Snow Treasure facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Snow Treasure

First edition
Author	Marie McSwigan
Illustrator	Mary
Country	United States
Language	English
Series	5
Genre	Children's literature, historical fiction
Publisher	E. P. Dutton
Publication date	1942
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	156
ISBN	0-590-42537-4

Snow Treasure is an exciting children's book written by Marie McSwigan. It tells a brave story set in Norway during World War II, when German forces controlled the country. The book is about a group of Norwegian children who use their sleds to secretly move their country's valuable gold past German guards. Their goal is to get the gold onto a waiting ship, the Cleng Peerson, to keep it safe. First published in 1942, this book has been enjoyed by readers for many years. In 1968, it was even made into a movie.

The Story of Snow Treasure

What Happens in the Book?

The story of Snow Treasure begins in Norway in 1940. Four friends, Peter, Michael, Helga, and Lovisa, are having fun sledding after school. Later that night, Peter wakes up and hears men talking downstairs. He listens secretly and learns that his father and uncle, Uncle Victor, need to move a lot of gold. They must do this before the German forces arrive in Norway. Uncle Victor realizes that the children might be the perfect solution to their problem.

A Clever Plan to Save the Gold

The very next day, the townspeople start building shelters to protect themselves. The day after, German forces invade Norway. Uncle Victor then shares his secret plan with Peter, Michael, Helga, and Lovisa. The idea is for all the children in their school, who are older than ten, to help. They will carry the gold on their sleds, pretending to play. They will leave the gold near Uncle Victor's ship, which will then take it to America for safekeeping.

This plan works well for two weeks. But then, the German commander in their town decides to reopen the school. This would stop the children from sledding and moving the gold.

Tricking the German Commander

To keep the plan going, the town's doctor comes up with a clever idea. He creates a pretend sickness that only affects the younger children. He paints them with red dots from head to toe! Then, he tells the German commander that school cannot start with this "epidemic" spreading. He also suggests that the healthy children should stay outside and play. Because of this trick, the school remains closed, and the older children can continue their important sledding mission.

A Surprise Encounter

Later in the story, a German soldier discovers the children's secret. Uncle Victor and his sailing friend, Rolls, capture the soldier. The prisoner says his name is Jan Lasek and that he is not truly a German soldier. He explains that he is a young man from Poland who was captured by German forces when they took over his country. He was then made to join the German army. Jan asks Uncle Victor to take him to the United States, where he has family. Uncle Victor agrees, but only if Jan stays a prisoner until the ship leaves. This is to make sure it's not a trick.

At the very end of the story, all the gold is safely on the ship, heading to America. Peter and Jan Lasek, the young man from Poland, also board the ship.

Is the Story Real?

Many people wonder if Snow Treasure is a true story. The book's characters and some events are made up, but the story was inspired by real happenings during World War II.

Inspired by True Events

Marie McSwigan, the author, said that she tried to be very accurate about how the children moved the gold on sleds. She also admitted that some details were changed for the book. She was a writer for newspapers and often found inspiration for her books in news reports. For example, she wondered about the brave Norwegians who saved their gold by having children sled it past the German forces.

One real event that inspired the book happened on June 28, 1940. A Norwegian ship named the Bomma arrived in Baltimore, America, carrying a huge amount of gold. News reports at the time said the ship's captain claimed Norwegian children had helped move the gold past the German forces. While the book changes the ship's name and the exact distance the gold was sledded, the core idea came from these real-life reports.

However, experts on World War II Norwegian shipping, like O.C. Holm, have said that while the Bomma did carry 40,000,000 kr worth of Norway's gold to Baltimore, the specific story of children sledding it past Germans is not entirely true. Siri Holm Lawson also confirms that the book is fiction, even if it was inspired by real events of Norwegian ships transporting gold. So, while the book feels very real, it's mostly a wonderful fictional adventure!

Snow Treasure on Screen

The exciting story of Snow Treasure was turned into a movie in 1968. Irving Jacoby produced, directed, and helped write the film, working with Marie McSwigan. The movie starred Paul Austad as Peter Lundstrom and Tina Austad as Peter's sister. Other actors included James Franciscus and Ilona Rodgers.

Learn More

• Flight of the Norwegian National Treasury
• Namsos Campaign
• Norwegian resistance movement