Snow Treasure

I read this book in my childhood, and was delighted to find that not only was it still available, it is still in print. The tale is a fun, adventurous read for children, but reading it as an adult, I realized what great risks the children were taking. Debate rages on as to whether these events ever took place, but it is a good story to introduce or remind children of other countries' involvement in WW II without being too scary. Recommended.

The theme of the story is teamwork. Set in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II, it recounts the story of several Norwegian children who help smuggle their country's gold bullion past German guards to a waiting ship, the Cleng Peerson. They accomplished this daring feat by simply doing with Norwegian children do best…sledding down hill!

The forward to Snow Treasure says:

On June 28,1940, nearly a year after World War II broke out in Europe, the Norwegian freighter BOMMA reached Baltimore with a cargo of gold bullion worth $9,000,000…..The gold, it was reported, had been slipped past Nazi sentries by Norwegian boys and girls!…So that no harm might come to the brave children, the captain would not tell the location of the fiord (where the freighter hid and to which the children brought their sleds).
For many years the story was believed true. But over 60 years later, there is no proof that it ever really happened. We do not know. But we do know that the story captures tjhe courage of many children who, caught up in the war, have helped their country in a time of show more great danger.

Nazi Germany invaded and occupied Norway in April 1940. This story tells of a group of 25 schoolchildren, ranging in age from 8 to 12, who purportedly moved several tons of gold from a hiding spot which had been carved from the forest and the snow, directly past a Nazi encampment to a designated spot where they buried the gold and built snowmen as markers. This went on for weeks and was supposedly never detected even though the children were mere feet from Nazi soldiers daily.

It’s very difficult for me to believe that this story is true. No doubt the freighter captain used it to deflect attention from the actual resistance fighters who loaded the ship. If it was true, after the war the children would certainly have told people and there would be much oral history to support it.

Tidbit: The freighter Bomma has been renamed in the story as the Cleng Peerson, a little bit of irony since Peerson was a pioneer who led the first group of Norwegians to emigrate to the United States.

I couldn’t warm to Snow Treasure, “a story of courage and adventure”, although I’m aware that it’s considered a minor classic. Part of that is the writing style which seemed dated and a little clunky. In addition, I think it undermines the awareness of the true danger that ones in Nazi occupied countries faced.

Also, I was slightly rankled by the way that the elderly servant Per Garson spoke. His speech had the cadence of a Norwegian speaking English – an effect that was unnecessary and out of place, since he would have been speaking Norwegian like everyone else, and not a second language.

Written in 1942 and published just months after the U.S. entered WWII, it’s a fine piece of war propaganda that encourages all good little boys & girls to support their country during wartime. It no doubt felt to many a child who collected tinfoil & weeded a victory garden like a warm pat on the back for being part of the war effort.

But I’m still only lukewarm. show less

My 11yr old son had read this and really enjoyed it. He gave it to me to read. This book holds up well and was very well written. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would; it was an interesting look at a part of WWII you don’t hear much about.

This book details supposed events that took place in Norway in the winter of 1940. Norway was trying to secretly transport its wealth to the USA for safekeeping, while Nazi guards were patrolling the area. The Norwegian resistance supposedly enlisted children to help with this. This book is based on speculated events, not actual recorded events.

The book is short, but the story is well written and engaging. I enjoyed it a lot and read it in maybe 30 min or so.

Overall this was a well done show more book set in the WWII era about children who helped with the war effort in Norway. I would recommend to children who are interested in history. While this isn’t a non-fiction book, it is based on speculated events that happened during that era. show less

I loved this book when I was a boy. It really captured my imagination, and stayed there. Nor was I the only one; I know several others who also loved that book. That's not too surprising; it was very popular in schools when I was young, and there were a lot of copies floating around.

I read it once a year or so until I was in my late teens. Some time in my 20s I picked up a copy, but eventually it ended up in a box down in my basement; it's still there, if it hasn't disintegrated.

But I never forgot it. And when my son and I went on a shopping spree in a wonderful old used-book shop* last weekend, the title came back to my mind. So I asked if they had it. They didn't think they did, but it turned out there was a copy in good condition show more still on their shelves. Naturally I grabbed it!

(This, incidentally, is why Amazon.com will never replace the experience of browsing in a good used-book shop.)

My son and I are still reading [b:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|2647293|Alice's Adventures in Wonderland|Lewis Carroll|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266993877s/2647293.jpg|2933712], and he's also reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books on his own, so I decided to re-read [b:Snow Treasure|34601|Snow Treasure|Marie McSwigan|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168571512s/34601.jpg|2204834] on my own, first.

It's the story of Norwegian children during the Nazi occupation. According to the back cover, it's a true story; I believed that when I was young. Lately I did a little research, and discovered that there's some doubt about the truth of that claim. It seems likely that many if not all of the details were from the imagination of the author, possibly based on a story from a Norwegian ship captain at the time. It's also necessary to note that the book was first published in 1942; an element of propoganda seems inevitable, under the circumstances. Which doesn't necessarily mean that the book is entirely or even substantially false, of course.

But on reflection, it doesn't matter. It's a cracking good story; some of the language is a bit old-fashioned, yes, and the story itself is on the simplistic side. So what? This is a book for children! And the story of how children in Norway help to smuggle Norway's gold away from the invading Nazis makes for a memorable, exciting tale.

I'll admit, as I re-read the few few chapters I did fear that it might turn out to be worse than my memory of it. It reads well, but is a little dated. However the pace and excitement are maintained beautifully, and in the final chapters I found myself honestly caught up in it again - and impressed by the sheer excitement of the story. Time dropped away, and I was ten years old again.

What more could you ask from a book?


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* - The Shire Book Shop in Franklin, MA; it's the largest used-book shop I know of outside of The Strand in New York city.

P.S. - if you enjoyed Snow Treasure, you might also enjoy [b:Lars and Lisa in Sweden|3689611|Lars and Lisa in Sweden|Alida Vreeland|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1215567358s/3689611.jpg|3733052]; it's slightly post-WWII, and is set in Sweden rather than Norway, but the tone and cultural elements are quite similar. It's very rare, though, so good luck finding it! show less

It is 1940 when the Nazis invade Norway. Peter Lundstrom is only twelve, but he's about to become part of the grownup world. His father is a banker and is working with other leaders in the town to try and outwit the Nazis by smuggling the country’s gold bullion to a safe place. Luckily, Peter’s Uncle Victor is a sea captain who plans to sail the gold to America. The plan depends on Peter and the other children taking the gold from the top of the mountains to the fjord below. Sledding the gold away seems like it will be easy at first, but the German soldiers are not to be underestimated. Many trips will need to be made to get all of the bullion down to the boat. The fact that one of the soldiers speaks Norwegian makes everything even show more harder. There is plenty of snow, and the children do have many opportunities for sledding, but the soldiers are on their trail and each day their task becomes more challenging. When it looks like they will be caught, Peter must think fast and hope for the best. Will the children be able to get all the gold out of Norway? What will happen if Peter’s diversion doesn’t work? Is keeping the gold out of the hands of the Nazis worth the risk? You will be intrigued from the start and will keep turning the pages to see if everyone makes it out alive!


Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan is a wonderful book about brave kids who take on adult responsibilities during dangerous times. Peter and his friends are easy to relate to and seem like typical kids you would find anywhere. The book says that it is based on true events that are believed to have taken place in Norway during WWII. I am not sure how much of the story is true, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat hoping that the kids would get the job done! This is an excellent book to bring history to life for kids in fourth through eighth grade. Older readers will enjoy it as well! Be prepared to have history unfold for you as you read about the kids of Norway and their experience. I learned a lot about what life was like in Norway during the war and I definitely hope to visit one day. This book is a reminder about the hard life people had during WWII. A great addition to any home, school, or classroom library. show less

Exciting and true story, but I found word choice and writing a bit clumsy. I will still recommend it to children interested in World War 2.