Sterling Point Books®: The Great Escape: Tunnel to Freedom
Grade 6–8—"For you the war is over." These were the first words translated from German heard by most downed Allied pilots when rounded up as POWs during World War II. For the British RAF, the first code of conduct was to escape. Those who did make it out were usually caught and returned and, under the rules of the Geneva Convention, punished without fatal consequences. A group of highly crafty, daring, and determined POWs in Stalag Luft III, comprised of dedicated British and American servicemen, used disciplined secret planning and organized execution with basic engineering and mining knowledge to pull off "the Great Escape." Meserole's compelling narrative takes readers through the early days of strategic thinking to the amazing nail-biting escape through a 30-foot-deep tunnel on a moonless night in late winter. The easy-to-read text, embellished with drawings of tunnel blueprints and black-and-white photos of the events, vividly describes the ingenuity and hard labor of several hundred men who not only clandestinely dug and disposed of tons of sand, but also created tools from scraps of metal and wood, civilian clothing, and counterfeit documents right under the noses of their captors. The author is careful to create suspense and intrigue but brings his account to an honest conclusion with the Nazis's vengeful response to the event. This story has been previously told on film as well as in print, but it will nevertheless interest today's readers.—Rita Soltan, Youth Services Consultant, West Bloomfield, MICopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.