Young Quills reviews

1. Hitler's Angel was written by William Osborne and published by Chicken House in 2012. It is set partly in Germany, partly in England, during the Second World War.

This book is a tragic tale of friendship, determination and power. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. This makes me feel certain that this book was full of suspense and cliffhangers. Even though my heart was in my mouth with terror, I kept on reading, because it made me feel like I had to finish it.

It's about a girl named Lenni and a boy called Otto. They have something in common - both of them have escaped from the Nazi's. They're told by the English government that they must capture and track down an eleven year old girl, called Angelica (hence the title). Otto and Lenni are told that she could bring down Hitler.

Angelica was my favourite character because at first she seemed so clueless about what was going on and why she had been taken, but at the end you realise that a long time ago she worked out who she was. At the end Angelica is very brave and does what she needs to do to end the struggle.

Who is Angelica?

What does she do?

All will be revealed in Hitler's Angel, a fast paced book, which will leave you with tears of joy and anguish dripping down your face!

Reviewed By Victoria

 

2. I didn't like this book very much. I didn't find it interesting and found it very difficult to get into.

Reviewed by Dominic

 

3. Just another book about World War 2? Yes this may be true, however this book will keep you on your toes until the very last word.

Hitler's Angel is a fascinating story set in World War 2. It is about a boy and a girl whose undercover names are Otto and Leni. They have both been specially picked out to embark on a dangerous mission to retrieve a girl from a small German island. This is a girl who could bring down Hitler himself! During their quest they undergo many conflicts and life threatening dangers. Will Otto and Leni fulfil their mission and bring back this most important girl in time and with their lives in tact?

From my perspective, this book is a dece3nt read with a well thought out plot and is clearly constructed. The historical facts in this book were described in detail and it has inspired me to find out more about World War 2. Some of the vocabulary has obviously been judiciously chosen which for me made the whole book more engaging.

Overall, I enjoyed Hitler's Angel. The plot was both captivating and original. I would recommend this book to Michael Morpurgo fans. This is most certainly a good book for probably nine to fifteen year olds. I will certainly be on the lookout for other books by William Osborne.

Reviewed by Mackenzie

 

4. Hitler's Angels is an amazing book that I couldn't put down. The main characters are Rebecca and Conrad, although they are known as Leni and Otto in the book; they go on a highly secret mission to kidnap a girl who could bring down Hitler.

When they agree to go on the mission, they don't know what they've got themselves into. It all begins with training where they learn how to shoot a gun and much more. As soon as they are in Germany, they get a boat out to the convent where the girl is held. They have a few problems getting her out, but are soon on the way back. When you get deeper into the story there is more danger, adventure and the most feared man in German is out to get them.

I loved reading every page of this book. Every chapter has its own great adventure. The fabulous description makes it a book to enjoy. I would recommend this book to 8-13 year olds.

Reviewed by Sallie

 

5. Hitler's Angel is an action packed historical adventure set in the Second World War, starting in Britain but swiftly moving to Germany.

Two teenagers, Otto and Leni, are refugees. Otto has escaped from Germany on his own and Leni is Jewish: she has escaped from Austria.

The secret service have sent him to Germany, to find and capture (or rescue) a child.

Hitler's Angel is very mysterious, something I like in a book; neither you nor the characters know much of what is happening for the best part of the book. I think that the plot moves slightly too slowly at the start. Most of the action occurs in the latter chapters of the book.

Both boys and girls will enjoy this book, but it does contain some guns and pain. This is all part of the drama of the plot and the drama of the war but considering this, boys might find it more appealing and prefer the style of writing, but it all depends on what you like in a book. Personally, I enjoy more fictional and mysterious books rather than historical facts, but I found that this book was the perfect balance between the two. It contains real people, places and interesting facts (I learnt a lot whilst reading) but the actual plot is fictional.

Because the book is set in Germany, it contains many German words, places and well known German people. This is good as it adds to the sense of reality, but I do not know many German words, places or well-known German people, so I think that there should be more translations or maybe footnotes. These were really the only bad points but overall I felt it was an upbeat page turner that I learned plenty from and it made me want to read on. I really enjoyed this book and I hope that you will too.

Reviewed by Ellie