Ensnared in the Wolf's Lair: Inside the 1944 Plot to Kill Hitler and the Ghost Children of His Revenge

This is an amazing book! Author Ann Bausum did some very deep research and then expertly spun those facts and details into a gripping, enthralling book for young readers. Like most people, I knew about the plot to kill Hitler, but until this book, I didn't know anything about what happened afterwards. The maps, photos and captions in this volume alone will stay with you long after you've read the last page, and they help to underscore the very real complexities of living in Germany at this terrifying time. Superbly written and highly recommended.

Published for young readers under the National Geographic Kids imprint, this short exposition of the Valkyrie July 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler at his "Wolf's Lair" retreat is really about the children of the plotters. Most of the soldiers and government officials involved in the assassination plot (and many of their innocent family members) were quickly murdered in retribution. Their youngest children were then swept up and held incommunicado in remote prisons and "resorts", never knowing if today was to be their last day of life.Their names were changed by Nazi officials so that all traces of their bloodline would be erased, all memory of their families exterminated. It is a heartbreaking story that attempts to explain that resistance to Hitler was ever-present and always dangerous. Even the slightest hint of dissent was usually punished by the Gestapo with death by torture in a concentration camp.My grandmother, of Polish origin, was trapped in Germany during the Nazi era and was twice interrogated and imprisoned by the Gestapo. She told me after the war that "no one can possibly know how dangerous it was to even voice the slightest criticism of the Nazi regime. It meant death, a horrible death." The brave German soldiers and officials who made this last-ditch effort to morally save Germany, and paid with it with their lives, should serve as an object lesson of how complex the Nazi era really was.Although this book is meant for kids, it is written in a mature, matter-of-fact manner that will also appeal to adults. Whenever I read about Germany under the Nazi regime, I think about my Grandmother and what she was forced to endure.Consider this: if ALL Germans were Nazis, what need was there for a Gestapo, an S.A. and an S.S.? The internal secret police and terror apparatus was vast, well-funded and ruthless, and they were watching every German for the slightest hint of dissent. This book tells the story of one famous act of defiance and the terrible price paid by a brave band of German patriots and their captive "Ghost Children".

This book is really interesting and provides in-depth information not only about the secret Valkyrie coup against Hitler but also the Ghost Children, something I had never heard of even in my college history course. It gives details on Hitler's rise to power as a young adult to his self-appointed dictatorship. The failed coup attempt lead to Hitler's demand for revenge and the imprisonment of the Ghost Children. It's fascinating to learn about something so horrendous that is still overlooked in our schools. I recommend this book to anyone interested in history or wanting to expand their knowledge base. I would say it's appropriate for teenagers through adult.

As someone who is fascinated by WWII and read a lot about it, I loved this book and learned a lot from it. This book discusses the 1944 Valkyrie plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler which is somewhat common knowledge. Where it gets really interesting is when it talks about the great lengths Hitler went to afterwards to punish anyone and everyone related to the plot. The book is a quick, interesting read and it also has very good black and white photographs from during the war. I am in my 30s and LOVED this book but it would definitely be appropriate for a teenager who is interested in WWII as well.

good story from history, that many doesn't know about , it show that always good in people and many doesn't agree with the main stream