Seventeen-year-old Erich is a prisoner of war working at a northern Alberta logging camp. Twelve-year-old Max goes to school—reluctantly—in the nearby town. The two would be unlikely friends, except that neither has anyone else to turn to. At the height of World War II, nobody wants to befriend a German. It doesn’t matter that Erich was forced into the military by his father, or that Max was proudly born in Canada. They are both easy targets for the locals’ grief and anger against the Nazis. The other prisoners are no more welcoming, distrustful of Erich’s perfect English and his dislike for Nazism. Still, when a series of accidents shake the logging camp, they pressure Erich to question the Canadians and find the saboteur—even if his questions get him into trouble. Caught between angry prisoners and suspicious captors, Erich is afraid to take any action at all. It is only when Max’s schoolyard tormentors cross a dangerous line that Erich realizes that his real loyalties lie not with a regime or a country, but with his friend.
about the author
I live in northwest Alberta with my husband and two cats. Our three children have flown the nest. For sixteen years I managed the local library. My favourite parts of the job were ordering new books and helping patrons find the books they want to read. I miss that, but I enjoy the extra time I have now to read – and to write.
First drafts consume me and I tend to lock myself away until they’re done. My family is very patient. One of the challenges of writing is how isolating it can be, so I am a member of several writing organizations: the Writers Guild of Alberta, YABS (Young Alberta Book Society), TWUC (Writers’ Union of Canada) and the CAA(Canadian Authors’ Assoc.).
I travel as much as possible and enjoy exploring new places, which is one of the reasons I also love reading, for the new experiences and new places books take me. That, and I can’t resist a good story.
For more information on Karen Bass see her web site.
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