Berlin, April 1938. One night, eight-year-old Käfer Avigdor uses his specialty toilet-paper roll binoculars to spy on his Mama and Aunt Charlotte. The whispered conversation he overhears alerts him to a danger he didn’t know existed and starts him rethinking who he really is and where he belongs.
Within hours, Käfer and his family flee their comfortable life. In a desperate race to stay one step ahead of the Nazis, Käfer is called on to be braver and more resourceful than he ever imagined possible. But will it be enough?
Boy from Berlin is based on real people and actual events.
Reviews
Watch Nancy McDonald being interviewed by CBC Fresh Air Live host Nana aba Duncan here.
Stratford Beacon Herald
"I can’t think of a more apt tale than Boy From Berlin to remind us of how fine the line is between heartfelt compassion and careless cruelty ... [Nancy] McDonald is a gifted writer and in her debut novel she has rendered this harrowing tale of escape with imagination and the compelling craft of storytelling." –Rick Whelan, "An inspiring tale just right for our times," Stratford Beacon Herald, June 22, 2018. Read the full review here.
Listen to Nancy talk to podcaster Michelle Wolfe about the origins of her book Boy from Berlin here.
Shortlisted for the 2019 Gertrude Warner Book Awards for Middle-Grade Fiction!
Author(s)
Nancy McDonald
Nancy McDonald’s career began as a television journalist on programs that included W5, Canada AM, and Marketplace. She then went on to become a sought-after freelance writer, penning everything from documentaries to live-action scripts to comic books.