The Boy Who Dared, a book based on a true story about young Helmuth Hübener, the youngest boy ever to have been condemned to death by the Nazis, during World War 2. This story is mostly recounted through flashbacks from his childhood while is in prison in Berlin, convicted of treason, awaiting his death… As a child, he grew up in an environment that didn’t approve of Nazis, but that was very neutral. Helmuth, from a very young age, had wanted to fight for his country, and eagerly participated in pro-Nazi programs such as the Hitler Youth group, the Jungvolk. As he grew up however, he realized the truth about what was going on. After seeing his Jewish classmate’s father being unfairly murdered, he starts to listen to forbidden radio programs that inform him of the cruel reality of this atrocious war. Equipped with this new information, he starts printing leaflets that he distributes to people, attempting to propagate the truth. Finally, he gets caught, convicted and killed with a guillotine on the 27th of October, 1942, becoming the youngest person the Nazis ever sentenced to death, during WW2. I really got attached to this book, and despite the multiple sad moments, I couldn’t put it down. Definitely a must-read!
Rating: 
(5 / 5)
Release Date: 2008
Author: Susan Campbell Bartolleti
Publishing House: Scholastic Press