Historical WWII Novels for Kids: Time for Courage by Rob Currie

Historical WWII Novels for Kids

What if your country was occupied by enemy soldiers, your freedom was stripped away, and the only way to fight back was in secret?

What if the only people standing between innocent children and death in the gas chambers, were ordinary families with no weapons, no power, and no guarantee of survival?

What if doing the right thing meant breaking the law—and getting caught meant death?

Welcome to The Sword and Story Podcast—where we help Christian families find exciting, faith-filled books for their boys.

Our mission is to raise strong, courageous warriors for the Kingdom of God. Join us on a quest to discover stories that inspire our boys to grow into godly young men.

I’m your host, Laurie Christine. I’m an author, bible teacher, wife, and mom to four wild, wonderful, boys. I’m the author of the Dragon Slayer Bible Series, adventure-packed biblical fiction and devotions for middle-grade boys. 

Our guest author today is Rob Currie.

Rob Currie is a professor of psychology at Judson University, and he writes WWII novels for middle grade readers. Rob is passionate about writing stories that will grab the reader’s attention and inspire them to follow Christ.

Time for Courage

Historical WWII Novels for Kids

During WWII, when the Nazis hunt Jewish children, the kids’ only hope is help from the Dutch Resistance. But these brave volunteers are outgunned, outmanned, and all they have is each other.

In Time for Courage, Thirteen -year-old Dirk and his family move to a farm near Utrecht, Netherlands, in January of 1945. When the Nazis focus on capturing Jewish children to send to gas chambers, Dirk’s family intervenes. Their methods include providing ration cards and finding families to hide Jewish children and teens.

With edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, the reader follows Dirk and his family as they work with the Dutch Resistance to protect the children and battle the zeal and determination of the Gestapo to find the children and send them to their deaths.

More WWII Novels by Rob Currie

TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW 

Time for Courage by Rob Currie

Laurie Christine:
Our guest author today is Rob Currie. Rob, welcome to the Sword and Story podcast.

Robert B. Currie:
Good morning. I’m looking forward to chatting with you and your audience.

Laurie Christine:
Thank you so much for joining us today. I’m excited to talk about your book, Time for Courage. When I saw the title, I knew I wanted to have you on the show because we talk all the time about raising boys to be courageous followers of Jesus. I’m excited to hear how your book will challenge our boys to be courageous.

Before we dive in and talk about the book, would you introduce yourself briefly to our listeners? Tell them a little bit about your background and your family.

Robert B. Currie:
I’m happily married. Our anniversary is actually Valentine’s Day, and we’re coming up on 39 years. My wife is amazing. We have two grown sons and six grandkids. We had a lot of adventures raising our boys—some ups and downs and plenty of funny moments, as happens when you raise boys. Now I’m getting to repeat some of those experiences with my grandsons.

I’ve been teaching at Judson University for almost 39 years, and I really backed into writing stories for kids. That was a God thing. I didn’t set out to do that, but He put several pieces in place that led me there.

Laurie Christine:
That is great. I love that you raised boys and now get to watch the next generation growing up. I know you have some fun stories and even wrote a short blog post about raising boys. Would you share that with us?

Robert B. Currie:
Sure. We had our two boys, and our yard became the neighborhood hangout spot. We weren’t just spending eight or twelve hours a day with our two sons—we had six or seven boys running around the backyard playing kickball, tag, and all kinds of made-up games.

I wrote something years ago called “What Is a Boy?” and I’d love to share it.

A boy thinks it’s more important to know if an activity is fun than if it’s safe. He enjoys almost anything if it’s funny or fast. You wonder where boys get all their energy. You suspect they’re the reason God created guardian angels, and you pray you have the wisdom to guide your son to manhood.

Look in his pockets and you’ll discover surprises. Look in his eyes and you’ll see a twinkle. Look in his heart and you’ll find the hope that you’ll understand him and the fear that you won’t.

He’ll drive you crazy with his choices and melt your heart with his smile. He’ll scare you, thrill you, and charm you all in the same day. He’ll turn your world upside down and your heart inside out, and you can’t imagine your life without him.

He’s your son.

Laurie Christine:
Wow. That’s so beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. It makes me a little teary-eyed.

Robert B. Currie:
I wrote that a long time ago, and I still get misty every time I read it.

Laurie Christine:
I can relate to so many of those things, especially the “fun versus safe” part. I also love that your home was a gathering place for neighborhood kids. We’re fortunate to have that in our neighborhood too. Our boys are always running around with the neighbor kids, and sometimes it feels like a little slice of the 1950s. They disappear for hours, and I have to call around to figure out which house they ended up at. It’s a wonderful community for them to grow up in.

I’m really excited to talk about your books. I’ve interviewed a lot of fantasy and sci-fi authors on the show, but I don’t think we’ve had any historical fiction authors yet. You’ve written two World War II novels set in the Netherlands. What inspired you to write them?

Robert B. Currie:
I love that question because it lets me tell a God story.

My dad was a World War II veteran, so I grew up reading books about the war. I’ve always believed heroes shine brightest in the darkest times. Hard times reveal what’s inside us. Sometimes we falter, and sometimes we rise up and do great things—which is what we want our boys to do.

My wife is of Dutch heritage. One day our younger son came home from school and showed us a three-page story he had written during study hall. It was set during World War II in the Netherlands and tied together several family interests—my dad’s military background, my love of history, and my wife’s Dutch heritage.

I said, “Why don’t we write a book together? I’ll write chapter one, you write chapter two. When we’re done, we’ll print two copies and that will be the end of it.”

He thought it sounded great. I wrote the first chapter, and three weeks later I handed it to him. He had lost interest. He wanted to be a teenager.

But I got hooked on the idea.

There were so many things that had to happen for this to come together. What are the odds he would write a story in study hall instead of doing homework or goofing around? What are the odds he’d come home and tell us about it? What if I had suggested writing together and he had said no?

At any point, the whole thing could have died. I’m grateful to God for His hand in it. Even during the writing process, there were many moments where God clearly put things together.

Laurie Christine:
That’s so fun. Had you done much writing before that? Were you interested in becoming an author?

Robert B. Currie:
I had published two other books and written a piece for Focus on the Family magazine, but I had never thought about writing fiction, World War II stories, or books for kids.

Another God thing was that our older son was a reluctant reader. I read to him constantly, and together we went through book after book of historical fiction. Without realizing it, God was training me for decades to understand what good historical fiction sounds like.

Laurie Christine:
That’s amazing to see how God prepared you all along for the work He wanted you to do.

I can relate to your wife’s Dutch heritage. My family also has Dutch roots. My maiden name was Van Ormer, and my grandfather spent years researching our genealogy, trying to trace our family back to Holland. We never found the exact connection, but we believe we’re Dutch.

What was your wife’s maiden name?

Robert B. Currie:
Ingles, which is also the last name of the family in the story. I named several characters after members of her family as a way to honor them.

Laurie Christine:
That’s wonderful. Have you ever been to the Netherlands?

Robert B. Currie:
We’ve been there twice while doing research for the books. It was a wonderful experience.

Laurie Christine:
I’m sure that helped immerse you in the culture and history.

Let’s talk about Time for Courage. It was published by Tyndale and takes place in the Netherlands during World War II in 1945. Can you give us an overview of the story?

Robert B. Currie:
Late in the war, the Nazis intensified their search for Jews, especially Jewish children. They reasoned that if those children survived, they would grow up angry about the murder of their parents and seek revenge. So they decided to kill them too.

The Nazis spent enormous amounts of time, effort, and money chasing innocent children instead of focusing on fighting the war. When people become consumed by sin, they make terrible choices. Aside from being horrifically evil, it was also foolish.

Time for Courage tells the story of courageous members of the Dutch Resistance who risked everything to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis.

Laurie Christine:
The Dutch Resistance includes well-known figures like Corrie ten Boom, and Anne Frank was also living in the Netherlands during that time. Tell us a little about the Dutch Resistance and its role in the war.

Robert B. Currie:
Corrie ten Boom is one of my heroes. I highly recommend The Hiding Place and Return to the Hiding Place. I’m also incredibly honored that the Corrie ten Boom Museum endorsed both of my books and sells them in their bookstore.

Every occupied country experienced World War II differently. In the Netherlands, there were some people who sympathized with the Germans. Some had German roots, and early in the war many people didn’t fully understand Hitler’s true intentions.

Initially, Hitler instructed his soldiers to behave politely toward the Dutch people. Some Dutch citizens thought, “Maybe this won’t be so bad.” But eventually, as the Dutch say, “the monkey came out of the sleeve.” Hitler’s true intentions became obvious.

Late in the war, Dutch railway workers went on strike to stop the Germans from transporting troops. Hitler retaliated by cutting off food shipments. The Dutch people began starving. To this day, they refer to that final winter as the Hunger Winter. By the end, people were surviving on about 300 calories a day.

The Nazis were tightening their grip on both the Jewish population and the Dutch people in general. Things became desperate very quickly.

Laurie Christine:
That’s the backdrop for your story. Your main characters are fictional, but many of the events are historical. Is that correct?

Robert B. Currie:
Yes. Most of the actions in the story were inspired by things real people actually did, although the characters themselves are fictional.

Laurie Christine:
Tell us about the main characters.

Robert B. Currie:
Young readers will connect with the children in the story. Anna is six years old. Dirk is thirteen, and the oldest sibling, Elle, is seventeen.

When the Nazis begin targeting Jewish children for concentration camps, the children’s only hope is the Dutch Resistance. These volunteers are outnumbered and outgunned, and all they have is each other.

Laurie Christine:
This seems like a fantastic resource for homeschool families. What recommendations would you give for using your books as part of a homeschool curriculum or for diving deeper into the historical background?

Robert B. Currie:
One thing I highly recommend is watching The Hiding Place. It’s an excellent movie and gives a strong sense of the culture and atmosphere of the Dutch Resistance.

Another thing I encourage families to do is something I call “reader theater.” Think of it as reading parts in a play. Parents and children divide up the dialogue and read it aloud with emotion and energy.

If I’m playing a Gestapo interrogator, I don’t just read the line flatly. I lean into the role: “Where are you hiding the Jews?”

Then the child responds passionately as the resistance fighter. It makes the story come alive.

You can do the same thing with Bible stories. Imagine reading David and Goliath this way. Kids love it.

At homeschool conventions, I also provide a 26-page study and activity guide packed with fun activities. There’s reader theater, a board game, lessons on writing haiku, and more. I wanted it to be engaging rather than feeling like busywork.

Laurie Christine:
That sounds like a fantastic resource. I also love that you included discussion questions in the back of the book.

One thing I always ask authors on this show is this: How will your book help boys become strong, courageous warriors for the kingdom of God?

Robert B. Currie:
Young people are often told they are the church of tomorrow. That’s true, but it’s incomplete. They are also the church of today.

During World War II, young people played a major role in the resistance. Adults were often in hiding because they risked being captured and sent to forced labor camps. That meant kids had to step up.

Today, young people can reach other young people in ways adults can’t. A child might invite a neighbor to church when no adult ever could. That invitation might lead someone to Christ.

I want kids to understand that they can make a real difference right now.

Laurie Christine:
That’s such an important message. Your young characters are the ones making courageous choices and moving the story forward. They aren’t simply watching adults be brave.

Most of our readers will hopefully never have to risk their lives the way your characters did, but the principle remains the same: God can use them right now. They don’t have to wait until they’re older.

I’m going to read the back cover description for Time for Courage.

World War II. When the Nazis hunt Jewish children, the kids’ only hope is help from the Dutch Resistance. But these brave volunteers are outgunned, outmanned, and all they have is each other.

In Time for Courage, thirteen-year-old Dirk and his family move to a farm near Utrecht, Netherlands, in January 1945. When the Nazis focus on capturing Jewish children to send to gas chambers, Dirk’s family intervenes. Their methods include providing ration cards and finding families willing to hide Jewish children and teens.

With edge-of-your-seat action and suspense, readers follow Dirk and his family as they work with the Dutch Resistance to protect children and battle the determination of the Gestapo to find them and send them to their deaths.

That sounds incredibly compelling.

But Time for Courage is actually a sequel to your first novel, Hunger Winter. Can you tell us a little about that book and how it connects to this one?

Robert B. Currie:
Certainly.

A neighbor pounds on Dirk’s front door with a warning: “The Gestapo just ambushed your older sister to get to your father. You have to run. They’re coming for you next.”

Dirk flees into the freezing winter night. If the Gestapo can’t find his father, what chance does a thirteen-year-old boy have?

One thing about my writing is that I don’t ease into the story slowly. Many writing formulas suggest introducing the characters first and then gradually building tension. I don’t do that.

From page one, Dirk is in mortal danger, and the pace rarely slows down. It’s not a lazy river—it’s white-water rapids with only brief pauses for the reader to catch a breath.

That style seems to connect really well with kids.

I’m also thankful that both books were endorsed by the Corrie ten Boom Foundation, and Time for Courage received recommendations from eight award-winning authors and three Holocaust museums.

Laurie Christine:
That’s wonderful.

Hunger Winter takes place just a few months before Time for Courage. Would you recommend reading them in order?

Robert B. Currie:
Reading them in order is slightly better, but readers can definitely enjoy them independently as well.

Laurie Christine:
I actually started Time for Courage before realizing it was a sequel, and I still felt completely drawn into the story.

Rob, where can listeners learn more about you and your books?

Robert B. Currie:
The books are available pretty much everywhere books are sold. My website is robcurrieauthor.com. Currie is spelled C-U-R-R-I-E.

Laurie Christine:
Thank you so much for joining us today. It was a pleasure hearing about your books and learning more about the history of the Dutch Resistance.

Robert B. Currie:
Thank you.