I just finished reading Snow Treasure to my literature class of eight- and nine-year-old homeschooled students. I only see them for forty minutes once a week, and the timing just happened to work out that I had to leave the kids hanging for a whole week with the hero captured by Nazis and with only two short chapters to go. Oh, the agony of a cliffhanger!

This story is about the villagers of Riswyk, Norway scheming to get Norway’s gold bullion out of the country just ahead of the invading Nazis. If the Nazis were to get their hands on the gold, it would enrich them by millions of dollars and leave Norway destitute. 

Part of the plan to sneak the gold out right under the noses of the Nazis involves teams of Riswyk children each carrying 75 pounds of gold on their sleds down to a fjord where the crew of a fishing boat waits to load the gold for transportation to America.     

The plan works seamlessly. Until the snow starts to melt before they have transported half the gold. And until the Nazi Commandant decides the lazy, impudent children need to go back to school. And until the children realize they have been discovered by one Nazi soldier who has been spying on them. 

The children’s part in the scheme is indispensable, but they are not left to meet all these challenges alone. There is a small platoon of courageous adults behind the plan who guides the children through the setbacks caused by nature and the enemy. 

This book was published in 1942, before the outcome of World War II could be known. It is a fact that on June 28, 1940, a Norwegian freighter arrived in Baltimore with a cargo of gold bullion. The report that the gold had been smuggled past the Nazis by children was believed for many years, but later evidence makes it highly unlikely that this story is true. 

Nevertheless, this is an exciting, thought-provoking story that may be enjoyed by children eight years old and up. There is just enough danger and suspense to be exciting without real harm coming to the characters. This is an excellent introduction to the situations in which millions of people all over Europe found themselves as the Nazis attempted to take control of the entire continent. There is some fear and tension, but no overt suffering such as we see in other similar novels. The resourceful villagers are not starving or freezing or dying during the short time in which this story takes place. They behave bravely while knowing their lives are in danger, but there are few specific details about consequences. Parents should pre-read if their children are particularly sensitive to suspense. 

This was an excellent read-aloud for my class because we could discuss details that weren’t familiar to my students. Here is an example of the reading level for independent readers. 

You may find out more about this book at Biblioguides.

This book is available at Amazon.