"You're a strong skater, Piet, and you have a quick mind. This is why
I know you'll succeed in this important task. I wouldn't ask you to do
this if I didn't know it could be done."
In 1941 Piet, a young Dutch boy from Sluis, gets the assignment of a
lifetime: He must skate along the frozen canals of the Netherlands and
across the Belgian border, in order to guide two neighborhood children
to their aunt's house in Brugge, where the children will remain for the
duration of World War II. Their father has been taken by German
soldiers, and the children are no longer safe in Sluis -- but the
journey with Piet, past soldiers and enemies, is fraught with danger.
Along the treacherous path to Belgium the three children skate using
every bit of speed, courage, and strength they can muster. All the time
they try to appear like innocent schoolchildren simply out for a skate,
for if the German soldiers discover their escape plan, the children will
be in grave trouble. During the journey Piet thinks about his hero, Pim
Mulier -- the first person to ever skate the Elfstedentocht, the famous
and prestigious Eleven Towns Race that takes place in his country. For
years Piet has dreamed of proving that he is a skater as brave and
strong as Pim Mulier -- but he had never imagined that his test would
fall under such dangerous circumstances.
Louise Borden's moving text captures all the tension, excitement, and
fear that comes with Piet's mission, while Niki Daly's evocative
illustrations bring the children and their perilous journey into vivid
focus.
