The Winter War »

William Durbin lives on Lake Vermilion at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. He taught English for many years, and now writes full-time.

When the Soviet Union invades its tiny neighbor Finland in November 1939, Marko volunteers to help the war effort. Even though his leg was weakened by polio, he can ski well, and he becomes a messenger on the front line, skiing in white camouflage through the forests at night. The dark forest is terrifying, and so are the odds against the Finns: the Russians have 4 times as many soldiers and 30 times as many planes. They have 3000 tanks, while the Finns have 30. But a tank is no help in the snowy forest–a boy on skis is. And the Russians don’t know winter the way the Finns do, or what tough guerrilla warriors the Finns are. Marko teams up with another messenger, Karl. Gradually Marko learns that Karl’s whole family was killed by the Russians. And Karl has a secret–he’s really Kaari, a girl who joined up to get revenge for her family’s deaths.

KLIATT

In the fall of 1939, the Soviet Union invaded Finland, a conflict that came to be known as the Winter War. Although Marko's leg has been crippled by polio, he is eager to help defend Finland from the attackers, and he is proud to be chosen as a ski messenger for a military command group. This group hides out in the woods waging guerilla warfare on the Soviets. They are pounded by artillery guns and greatly outnumbered, but bravely hold the line. Their best ally is the bitter cold--as low as minus 56 degrees. Marko cheerfully helps the medics, chops woods, and digs trenches as well as running messages, accompanied by his always-sad fellow messenger Karl, who hides a surprising secret. In the end, the Finns must cede land to the Soviets, but while Marko loses his home village, he has helped to save his country. Durbin shines light on a little-known but hard-fought struggle and convincingly, viscerally, describes the battles, life on the front lines, and the terrible cold. An afterword provides more details of the conflict and the toll it took. A sure winner for fans of war stories. Age Range: Ages 12 to 18. REVIEWER: Paula Rohrlick (Vol. 42, No. 1)