Books with author Steve Parker Paul Dowswell

A collection of moving stories from the First and Second World War published in association with the Imperial War Museum. These twenty-two stories recount some of the most heroic, devastating and pivotal moments of the World Wars providing young readers with an insight into the human stories behind the conflicts. "A truly moving collection of tales. From spies and secret plots to snipers and zeppelin raids, it brings history alive with real heroes." - tbk Magazine

When Peter's parents are killed, he is sent to an orphanage in Warsaw. Then German soldiers take him away to be measured and assessed. They decide that Peter is racially valuable. He is Volksdeutscher: of German blood. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and acceptably proportioned head, he looks just like the boy on the Hitler-Jugend poster. Someone important will want to adopt Peter. They do.Professor Kaltenbach is very pleased to welcome such a fine Aryan specimen to his household. People will be envious. But Peter is not quite the specimen they think. He is forming his own ideas about what he is seeing, what he is told. Peter doesn't want to be a Nazi, and so he is going to take a very dangerous risk. The most dangerous risk he could possibly choose to take in Berlin in 1943.

ONE IN FIVE NEVER RETURNED. Every boy dreams of flying, but in war that dream can turn into a nightmare. Harry Friedman is the gunner of the Macey May, an American Flying Fortress stationed in East Anglia. The Second World War is raging and the Nazis have swept over Europe. The crews of every Flying Fortress face terrible odds on their bombing missions. To make it through alive, Harry will need luck on his side and courage … Courage to keep going when he has watched close friends die. Courage to confront a terrible evil. And the courage to make it home from deep behind enemy lines.Nail-biting tension and compelling storytelling combine with Dowswell's meticulous research to deliver a page-turner for fans of John Boyne, Morris Gleitzman and Marcus Zusak.

Russia, 1940. Fifteen-year-old Misha's life is about to transform when his father is offered a job in Stalin's inner circle. They move into a luxurious apartment in the Kremlin, but doubts about the glorious new Russia quickly surface. Misha realises that the secret police can do whatever they like. His own mother is arrested and sent to prison, but Misha and his father daren't complain. Then as German troops advance on Moscow, the atmosphere in the Kremlin ignites. Misha and a friend find themselves at the heart of a battle against the mighty state in this powerful evocation of one of the most turbulent places and periods of the 20th century, told by a master storyteller.

It is July 1945, Hitler's Third Reich has fallen, and Berlin is in ruins. Living on the edge of survival in the cellar of an abandoned hospital, Otto and his ragtag gang of kids have banded together in the desperate, bombed-out city. The war may be over, but danger lurks in the shadows of the wreckage as Otto and his friends find themselves caught between invading armies, ruthless rival gangs and a strange Nazi war criminal who stalks them ...A climactic story of truth, friendship and survival against the odds, Wolf Children will thrill readers of Michael Morpurgo and John Boyne.

True Stories of the Second World War is a collection of short stories about some of the events of World War II and the people involved. This is a paperback book of about 170 pages. Each story in this collection covers a different perspective of the war. Some of the topics include the battleship Bismarck, women aviators in the Soviet Air Force, the Nazis involved in the "final solution", British spies, and the development of the atomic bomb and its use by the United States to end the war. All of the stories are fairly short, running from 10 to 20 pages or so, enough to develop the main theme without too much detail. Sections at the beginning and end discuss the start and end of the war, providing a background to reference the stories against. One strength of this book is that the stories are often sprinkled with first-person memories of the people associated with the story. This aspect helps one to grasp the impact of those troubled times on the people involved in the conflict. It includes stories that will be familiar to historians, but are probably unknown in the current era. Any reader interested in learning more about the Second World War will find this book a quick primer that covers a wide variety of topics in clear and simple language. The stories are real, and the first-person perspective increases their interest to the reader.

Ten thrilling stories of the First World War. Contains eye-witness accounts of some of World War One's most important events, from the epic naval battle of Jutland to the strange Christmas truce of 1914. Stories are illustrated with maps and line drawings and there are notes on sources and ideas for further reading. Gripping and engaging for readers who prefer real life to fiction.