by Margi Preus
First published 2014
Espen is fourteen when German forces invade Norway in 1940. The occupation changes everything in his small Norwegian town. What starts as defiance turns into dangerous work when Espen begins smuggling illegal newspapers through the streets. The Norwegian resistance movement draws him deeper into their operations. He becomes a courier, then a spy, always watching for Gestapo agents who could arrest him at any moment. For five years, Espen navigates this secret world while growing up under Nazi rule. He forms new friendships and loses others. He falls in love. The work grows more perilous as the war continues. One small error threatens to expose him just as he plans his most dangerous mission yet. Espen must ski across the mountains to reach Sweden and safety, but the Gestapo may be closing in. His story captures the courage of ordinary people who chose to resist, and the price they paid for that choice.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, war, adventure
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, resistance
Setting: Norway, Sweden
Period: 1940s, World War II
320 pages · Paperback · Amulet Paperbacks
Content warnings: war