Winter in Wartime (in Dutch Oorlogswinter) is a Dutch classic for a good reason. It follows a 15-year-old boy, living under German occupation, and the complicated and dangerous world he must navigate. 

It is the waning months of World War II and teenager Michiel is no longer able to go to school as a result of the continued fighting. His father is the mayor of the fictitious town of De Vlank and Michiel spends his time running errands, raising rabbits and offering his help on local farms to earn money.

The author, Jan Terlouw, was eight when the Netherlands was liberated and used some of his personal experiences during the conflict for inspiration in the book. In a 2014 interview with Trouw, he said that his main aim in writing the book was to show that the complexities of the war.

“I am certainly glad that our view of World War II has become a little less black and white. We thought right after the war that we had all been heroes, but when you see what actually happened…,” Terlouw said.

The book is geared towards young adults. The narrator, despite facing very adult problems, is a teenager with a teenager perception and understanding of how the world works.

Given the viewpoint, it is no surprise Winter in Wartime won Terlouw the Gouden Griffel, the top prize for Dutch children’s literature, when it was published in 1972. The book is frequently taught in Dutch schools and has been read by an estimated million children in the Netherlands.

Three years after its publication, it was adapted into a miniseries for what is now NPO1. In 2008 it was made into a movie, which was shortlisted for the Academy Awards foreign language prize and was chosen by critics as the best movie in the Netherlands that year. It has also been made into a musical.

Terlouw’s personal view on war is summed up in a scene at the end of the book, when Michiel tells his neighbour: “We’ll never fight in a war, only against a war.”

You can get your copy at the American Book Center.