The Winter When Time Was Frozen

The book for which Els Pelgrom won her first Golden Slate Pencil

Reissued with cover illustration by Golden Paint Brush winner and Children’s Book Ambassador Martijn van der Linden

The winter of 1944 is the harshest winter in years. The war seems to be nearing its end, but there is heavy fighting around the city of Arnhem. Twelve-year-old Noortje and her father are evacuated to a farmhouse on the Veluwe. Life there is completely different from what she is used to – almost warm and cosy. But increasingly often, starving people from the cities come knocking at the door, and then the German army suddenly billets soldiers to the farm. This is very dangerous, because Noortje discovers that Jewish people are hiding in the woods near the farm…

Praise:

‘An excellent addition to the list of children’s books about World War II.’ – NRC

Els Pelgrom