You are in for a great winter adventure while reading Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan. But first, grab a cup of hot chocolate and a snuggly blanket. Then settle in for a good read.
It was late winter in Norway, and the snow was piled high with no signs of a spring thaw. It was an idyllic winter for skiing and sledding and building snowmen. However, this was no ordinary winter. German troops had come to occupy the country in the early days of World War II. Furthermore, the typical rhythms of life no longer marked the days. Schools closed. Men left for military service. As a result, the residents of the small mountainside town of Riswyk were making plans to do their part to save Norway. Unbeknownst to the children, they were to play a major role for their country.
Peter and Lovisa’s father was a banker. He was leaving soon to enter military service for his beloved country. Before departing, he seeks to ensure that Norway’s massive stock of gold bullion is safe from the hands of the German government. The first task was already complete. Deep in the woods on the mountainside, the men had hidden the gold in a makeshift cave. Then, they met stealthily by night to determine the next step. How could they move the gold down the mountain without attracting the attention of the German soldiers?
A plan was formed, and it involved all of the school children who were age ten and older. Working on four teams, the children would first retrieve the bricks of gold from their secret hiding place in the woods. Next, they fastened the bricks securely to their sleds before flopping down on top of the gold. Their trip down the mountain included sledding past the German soldiers and their camp. Then at a designated spot on the cliff above a winding fiord, the children would bury the gold in the snow. A snowman above the buried gold marked the location of each pile of bricks. After dark, Uncle Victor and Rolls would move the gold to the waiting ship which was hidden down below.
Would the children be able to successfully move all of the gold to the ship without the German soldiers catching on? Would the spring thaw hold off long enough for them to complete the mission? Find out the answers to these questions by reading Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan