The Greatest Skating Race: A World War II Story from the Netherlands

Written by Louise Borden
Illustrated by Niki Daly

Grade:

3-6

ISBN-13:

978-0689845024

Publisher:

Margaret K. McElderry Books (2004)

During the winter of 1941, in the midst of World War II, a young Dutch boy sets out to perform a heroic act of bravery and sacrifice. Piet, a skilled ice-skater, is asked to escort a friend and her brother from their Nazi-occupied town to a relative in Belgium. The journey must not arouse suspicion, and so the children skate many miles over frozen canals to cross the border. This incredible story is told in poetic style from Piet’s point of view, and is accompanied by beautifully subdued illustrations that evoke the emotions of the story. A wonderful story illuminating how even the very young can demonstrate great courage and perform noble acts of kindness and bravery.