will really enjoy it! It sounds like it reads like fiction despite being non-fiction. Thanks so much for the great review!
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This sounds like it might be a good choice for reluctant readers who want a lot of action in a story.
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So, this is the same story as The Great Escape movie? One of my all-time favorites. I will try to get hold of this one. I’d like to read it. Thanks for telling me about it.
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From what I understand the movie is a fictionalized account of stories like this one. And of course, Hollywood does like to add a little drama to their history!
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