The true story of the Edelweiss Pirates, working-class teenagers who fought the Nazis by whatever means they could.

Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean were classic outsiders: their clothes were different, their music was rebellious, and they weren't afraid to fight. But they were also Germans living under Hitler, and any nonconformity could get them arrested or worse. As children in 1933, they saw their world change. Their earliest memories were of the Nazi rise to power and of their parents fighting Brownshirts in the streets, being sent to prison, or just disappearing.

As Hitler's grip tightened, these three found themselves trapped in a nation whose government contradicted everything they believed in. And by the time they were teenagers, the Nazis expected them to be part of the war machine. Fritz, Gertrud, and Jean and hundreds like them said no. They grew bolder, painting anti-Nazi graffiti, distributing anti-war leaflets, and helping those persecuted by the Nazis. Their actions were always dangerous. The Gestapo pursued and arrested hundreds of Edelweiss Pirates. In World War II's desperate final year, some Pirates joined in sabotage and armed resistance, risking the Third Reich's ultimate punishment. This is their story.

Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers
Published: 01/07/2020
ISBN: 9780525555414
Pages: 320
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.20d

Review Citations: Kirkus Reviews 10/15/2019 pg. 113
Publishers Weekly 11/11/2019
Booklist 11/15/2019 pg. 40
Voice of Youth Advocates 12/01/2019 - Reviewed - More Editing Needed
School Library Journal 01/01/2020 pg. 98
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2020 pg. 102

Accelerated Reader Quiz #/Name: 507237 / Flowers in the Gutter: The True Story of the Edelweiss Pirates, Teenagers Who Resisted the Nazis
Reading Level: 6.8 / Interest Level: Upper Grade / Point Value: 11