To my absolute disgust I had this book out from the library for the 18 months... I got it out right before the first UK lockdown, and had it for months after! And, do you know whats made me even more ashamed... It took me all that time to read it, and at least another year to post this!! So finally, here is my experience of Ian Serraillier's classic Second World War novel The Silver Sword.
This is one of those children's books that hits you hard. It tells the story of the Balicki children, growing up in war torn Europe during WW2 and the Nazi regime, and their journey to be reunited with their parents. It often amazes me that childen's books can deal with these topics in such a careful, emotive way, without being overtly scary or disturbing. The authors manage to distill the topics, sites and sounds so that we feel all the emotions and tension without the adult themes. This is particuarly powerful when dealing with troubling themes for middle-grade readers. Ian Serraillier does this beautifully in The Silver Sword.
Ruth, Edek and Bronia Balicki are left in war torn Poland after their father Joseph is arrested for his anti-nazi sentiments. After escaping prison he makes his way back to Warsaw only to find that his home and the neighbourhood he lived in has been bombed and his children are missing. Whilst looking in the rubble of his home he discovers a sword shaped letter opener that his wife had bought for him, but along with this discovery he also finds Jan, an orphaned boy, and his pet chicken, intent on stealing the shiny letter opener. Joseph agrees to let Jan keep it on one condition, if he ever sees the Balicki children he should tell them that if they make their way to their grandparents house in Switzerland he will meet them there and they will all be safe.
I won't give away much more of the plot, because my description would not do the story justice at all. This story has twists and turns, well rounded characters and a sense of hope that can only be experienced by reading the book. And I'm not at all surprised, as this book is based on true events. Some place names have been changed, along with names of the camps that appear in the story, but overall the main plot of this book is based on true accounts of life in Nazi occupied Europe during World War Two. Without books like this it would be hard for modern children to understand exactly what their conterparts at this time went through. Children need to read about children, to relate to the characters that mirror their own ages' life experiences. This is why school stories are forever enduring. It is also why books like Carrie's War and Goodnight Mr Tom are used to educate children about the Second World War, and Ian Serraillier's book is no exception. Although children can't relate to the hardship of the Balicki children, they can relate the fact that they are children, and this is key. This book is another one of those enduring stories that will continue to be used in schools and recommened to children, because it is so authentic. Although it took me a while to get through it, I would read The Silver Sword again, and no doubt I would pick up on different details the second time around, which is great. It is a heartwarming, but also heart rending tale, and I really enjoyed it. Yes, Jan is stubborn and annoying, and yes, the girls are a little stereotypical, but that being said, the children are strong characters and you end up really warming to them and routing for them to get to their parents! But I wont spoil the ending for you!
Thanks for reading, L x
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