Jackie French, master storyteller, has woven another enthralling historical fiction. This time it is from seemingly incongruous threads: Hitler's Nazi Germany and a handful of rural children waiting in a leaky shelter for their school bus.

Mark, Anna, Little Tracey and Ben wait each morning for Mrs Latter, the crusading bus driver, to take them to school.  To pass the time they play 'The Game'.  As taught by her grandmother, Anna makes up stories about characters and situations chosen by the other three children.  One morning, at the beginning of a stretch of rainy weather, Anna decides to choose the characters and tell the story ...  "Mark settled back on the seat. It always took a while for Anna to settle in to a story.  But it was pretty good when she did.  She always added details so you sort of saw the story in your mind."  So begins the story of Heidi, Hitler's daughter, and her faithful nanny Fraulein Gelber.

French has a real gift for bringing history alive.  In doing this she makes relevant the lessons of history.  In Hitler's Daughter she gives historical fiction her own twist.  We, like Mark, are keen for each morning to roll around so that Anna can tell the next part of her story. We know, like Mark, that we are in a cold, windy and damp bus shelter out in rural Australia, but somehow we can't help feeling the cold of Heidi's life, and the damp of the bunker.  The bunker where Hitler and his wife Eva Braun committed suicide.

French deliberately jumps between the bus shelter, school, home and the story.  This device could easily break the reader's concentration, but her skilful writing holds us fast  so that each time we are ready for the next instalment of Anna's story.  Gradually, disguised as Anna (with cameos as Mrs. Latter and Mark's imaginary mother), French makes more obvious the links between the lessons of history and present day situations.

The story of Hitler's secret daughter allows French to ask questions about similar genocidal regimes that may be too laboured in a realistic novel.  The character of Mark is another device cleverly used by French.  Mark is a very likable boy.  He is the sort of child who, with his never ending questions, would drive some teachers and parents to distraction .  French seems to be asking us all to give people like Mark (and Mrs Latter) a hearing because they seem to be asking very sensible questions.  Pertinent questions such as 'Why humans do such horrible things to each other - and how they get away with it'.

French's challenges: to ask difficult questions, to try to understand the actions of people who have/or are living under cruel regimes and to consider the option of taking a stand against injustice, are all worth considering.

In her artful way, French varies the emotion in this book.  Just when it seems to be getting rather serious and sullen, Mrs. Latter (whom I imagine is a tongue-in-cheek,  mouth-piece for French to throw in a whole lot of political comments she's been dying to make for ages) comes rattling down the road in the school bus.  Some readers may find Mrs Latter rather annoying with her 'in-your-face' opinions, but I thought French pushed the character just as far as she could and got away with it.

French also seems to be pleading with parents and teachers to discuss things with their children.  She wants us to enjoy the story but she also wants to make us think.   Maybe she is even reminding herself to stand up and be counted. 

Other books by this author:
The Black House (Koala Books, 2003)
Vampire Slugs on Callisto (Koala Books, 2003)
Diary of a Wombat (Angus & Robertson, 2002)
Too Many Pears (Koala Books, 2003)
Tom Appleby, Convict Boy (Angus & Robertson, 2004)
The Secret Beach (Angus & Robertson, 1995)

Review by Sarah Mayor Cox

© 2000 Sarah Mayor Cox