Based on a true story, this is a tale of brave school children who outwit the invading Nazis by sledding 13 tons of gold bricks down the mountain in Norway to a ship waiting to take the country's gold to America for safekeeping.

The theme of the story is teamwork. Set in Nazi-occupied Norway during World War II, it recounts the story of several Norwegian children who help smuggle their country's gold bullion past German guards to a waiting ship, the Cleng Peerson. They accomplished this daring feat by simply doing with Norwegian children do best…sledding down hill! ( )

00015734

This story takes place during World War II in Norway. The Norway citizens are trying to figure out how to protect their gold from the Nazis. Their solution is to have children hide it on their sleds and bring it to safety. Will the children be able to get all of the gold out in time, or will they be stopped by the Nazis? ( )

It is 1940 when the Nazis invade Norway. Peter Lundstrom is only twelve, but he's about to become part of the grownup world. His father is a banker and is working with other leaders in the town to try and outwit the Nazis by smuggling the country’s gold bullion to a safe place. Luckily, Peter’s Uncle Victor is a sea captain who plans to sail the gold to America. The plan depends on Peter and the other children taking the gold from the top of the mountains to the fjord below. Sledding the gold away seems like it will be easy at first, but the German soldiers are not to be underestimated. Many trips will need to be made to get all of the bullion down to the boat. The fact that one of the soldiers speaks Norwegian makes everything even harder. There is plenty of snow, and the children do have many opportunities for sledding, but the soldiers are on their trail and each day their task becomes more challenging. When it looks like they will be caught, Peter must think fast and hope for the best. Will the children be able to get all the gold out of Norway? What will happen if Peter’s diversion doesn’t work? Is keeping the gold out of the hands of the Nazis worth the risk? You will be intrigued from the start and will keep turning the pages to see if everyone makes it out alive!


Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan is a wonderful book about brave kids who take on adult responsibilities during dangerous times. Peter and his friends are easy to relate to and seem like typical kids you would find anywhere. The book says that it is based on true events that are believed to have taken place in Norway during WWII. I am not sure how much of the story is true, but I was definitely on the edge of my seat hoping that the kids would get the job done! This is an excellent book to bring history to life for kids in fourth through eighth grade. Older readers will enjoy it as well! Be prepared to have history unfold for you as you read about the kids of Norway and their experience. I learned a lot about what life was like in Norway during the war and I definitely hope to visit one day. This book is a reminder about the hard life people had during WWII. A great addition to any home, school, or classroom library. ( )