The Silver Sword
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:2nd Aug '12
Should be back in stock very soon
A moving tale of survival, heroism and the courage of children, as Ruth, Edek and Bronia hunt for their parents across the battlefields of Europe
Having lost their parents in the chaos of war, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are left alone to fend for themselves and hide from the Nazis amid the rubble and ruins of their city. They meet a ragged orphan boy, Jan, who treasures a paperknife - a silver sword - which was entrusted to him by an escaped prisoner of war.
A family is broken apart by the Second World War. Four children set out across Europe to put it back together.
Joseph Balicki is separated from his wife and children after his arrest in Nazi-occupied Warsaw. When he escapes from a prison camp and returns home, he finds the city in ruins and his family gone. Before leaving for Switzerland to search for his wife, he gives a silver paper-knife to a ragged orphan boy called Jan, with a message for his children if they are still alive.
Ruth, Edek and Bronia are left to fend for themselves amid the rubble of Warsaw. When they meet Jan and recognise the silver sword, they realise their father is alive and searching for them. Together they begin a dangerous journey across postwar Europe in the hope of reunion.
At its heart, this is a story about children refusing to give up on one another. The silver sword is small enough to carry in a pocket, but it holds the promise of home, reunion and a family still waiting to be found.
One of the great and enduring tales of survival, courage and hope. Ian Serrailler tells this extraordinary wartime story simply and directly, so that we feel the full force of its truth -- Michael Morpurgo
As a child I was tremendously moved by Ian Serrailer's The Silver Sword; the combination of childhood heroism in a bleak and horrific environment left me with many questions about the dichotomy of good and evil, as well as the importance of loyal friendship -- John Boyne
One of the most exciting books I've read for a long while * Daily Telegraph *
Old-fashioned storytelling about courage at its best * The Times *
One of the most remarkable children's books since 1945 -- Oxford Companion to Children's Literature
So what makes these different to any other set of classics? In a moment of inspiration Random House had the bright idea of actually asking Key stage 2 children what extra ingredients they could add to make children want to read. And does it work? Well, put it this way...my 13-year-old daughter announced that she had to read a book over the summer holiday and, without any prompting, spotted The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas...and proceeded to read it! Now, if you knew my 13-year-old daughter, you would realise that this is quite remarkable. She reads texts, blogs and tags by the thousand - but this is the first book she has read since going to high school, so all hail Vintage Classics! * National Association for the Teaching of English *
ISBN: 9780099572855
Dimensions: 189mm x 130mm x 16mm
Weight: 174g
256 pages