The Silver Sword

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In 1944, Warsaw was liberated by the Russians, but there was still no news of Edek's whereabouts or of the children's parents. The novel comes to a close with an extremely happy ending, one which many readers have found stretches the boundaries of plausibility. It was an attitude that was increasingly gaining traction amongst educators and other decision-makers, in line with a growing awareness of the need to provide appropriate material to help young people bridge the gap between childhood and adulthood. In some cases, correspondence with authors was required, as well as negotiations over royalties, illustrations and cover design.

In the chaos of World War II, Ruth, Edek and Bronia are separated from their parents, and left alone to fend for themselves, hiding from the Nazis in the ruins of their city. Despite early reservations, the novel received excellent reviews and its growing popularity was reinforced by a popular BBC TV serialisation in 1957. All of the children were put to work on the farm except Edek, who assisted the farmer's wife with light chores. Ruth befriended Ivan, a Russian sentry, who had been assigned to liaise with the civilian population. Serraillier does not shy away from discussing the context against which the children are forced to make their escape and although the narrative ends with a positive resolution - the children are reunited with their parents, against considerable odds – the impact of the war remains in sight.However, he later changed his view when he received confirmation from their father, who was now in Switzerland. Hope points out that when The Silver Sword was first published there were concerns about its suitability for children, due to its unflinching portrayal of war.

The audience for the New Windmill Series becomes more complicated when considered through this dual lens, and it echoes Serraillier’s portrayal of his young protagonists in The Silver Sword: “They were to endure hardships and conditions which made them think and plan and act more like adults than children. Another example of these blurred boundaries is in the relationship between the children and the adults they encounter, as the chaos of war subverts received notions and constructions of childhood in the hierarchy of age.

Ruth visits the Russian control post and asks for food, clothes, paper, pencils, and help in finding Edek. Whatever, the character, Jan, conveyed the mind-set of a youth in the midst of the prevailing madness well enough to implant a fear which even now causes the odd nightmare of being chased by Nazis. They wake to find him gone, so Ruth sets her attention on getting her brother, sister, and herself further into Switzerland.

frequent) or “bugger”, (less frequent), quite unimpressed by the fact that is the way that many 15 plus-ers speak…” The title was, with regret, rejected.As the passage quoted above also demonstrates, there is also an impetus to equip young people with the emotional and moral strength to face the future as adult citizens, and this very much chimes with the Serrailliers’ thinking behind book choices for the New Windmill list. This more thoughtful style is revealed particularly clearly in an episode of The Silver Sword which describes the children’s conversations with the Wolffs, a German farmer and his wife who temporarily provide shelter.

Both boys were prosecuted by the military tribunal, but Edek was cleared of any crimes whilst Jan led a spirited defence, claiming that certain American troops were equally guilty of stealing from the conquered Germans. How the children travel across war torn Europe surviving every kind of danger and privation is thrilling and deeply moving. It is significant that this book has achieved lasting popularity whilst Serraillier’s earlier, more formulaic stories have long been forgotten.This soon wears off, however; she goes on to study at university in Zurich and becomes a teacher in her Swiss hometown.