Product Description

Alone and fending for themselves in a Poland devastated by World War Two, Jan and his three homeless friends cling to the silver sword as a symbol of hope. As they travel through Europe towards Switzerland, where they believe they will be reunited with their parents, they encounter many hardships and dangers. This extraordinarily moving account of an epic journey gives a remarkable insight into the reality of life in war-torn Europe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3591 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Back Cover
The night the Nazis come to take their mother away, three children escape in a terrifying scramble across the rooftops. Alone in the chaos of Warsaw, they have to learn to survive on their own.

Then they meet Jan, a ragged boy with a paperknife - the silver sword - that they recognize as belonging to their long-lost father. The sword becomes their symbol of hope as, with Jan, they begin the hazardous journey across war-torn Europe to find their parents.

Ian Serraillier's moving account of a family torn apart by war speaks as much to us today as it did when it was first written.

About the Author
Ian Serraillier was born in London in 1912 and educated at Brighton College and St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He worked as a teacher, but worked from his Sussex home writing for children from 1961. His main achievements included poetry, retellings in verse and prose, educational and local history books, and the founding and co-editing of the New Windmill Series for Heinemann Educational Books. Ian Serraillier died in November 1994.