The Boy Who Dared By Susan Baroletti

The Boy Who Dared, by Susan Bartoletti, is simply about a boy named Helmuth Hübener who dared to speak out against Hitler and the Nazi party. Helmuth was a German youth who has to find his way in an entirely different world. The novel is told in flashbacks as Helmuth looks back on his life from a Nazi prison. A few very distinctive traits stand out in Helmuth. Three examples were intelligence, bravery and leadership. Intelligence is a trait that Helmuth definitely possesses. Helmuth had to write a final paper titled “The War of the Plutocrats.” His essay was easily the best in his class, and his writing skills were far beyond those of an eighteen year old. His teacher said, “One paper stand out from the rest. It is written by a young man who has the gift of interpretation” (105). One day Helmuth and Rudi decided to form a detective agency as a game. They went to the police station to ask if they could help, and the chief took them up on their offer. Helmuth and Rudi then found out lots of information on their case. Helmuth also outsmarted the Nazis when he and his friends were caught. Helmuth directed all blame toward himself and said he did it all and they were just following his …show more content…
Helmuth was not convinced that that the German broadcasters were telling the truth about the war. Therefore, Helmuth decided to listen to a verboten British radio station, even though he knew he could be killed if he was caught. During the trial Helmuth was daring enough to yell at the judge. He said, “All I did was tell the truth, and you have sentenced me to die, just for telling the truth. My time is now but your time will come!” (163). Even up to the day he died in prison, Helmuth never regretted writing the pamphlets to let the German people know the truth. The only regret Helmuth had was how his mother, brothers, and grandparents would suffer from his death. Helmuth showed many examples of bravery throughout his