In Dusseldorf, Germany, young Paul Ritter has an important decision to make. His best friend, his teachers, and the neighbor boy all want him to join the city’s Hitler Youth group. Paul doesn’t want to. It’s 1938, and for the past few years, fifteen-year-old Paul and his parents have felt unsettled about Hitler and his political party.

Paul doesn’t want any part in a world where neighbors inform on neighbors, and teachers encourage children to inform on their parents. But he can’t avoid deciding much longer. He struggles to understand how Hitler can call the Jews less than human. After all, his family has had Jewish friends his entire life.

After Paul’s parents counsel him to join the Hitler Youth, but not pay any attention to the hate speeches, Paul reluctantly joins. His first outing involves supervising Jews—including his friend Analia—as they scrub the streets of Dusseldorf with small brushes. Paul immediately regrets his decision to join up—but he sees no way to quitting.

When he discovers a small band of resistance fighters, Paul wholeheartedly joins the Edelweiss Pirates and starts his double life as an obedient member of the Hitler Youth by day, and a defiant Edelweiss Pirate by night.

Will Paul survive the dangers he encounters, and does he have the courage to stand up for what he knows is right in a world gone mad?

What I Loved About This Book

Although the protagonist is 15, I would share this book with my younger students. The author hints at the violence against Jews and non-compliant Germans rather than describing it in detail. I love reading books that bring out facets of history I never knew about, and this book does just that. The history of WWII often leaves us wondering why no one stood up to Hitler—Under the Iron Bridge answers the question. People did stand up, although it was often too little, too late. Another cautionary tale from Second Story Press on political bullies and what happens when no one calls them out.

I am living for the historical fiction YA recently. This book was so interesting and I loved the perspective. It was extremely well-written and fascinating.

I think it is so important to teach our children that during WWII there were a lot of people who resisted, who fought back, who saw what was happening and chose to risk their lives to try to stop it. This book is a great look at an average German boy who knew what was happening was wrong and took the opportunity to do something about it. This story was a great introduction to the Edelweiss Pirates - an alternate youth group that resisted the Nazi regime.

Paul Ritter doesn't want to join the Hitler Youth, but feels it is safer for himself and his family if he plays along. But it doesn't sit right. A chance encounter at the local beach introduces him to the Edelweiss Pirates. Now he must make a choice - do something about the terrible things he sees happening around him or try to blend in and stay safe.

This book is perfect for a child who is interested in learning about WWII and the Holocaust, but isn't quite ready for more graphic information.

I found this book an excellent resource for young readers learning of the Holocaust. The usual perspective we read from is that of the allies, the jewish people themselves, or the resistance fighters, seldom do we come across a book from the German perspective. A German trying to be a good German, but not believing in the things that are occuring around him, how does Paul remain safe, keep his family safe and still hold onto his values, morals and sense of right and wrong?
This book introduces a resistance group I had never heard of The Edelweiss Pirates, which I found interesting,. German youth who did not want to follow Hitler but rebelled against him. I had no idea they existed so was a very interesting history lesson for me.
I found this book well researched and easy to read. Clear, concise wording, characters that stand for themselves, just an all around good story.
Thank you to Second Story Press and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Under the Iron Bridge in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is definitely more of a middle grade story than a YA one and while I'm normally fine with middle grade, there obviously has to be a huge divide between the narration and information presented in YA and MG stories centered around the holocaust and the simple language, logic, and stock characters here never won my attention. I think this could work well as a teaching tool, but there are so many other wonderful books out there telling similar stories and this one really didn't stand out.

I also with Analia (this book's biggest Jewish character) had either more of a personality or more plot agency. As is she didn't really fill a role beyond being a motivator for and later a reward for Paul and while I understand why not all holocaust books need to be from the perspective of Jewish leads, it felt weird that a book that opens with highlighting how Jewish people were systematically dehumanized forgot to make its biggest Jewish character feel human.

This book was REALLY interesting. I consider myself well-versed in WWII history, and so finding out about a secret group to defy Hitler in Nazi Germany that was previously unknown to me was wonderful! There is always the question of "What would I have done?" - and these people in the Edelweiss Pirates are true heroes. A wonderful, interesting read.

This will be a wonderful addition to our classroom's WW2 shelf! I love how it puts the reader into Paul's shoes as he wrestles with trying to do what's right while still protecting himself and his family. It's very easy, as we go through our history lessons, to point fingers and say what we would or wouldn't do, but this book clearly shows all of the grey areas and the danger zones. It also shows how Paul manages to retain his sense of right and wrong in a world that was very upside down. This is an excellent book for teaching perspective!