3 4 5 ( )

I first read this book as a teenager, and now think it must be one of the books you read as a child that shapes your view of the world. David, 12, can remember nothing before the camp where he has always lived. The Commandant gives him a chance to escape when he turns twelve - for reasons the boy does not understand. David knows only two things when he manages to stow aboard a ship and get to Italy. THEY - the commandant and others like him - are not to be trusted, and he must somehow get to Denmark. All he has is his innate intelligence, strength and courage, and a small bundle containing a little money, bread, a compass, matches, a knife, and a bar of soap.

In a way, it's a simple story. What's remarkable is living through his experiences in David's head and observing how his travels among free people change him. When David really discovers what love means, towards the end of the book, I still cry, even after all these years.

Not for everyone, to be sure - but I recommended this book, some years ago, to a mother who was looking for books for her son. She called me back and said, "He loves it! He's reading bits of it to me, saying, 'Listen to this, Mom!'"

This is a book that will raise many questions in the right young reader, and stay with them for a long time.

A very good book on how David a conentration camp escapee gets to Denmark in the middle of WW2. He is smuggled out by an officer and manages to get to Denmark with the help of many people. Through the journey he discovers that the officer loved his mother and smuggled her out at the start of the war. At the end of the book he is finally reunited with his mother. ( )

Also known as North to Freedom (Also a major motion picture under the title I Am David)

Translated from the Danish by L.W. Kingsland

This unusual, but engaging narrative tracks the journey of a young boy as he escapes from a Communist prison camp in Easter Europe, travels by boat to Italy, and gradually makes his way north to Denmark. The story shows the development of the boy's understanding as he begins to grasp the idea of freedom and what makes life worth living. The writing is very good and very thoughtful. The story explores the differences in culture and character of the various countries he visits and invites fruitful discussion about the themes of freedom and good and evil. Readers will find it interesting to follow David's journeys on a map and do further research about Communism. There is one odd statement about the Blessed Mother that might seem somewhat offensive (it is one of the misconceptions non-Catholics sometimes have about Catholic belief) but is certainly not dangerous - it may even be helpful in providing a tangential discussion on misunderstandings about the Church. In following the geography of the story, it will be helpful to know that the city of Salonika is also known as Thessalonika. ( )

This is a great little book aimed at younger readers. It was written for 9-13 year olds and is about a boy who escapes from a concentration camp and flees across Europe. It is well written, and while as an adult I wanted to know more about where he was and why he was imprisoned (i.e. the politics of it all) it was silent on these issues which is probably appropriate for a younger person, and not altogether necessary for the story in any case.

I enjoyed the character of David, and found myself ever hopeful that he would survive and make it to safety and freedom. The story of David’s live unfolds gradually throughout the book and he discovers along with the reader how he came to be in the camp and why he was helped to survive by the commandant whom he hated.

I remember reading this at school and enjoyed it again this second time around. ( )