Bruno and Frida {Review}

 

Sometimes friendship flourishes under the most unusual and tragic circumstances.  This is exactly what happens in the story of Bruno and Frida.  Caught in war torn Germany during World War II, Bruno befriends Frida, a Russian bomber-dog.  Together they set out on a journey to escape the country and in the process, save each other.

This was a nicely written piece of historical fiction, presented at a lower reading level with a higher interest level.  Bruno and Frida takes a honest look at the horrors of World War II, sometimes outside the realms of an age appropriate manner (the mother was brutally killed early on).  Despite some of the more graphic scenes, I quite enjoyed this book until we hit the final chapter.  The author attempts to correlate Nazi Germany with some refugee situations today.  There's also mention of survivor guilt and how to "pay back" as way of restoration.  It was all a bit heavy handed and felt contrived in today's world.  The title would have received a more resounding approval had it stuck to the subject at hand.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.