Snow Treasure facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Marie McSwigan |
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| Illustrator | Mary |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | 5 |
| Genre | Children's literature, historical fiction |
| Publisher | E. P. Dutton |
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Publication date
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1942 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 156 |
| ISBN | 0-590-42537-4 |
Snow Treasure is an exciting children's novel written by Marie McSwigan. It tells a thrilling story set in Norway during World War II, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany. The book is about brave Norwegian children who use their sleds to secretly move their country's gold past German soldiers. They take the gold to a ship called the Cleng Peerson, which is waiting to carry it to safety.
This book was first published in 1942. It has been popular ever since. In 1968, Snow Treasure was even made into a movie!
Contents
The Story of Snow Treasure
The story begins in Norway in 1940. Four friends, Peter, Michael, Helga, and Lovisa, are playing on their sleds after school. Later that night, Peter wakes up and hears men talking downstairs. He listens in and discovers that his father and uncle are part of a group. These men need to hide a lot of gold from the Nazis. The Nazis have not yet invaded Norway, but they are expected to soon.
A Secret Plan for the Gold
Peter's Uncle Victor sees him listening. He then tells the other men that the children might be the key to their problem. The next day, the townspeople start building bomb shelters. The day after that, the Nazis invade Norway.
Uncle Victor explains the secret plan to Peter, Michael, Helga, and Lovisa. All the children in their school who are older than ten will help. They will carry the gold on their sleds, right past the German guards. They will leave the gold by Uncle Victor's ship. This ship will then take the gold to America for safekeeping.
Keeping the Secret Safe
The plan works well for two weeks. But then, the Nazi commander in their town decides to reopen the school. This would stop the children from sledding. To prevent this, the town's doctor comes up with a clever idea. He creates a fake sickness that only affects the younger children. He paints red dots all over them.
The doctor then tells the German commander that school cannot start with this "epidemic" going around. He also says that healthy children should stay outside. So, the school remains closed. The children can keep sledding and moving the gold.
A Surprising Discovery
Later in the story, a Nazi soldier discovers the children. Uncle Victor and Rolls, his sailing friend, capture the soldier. The prisoner says he is not a Nazi, even though he is wearing a Nazi uniform. He tells them his name is Jan Lasek. He explains that he is a young man from Poland. The Nazis captured him when they invaded Poland and forced him to join their army.
Jan asks Uncle Victor to take him to the United States. He says he has family there. Uncle Victor agrees, but with a condition. Jan must stay a prisoner until the ship leaves. This is just in case he is tricking them.
The Gold Reaches Safety
At the very end of the story, all the gold is safely on the ship. It is on its way to America. Peter and Jan Lasek, the young man from Poland, also get on the ship. They are heading to America too.
Is Snow Treasure a True Story?
The characters and some events in Snow Treasure are made up. However, the story might be based on some real events. On June 28, 1940, a ship called the Bomma arrived in Baltimore, USA. It carried gold worth about $9,000,000! The ship's captain said that Norwegian children had helped smuggle the gold past the Germans using their sleds.
What the Author Said
Because of this, the book is often called "based on a true story." Marie McSwigan, the author, wrote a note saying she tried to be very accurate. She wanted to show how the children carried the gold on sleds. But she also admitted that some details were changed for the story.
McSwigan was a journalist. In 1960, she wrote about how newspaper stories often inspired her books. She wondered about the brave Norwegians who saved their gold. She imagined how children might have sledded it past the occupation forces, just like in Snow Treasure.
In the book's foreword, McSwigan also stated that the story was based on a real event. She mentioned the Bomma arriving in Baltimore with its gold cargo. She explained two changes she made:
- The Bomma became the Cleng Peerson.
- The distance the gold was sledded was changed from 35 miles to 12 miles.
Otherwise, she tried to show how the children avoided the German forces based on the brief facts available.
Newspaper Reports from the Time
Newspaper articles from The Baltimore Sun in 1940 described the Bomma. It was a "little gray Norwegian coasting motorship." It was part of a secret shipment of $9,000,000 in gold. The ship arrived quietly. There was no name on its sides, adding to the mystery.
When the Bomma docked, three trucks arrived. They were heavily guarded. Guards watched closely as the trucks were filled with cases. These cases were said to hold foreign gold. The trucks then drove through empty city streets at midnight. Police cars and motorcycles went with them. They were going to Camden Station. A train was waiting there to take the valuable shipment.
An Australian newspaper, The Cairns Post, reported something similar in 1941. It said that £15,000,000 in gold was smuggled from Oslo to Åndalsnes. This was about 300 miles north. British warships were waiting there. The gold was packed in 1500 crates and needed 30 trucks.
The report said the trucks hid during the day. They traveled at night. People who supported Norway went ahead to warn others. This was to stop attacks by people who sided with the Nazis, known as Quislings. The trucks then slipped through Nazi lines one by one. They reached Åndalsnes. Some gold was put on a British destroyer. The rest was taken across the fjord to Molde.
That night, Norwegian patriots, including men, women, and children, gathered. They learned what was in the cases. Every boat still floating in Molde was used. Small fjord boats, fishing boats, yachts, motorboats, and even rowboats carried the gold. They all set off that night. They crept north along the coast until daylight.
What Experts Say Today
In 2001, O.C. Holm, an expert on Norwegian shipping during World War II, said, "Many think the story is true. It is not." While the Bomma did carry about 40,000,000 kroner worth of Norway's gold to Baltimore, the story itself is fiction. Siri Holm Lawson agrees. She states that the book might be based on this event, or other Norwegian ships carrying gold to the U.S. But the story in the book is made up.
The Movie Version
Snow Treasure was made into a film in 1968. Irving Jacoby produced, directed, and helped write the movie. He worked with Marie McSwigan, the book's author. The movie starred Paul Austad as Peter Lundstrom. Tina Austad played Peter's sister. Other actors included James Franciscus and Ilona Rodgers.
