Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
  1. Bibliography
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow. Scholastic Focus,
2019. ISBN 1338309846.
  1. Plot Summary
This is the untold story of the children who sacrificed their lives for their country, and
for their leader, Adolf Hitler. Trained very young, the German children were taught to
fight, shoot guns and sacrifice for their country. Among these children, were a few that
did not follow the same path of a typical German youth and chose to resist the Nazis party
at all costs. By telling these children’s tales through the backdrop of World War II, the
ability these children had to make an impact not only on their country, but on their world
is shown.

  1. Critical Analysis
I normally have a love/hate relationship with nonfiction novels. I love reading
nonfiction books because you can learn so much about so many different topics. I
hate nonfiction books when they are dry and boring and difficult to read. This
nonfiction novel was far from that. This was such an interesting read! In fact, I was
unable to put it down. I ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting. The thing I
liked most about this read was that there wasn’t just one point of view being
discussed; there were many different people’s lives and experiences. The most
interesting to me was that of Hans and Sophie Scholl. This brother and sister pair
acted in an underground resistance group to spread the word to other German
citizens of the lies the Nazis party was telling the German people. Although they
met a grim fate, their heroism was later recognized and memorialized. 
Susan Campbell Bartoletti ends her story with a message to her readers,
presumably targeting young adults, just as the story discusses. Her message to her
readers is,” Could another despot like Hitler rise to power on the shoulder of you
people? Only young people today can answer that question. What are you willing to
do to prevent such a shadow from falling over you and others?” (Pg. 157). Bartoletti
is directly speaking to her readers, urging them to think for themselves and not let
history repeat itself. She is asking what are YOU going to do to not let this happen
again? She is asking for the young people to take responsibility and see that they
do have a part to play. 
  1. Review Excerpts
  • Newbery Honor Book
  • A YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
  • A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year 
  • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
  • A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  1. Connections
  • This story can be read while discussing a World War II unit
  • For high school aged students, it might be interesting to pair this book with the
Outsiders or Lord of the Flies to show the impact young people can play on a society.


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