Hitler Youth

Hitler Youth
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Scholastic Nonfiction, 2005







Genre:  Non-fiction

Honors:  Newbery Honor, Sibert Honor, Orbis Pictus Honor, Parent’s Gold Choice Award, Sydney Taylor Notable, Pennsylvania Carolyn Field Award, Junior Library Guild selection, IRA Notable Book for a Global Society, NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book, Publisher’s Weekly Best Children’s Book of the Year, Kirkus Editors’ Choice, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, Booklist Editor’s Choice, Horn Book Fanfare, ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, ALA Notable Children’s Book, VOYA Nonfiction Honor

Review:  Adolf Hitler influenced scores of people to join his idealistic concept of Nazism. A huge portion of Hitler followers were children and teenagers, forming the Hitler Youth group in 1926. This non-fiction piece follows the history of the Nazi Youth groups as well as factions of children and teenagers who were unwilling to participate in the Hitler Youth. There are accounts of specific youth and their stories, in addition to a general understanding of the reasons the youth were influenced so easily into Nazism, and their subsequent succession into the Nazi Party and army as they grew older.

Opinion:  This was an absolutely fascinating and intriguing book. I thought that the narration was well-written, and I liked how the author stuck to the facts without opinions. Originally I assumed that the book was about the group of Hitler Youth only, however I discovered that the book also addressed the lives of young children and teenagers not in the group or who opposed the group which gave me a comprehensive look of that age during those years. Additionally, I loved the black and white photos, which added an another realistic element to the overall history.

Ideas:  This would be perfect for a World War II unit in a history class, specifically relevant to the Holocaust. Also, libraries that cater to the Jewish community may want to put this book up for display around the time of "Yom Hashoah" - the Holocaust Day of Remembrance.