BANANAS FOR BOOKS

Characters:

• Helmuth Hubener - Helmuth was 16 years old when he was killed by the Nazis.  He was thrown into jail and was sentenced to death for being an "enemy of the state" because he fought for human rights, political freedom, and truth. He listened to illegal radio and made pamphlets about the Nazis and the truth about the war.

• Gerhard Kunkel - Gerhard is two years older than Helmuth, his brother.  He never disobeyed the law which led to never getting thrown into jail like Helmuth.  Gerhard also was shipped off to war but did not have a job. 

• Karl Shnnibbe - Karl is a friend of Helmuth who listened to the illegal radio with him.  Although we can't forget, Karl helped distribute pamphlets telling the truth about the war and bad-mouthing the Nazis.

Setting: There are two settings in the book The Boy Who Dared.  The first setting in this story takes place on Hammerbrook street, in Hamburg Germany from 1928-1942.  The second setting is Plotzensee prison in Berlin, Germany.  These are the places where this book mostly took place.

Plot: In the beginning of the book, when Helmuth was in prison, he was frightened which lead to thinking back to both bad and good memories.  First, he thought back to a bad memory about getting in trouble as well as getting on the bad side of the Gestapo.  Then, Helmuth's actions went too far.  With the pamphlets trashing the Nazis, to stealing illegal book and listening to illegal radio stations, the Nazis grabbed his arms tight with their bare hands feeling like handcuffs.  They throw Helmuth in Plotzensee prison in Berlin, Germany.  Next, he started thinking about memories rapidly like a tornado in his head before he was about to get killed by a guillotine.  He just finished writing a letter to his older brother Gerhard and was ready for the execution chamber.  For the end of his life, to be specific in the last 18 seconds, the Nazis twirled him around and threw him into the guillotine.  Helmuth's heart raced waiting for the big sharp blade to cut straight threw his head.  "1,2,3" the rope was cut and the blade fell.  That was the end of the book and Helmuth Hubener 's life.

Point of View: The point of view in this story is Third Person Limited because it has key words like he, she, and they.  Also, it focuses on the thoughts and feelings of only Helmuth.  For example on page 15 it said "Helmuth doesn't know why being a Jew is a big deal." 

Theme: The theme of the book The Boy Who Dared is courage and determination.  While Helmuth was determined to get political rights and freedom, he had to break the law and go against the Nazis which could lead to a severe consquences such as death.  When Helmuth makes the pamphlets he kept pushing to make sure that he would prove his point.  Also, when he made pamphlets he was brave saying things that go against the Nazis and the truth about war.  Helmuth may have died in the end but he definitely died doing the right thing and not stopping until he achieved his goals.