Christopher Plummer and Gregory Peck play arch-enemies in this story of a remarkable Irish Monsignor living in the Vatican who runs a network of safehouses for Jews, escaped POWs and others seeking refuge in Nazi-occupied Rome. Monsignor O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) boldly collects funds for his work at high-profile parties and events and narrowly escapes capture at every turn. As Nazi Commandant Hoffer (Christopher Plummer) realizes the scope of O'Flaherty's threat to Nazi purposes, the good Monsignor's danger increases. Virtually a prisoner in the Vatican, he invents daring disguises in order to keep his network running and often remove refugees to safety just moments before the Nazis show up for an arrest attempt. This is a great movie - true story, compelling plot, great cast, etc. My only uncertainty is whether Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of Pope Pius XII is fair (he comes across as rather wimpy), but this is a rather minor part of the movie.

Chico Felippo is a young boy living in a small village in Southern Italy. It is 1944 and most of the war has moved north, but the American Army has a special "Remount Depot" nearby where donkeys are trained to assist the soldiers in the difficult mountain fighting. Chico loves these animals and becomes friends with many of the Americans as well as one particularly beloved animal, "Sergeant Donkey". The entire town suffers from a shortage of food because all of the donkeys which worked the fields had been seized by the Germans earlier in the war. The monks in the monastery on the mountainside are especially in need of provisions and Chico has the regular task of collecting donations from the townspeople and bringing them up to the monastery. Because he was so familiar with the ways through the forest and up the mountain, he was even able to accomplish these journeys earlier in the war while the Germans were encamped on the mountain and heavy fighting was going on.

One day an American Serviceman is injured by a small troup of German soldiers and stranded on the mountain. Chico decides he wants to help, but the dangers are great. It wouldn't be fair to spoil the details of the adventure that follows, but I'll just say that the whole story is a wonderful one for children in many ways. American children tend to study very little of Italy during World War II. The historical details are fascinating here and especially appropriate as seen through the eyes of a child who has experienced war first hand. The simple details of the struggles of family life in Italy and the companionship they find with the homesick American soldiers are very nice. The simple, honest virtues of courage and friendship are embodied by the characters in the story. Finally, some of the Christmas and other traditions of Catholic Italy are woven into the story as well.

The story is suitable for a family read-aloud and could be read independently by early to mid-gradeschoolers. Sure to become a family favorite. Along with Twenty and Ten and The Winged Watchman, this would make an excellent first-glimpse at World War II - one of the most significant and influential events of our recent history.

A wonderful intelligent, faith-filled story of courage and hope in the midst of great hardships The story centers around a Catholic family in Holland during the Nazi occupation. There is plenty of excitement as the boys discover and give aid to a downed English pilot and deliver messages for the "underground." Their family "grows" as they take in fugitives and war orphans which brings both hardship and joy. Hilda Van Stockum writes an excellent tale, making the reader sympathize with the character and understand the time period without making it either depressing or too "happily ever after." The story contains much wisdom about life, faith, family and love. This is probably our very favorite title from Bethlehem Books.

Note: If having your children "believe in Santa Claus" is important to you, there is a chapter which should be approached with caution.

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Whenever I hear the phrase "based on a true story", I want to know what the true story was. The World of the Trapp Family will provide just that for anyone interested in the real family behind The Sound of Music. The movie is just factual enough that Sound of Music fans will surely enjoy the flesh and blood behind the story. However, the real family is so much more vivid and fascinating than the movie that this book will probably be enjoyed even by those who didn't care for the movie (or grew tired of seeing it too many times.)

This in-depth history of the Trapp family (shortened from "von Trapp" when they became American citizens) begins with young Captain Georg von Trapp - a highly-decorated hero of the Austrian Navy during World War I. He and his wife Agathe (whose grandfather invented the torpedo) had just started a family a few years before the war broke out in 1914. The happy couple had seven children - Rupert, Agathe, Maria, Werner, Hedwig, Johanna and Martina - before Agathe's untimely death of scarlet fever in 1922.

Maria Kutschera was a twenty-two year old postulant at Nonnberg Abbey when her Mother Superior assigned her to become a teacher for one of the von Trapp children who was too sickly to attend school. The Captain and Maria were married within the year and Maria gave birth to three more children: Rosmarie, Eleanore and Johannes. Although there was a certain amount of musical talent in the family to begin with, Maria introduced to the family to a great variety of beautiful music (sacred music, traditional folk songs, etc.). Music became a big part of their lives and something that knit the family together very tightly.

After the family fortune was lost (1932) in events leading up to World War II, the family took boarders into their home in order to simply be able to keep their home. Because of these events, they became acquainted with a young priest, Fr. Franz Wasner in 1935. Fr. Wasner was a canon lawyer and musician who became interested in the family's musical talent and eventually became their musical mentor, conductor and composer who emigrated with them to America during the difficulties of World War II. He introduced them to an even greater variety of great vocal music and individual family members became skilled with the recorder and other instruments as well. Reluctantly, they began to accept invitations to sing before audiences and eventually came to realize that this was part of God's plan for them.

After the Nazi's took over Austria in 1938, the family had to turn down three separate propositions from the enemy: Captain von Trapp was offered the command of a German submarine, the eldest son - who was just barely out of medical school - was offered the post as head of one of the great Vienna hospitals, and the family choir was invited to sing for Hitler's birthday celebration. Each of these offered possibilities of fame and fortune, but the family felt that these would also compromise their basic obligations to God and country. Leaving behind their large estate and nearly all of their belongings, they traveled to America where they were invited to give an extensive concert tour.

The story continues to follow the von Trapp family as they make their way through the War years (with two sons fighting for the U.S.), become American citizens, tour as a choir for twenty years, establish themselves and a farm on a lovely site in Vermont and many other events all the way up to recent photos of the six children who are still alive today.

The book is brimming with hundreds of glossy photos (black and white of older family photos, color of beautiful scenes from Austria and America and more recent pictures) that are a real feast for the eyes. Their lives were so intertwined with significant parts of history, music and culture that this book - along with Maria Trapp's autobiography - could make an interesting supplement to a study of the 20th century. The beauty of the Catholic culture lived fully by the Trapp family through music, traditions, celebrations of Catholic faith and other aspects of their lives will make this especially enjoyed by Catholic families of today.