'A book we should all read' Michael Morpurgo

'Vivid, captivating... sure to inspire a new generation' R.M. Romero, author of The Dollmaker of Krakow

During the Second World War, the Netherlands is under Nazi control and acts of resistance are punishable by death. But when teenage Michiel is asked to take care of a wounded British Spitfire pilot, he doesn't think twice.

He joins the secret struggle against the Nazis, knowing all the while that spires are everywhere and once loose word could cost him his life...

Winter in Wartime is a thrilling, powerful adventure story, inspired by the author's own experiences as a child in Nazi-occupied Holland.

Part of the new Pushkin Children's Classics series of thrilling, magical and inspiring stories from around the world, which young readers will return to time and again.

Translated by Laura Watkinson.

Jan Terlouw (1931-2025) was born in the Netherlands. He worked as a nuclear physicist in countries across the world before entering politics as a representative of the Dutch D66 party in 1971. Alongside his political career he has written many successful children's books, including Winter in Wartime, which was based on his own memories of the Nazi occupation. It won the Golden Pen Prize for the best Dutch children's book in 1973 and has since been adapted for film and stage.

Laura Watkinson is a full-time translator from Dutch, Italian and German, and has also translated Tonke Dragt's The Letter for the King, The Secrets of the Wild Wood, The Song of Seven and The Goldsmith and the Master Thief for Pushkin Children's Books. She lives in Amsterdam.

About the Author
Jan Terlouw was born in the Netherlands in 1931. He worked as a nuclear physicist in countries across the world before entering politics as a representative of the Dutch D66 party in 1971. Alongside his political career he has written many successful children's books, including Winter in Wartime which was based on his own memories of the Nazi occupation. It won the Golden Pen Prize for the best Dutch children's book in 1973 and has since been adapted for film and stage.

Reviews
Most of us have enjoyed lives of peace and freedom and plenty. Here is a fine book, supremely well written, that takes us back to a time, not that long ago, when Holland lived through a terrible winter of hunger and occupation and war. It's a book we should all read, to remind us never to take our freedom and peace and plenty for granted. -- Michael Morpurgo, author of 'War Horse'
Winter in Wartime is a vivid, captivating portrait of life and resistance during the German occupation in the Netherlands. The strength and courage of the characters is sure to inspire a new generation of readers. -- R.M. Romero, author of 'The Dollmaker of Krakow'
It's an amazing story and it deserves to be read. If you're at all interested in WWII, you won't want to miss it * Bite My Books *
This is a fantastic novel that tells a side of WWII that hasn't been told much before in children's literature... There is danger, heartache and mystery * Books Your Kids Will Love *
Offers a compelling look at the effects of war on both individuals and on an entire town... leaving the reader with a strong sense of the inner fortitude and courage necessary for survival when people are devastated by a brutal war * Horn Book *
This exciting book has long been considered a classic in Holland. And anyone who has read this moving, powerful story can understand why -- Stiftung Lesen
A plea for peace and against betrayal and injustice. A must-read. -- Munchner Merkur
An excellent, highly recommended anti-war book * 1000 und 1 buch *
An exciting book written with humane clarity and urgency * Deutschlandfunk *



Book Information
ISBN 9781782695097
Author Jan Terlouw
Format Paperback
Page Count 224
Imprint Pushkin Children's Books
Publisher Pushkin Press