Thirteen year old child. Nazi Germany. The urge to do what is right.
And the same old plot.
The Boy Who Dared has all of these things. While the book is well written, with a interesting presentation (told in a flashback style) the plot is lacking. I know that writing anything about World War Two or the Holocaust is a touchy subject for writers. If they mess up just a little, they could be deemed as pro Holocaust, or pro Nazi Germany. Unfortunately this yields boring, stock, books. The good guy is always good, always moved to do what is right. I grow sickened reading about the inner turmoil the protagonist feels, "why is this happening, why?" While the Nazi's should never be shone in a positive light, the literary would for young adults needs to tell the story like it was. Most people, sadly, were for the Nazi regime. I want to read a book where the protagonist isn't perfect, where the protagonist is caught up in the the wave of hysteria.
A book to look aspire to is Comedy in a minor key a dark, sometimes funny, realistic look at life in Germany. and of course, the book is geared towards adults. Maybe authors don't think young adult's can handle the truth. And until; they realize we can, there are going to be a lot more "Boy Who Dared To Be A Cliche."
