The Silver Sword is part of children’s classic literature. First published in 1956, it has never been out of print. The book is set in Warsaw in Poland during World War Two. It tells the story of the Balicki family, father Joe, headmaster of a primary school , his Swiss wife Margrit, and their three children, Ruth who is nearly 13 at the start of the story, Edek her brother aged 11, and baby sister Brona who is 3 years old.
Based on fact the story describes the way in which during times of war families can be broken up and homes destroyed. We follow the struggle of the Balicki children as they search for their parents across war torn Europe, helped in their struggle to survive by an orphan boy called Jan and a mysterious silver sword.
The Silver Sword is a story of endurance, family love, and the importance of hope. It is these qualities which give the book its lasting importance in the canon of children’s literature.
The Bookworms had strong views about the book and the issues it raised. There was lively and involved discussion about the trials that children have to endure during times of conflict. We talked about the things that helped the children in the story to survive, – their love for each other, the goodness of Ruth, and the survival skills of Edek as they struggled to care for each other and protect their baby sister. We had strong views about the effect war had on the character of Jan, and how the kindness shown to him by Ruth showed him that good will always triumph over evil.
Gemma; I liked Jan; he was clever and funny as well. I really liked the ending, it was very fulfilling…………Marks out of 10 … 9
Rionach: It was really good and interesting, I liked Ruth, and she was a great big sister so good and right. ……………. 9
Kate; Ruth was so kind, I thought it was very good, I liked the fact they always had hope that they would find their parents…………9
Hannah; I didn’t like the bit about the Father at the start, the fact that the story was about him and then it changed and we didn’t hear about him again until the end……………8
Amy; I liked it a lot, it was really interesting. Ruth was great, especially the way she helped all the lost children………..9
Edward; I really liked Edek; he was the scavenger who managed to get food and other things for the other. The bit about Joseph hiding in the chimney was very funny………….10
Sophie: I liked Jan a lot, he was bold, but I felt very sorry for him ,he had nobody to look after him, that was why he liked Ruth so much, she was kind and nice to him.
