Anne O'Malley (Booklist, Jan. 1, 2007 (Vol. 103, No. 9))
In this novel based on the experiences of Toksvig's father, the Germans' 1940 invasion of Denmark sweeps a family into heartrending historical drama. Ten-year-old Bamse yearns to take a stand against the occupation like his daring older brother Orlando, despite their father's counsel of quiet cooperation. Gradually, though, the whole family sways to Orlando's position--refusing, along with thousands of other Danes, to be "Hitler's canary" and "just sit in a cage and sing any tune he wants." Mother Marie devises an ingenious subterfuge to shelter neighboring Jews; even blunt Uncle Johann, initially a Nazi sympathizer, does his part to rescue escapees to Sweden--part of the 1943 exodus, elaborated upon in an endnote, in which more than 8,000 were ferried to safety. Though such suspenseful episodes will thrill readers, it is Bamse's growing courage and deepening understanding that drive the story. For additional perspectives on the Danish resistance, suggest Lois Lowry's Number the Stars (1989) and Ellen Levine's nonfiction work Darkness over Denmark (2000). Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2007, Roaring Brook/Deborah Brodie, $16.95.

Greg M. Romaneck (Children's Literature)
The time is spring 1940. The place is Copenhagen in the generally peaceful nation of Denmark. It is the early portion of World War II, and the world of the Skovlund family is about to change. The invasion of Denmark by the German Army brings with it changes almost unimaginable to the Skovlund’s and their neighbors. Told from the perspective of “Bamse” Skovlund, the family’s youngest son, Hitler’s Canaries traces the events that characterized Denmark’s five-year German occupation. The Skovlund’s are theater people whose lives have been fundamentally defined by their connection to drama. In the occupation years, each member of the family is called upon to come to grips with what their actions must be in the face of an oppressive foe. In the end, each member of the Skovlund clan makes a moral decision to balance the needs of their family with the broader ones of social justice. In telling the story of the Danish occupation through the eyes of one family author, Sandi Toksvis presents her readers with a unique look at an overlooked part of World War II lore. In addition, readers of this fine historical novel will better appreciate its plot and characters if they realize that they are based upon the author’s own family and actions that occurred during the war years. 2007, Roaring Brook Press, $ 16.95. Ages 12 up.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 4))
During WWII, the Danes, whose nation was occupied by the Germans, knew the British called them, “Hitler’s Canary.” “They say he has us in a cage and we just sit and sing any tune he wants.” But Denmark waged active underground opposition to the conquerors and saved most Jewish Danes from being taken into the concentration camps. Toksvig tells the story through the eyes and actions of Bamsie, ten years old when the story begins. He is the son of an actress, whose talent becomes an essential part of the plot. Because of the theatrical influence in his life, Hitler’s Canary is arranged as Act, Scene, Time, Date, Place, providing a guide from 1940 to 1943, the year the Jews escaped to Sweden. Characterization is good enough to make each person an individual, sometimes permitting “good” people to have faults. Details of setting and time are fascinating, and the action is suspenseful and riveting. Despite a few missteps (how would people who were rescuing Jews know what is and what is not a Jewish name, for instance?), Toksvig offers a spellbinding look at a part of history that is rarely fictionalized. Backmatter includes the facts of Danish resistance and Jewish rescue as well as further details on the fate of those involved. An author’s note explains what is true of her own family history retold in the story. 2007, Roaring Brook, 192p, $16.95. Category: Historical fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, May 2007 (Vol. 41, No. 3))
Toksvis is a Dane and this fiction about the Nazi occupation of Denmark during WW II is based on a story her father told her; it is basically true. Bamse is the youngest of three children in Copenhagen; when the Nazis come in 1940, he is just ten years old. The story is seen from his point of view and ends in October 1943 when his family is involved in helping the Danish Jews escape to Sweden. Bamse’s mother is a famous actor and she continues to work at the theater through the war years. On the night their Jewish friends are hiding in their apartment, she gives the best performance of her life when the SS troops come. Bamse’s older brother and father are part of the Danish resistance movement, yet their father’s brother is part of the Danish Nazi Party. Bamse makes it clear there are good Danes and bad ones and that some Germans are good and some are bad--in truth, it was a German who tipped off the Jewish community to go into hiding, and there were Germans who made sure their ships would not thwart the Jewish mass exodus by boat to Sweden. Bamse’s older sister, a teenager, has a crush on a young German soldier not much older than herself, and their relationship plays a part in the family’s survival. This is frequently a humorous story, but of course it is also suspenseful. Denmark was known as Hitler’s canary and for too long, perhaps, it endured its caged existence without much protest. In the end, however, Denmark’s story is one of the few positive ones that came out of that terrible period of persecution--and Toksvis tells Bamse’s story well. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2005, Roaring Brook Press, 191p., $16.95. Ages 12 to 15.

Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, July 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 11))
This British import about the Danish Resistance is told from the point of view of Bamse, a young Danish boy who, as the German occupation progresses, joins the resistance movement along with his friend Anton, who is Jewish. Despite Bamse’s father’s strong urgings that the times would change on their own, in the end, Bamse’s entire family becomes deeply involved in helping Jewish friends and neighbors when news leaks that the German troops have begun gathering all Danish Jews for immediate relocation to the East. The dramatic final episode depicts the remarkable historical events of the autumn of 1943, when more than 7000 Danish Jews were safely and secretly transported to Sweden with fewer than 500 actually captured and sent to concentration camps. Toksvig is successful both in describing the immediate action and filling in the background information necessary to understand the significance of that action. The story is well paced, with moments of high drama, humor, and riveting danger all melding together in a strong narrative line. The description of the climate of Copenhagen during the war years is particularly striking; unlike many Nazi strongholds, the general public sentiment remained pro-Dane, anti-Nazi despite the efforts of the Nazi propaganda machine. At the center of Bamse’s character evolution is the realization that nothing is clear cut, that there are bad Danes and good Nazis mixed in among the masses. This will provide a useful counterpoint to Lowry’s Number the Stars (BCCB 3/89) as well as a compelling story in its own right. A final note provides historical data, and an author’s note links events in the novel to Toksvig’s own family history. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2007, Brodie/Roaring Brook, 191p., $16.95. Grades 6-10.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2007)
Ten-year-old Bamse's life in Copenhagen changes dramatically after the Germans occupy his country. Tension builds as Danes debate a response, and Bamse's brother joins the Resistance movement. Relying on her own family history and a penchant for the theatrical, Toksvig provides a memorable cast of characters as the Danish Resistance unfolds in poignant, startling, and occasionally humorous scenes of courage. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2007, Roaring Brook/Brodie, 191pp, 16.95. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Stacey Hayman (VOYA, April 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 1))
A ten-year-old boy narrates the story of his family and his country, caught unaware by the sudden intrusion of the Second World War. Bamse, the youngest of three, struggles to understand the different responses that his fellow countrymen have to Hitler's invasion. Why do some Danes seem pleased, some seem indifferent, and some start fighting back right away? The oldest son becomes part of the Danish Resistance and eventually allows Bamse and his best friend, who happens to be Jewish, to help in small ways. Bamse's sister becomes involved with a young German soldier, a boy who proves his decency by warning the family before their apartment is searched for hidden Jews. By the end of the book, everyone will have suffered a loss, ranging from a loss of innocence to the loss of a family member. This book is difficult to recommend, but it is also difficult to dismiss. A local school assigns a historical fiction book of approximately two hundred pages every year. This book will fly off the shelves for that assignment for several reasons: its length, World War II theme, simple language, and reading ease. On the other hand, most teens would not voluntarily read a story about such a young boy whose viewpoint is so unsophisticated. A unique approach to a well-documented time, this title might be just right for libraries looking to fulfill a need within their historical fiction collection. VOYA CODES: 3Q 2P M J (Readable without serious defects; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2007, A Deborah Brodie Book/Roaring Brook, 192p., $16.95. Ages 11 to 15.