The first edition of the novel was published in 1956, and was written by ian serraillier. The novels main characters include three childrenruth, edek, and bronia balickiwho are left to live as best they can in the streets of warsaw when their father is sent to a prison camp and their mother is taken away to do forced labor in germany. Give one copy of the worksheet to each student or group of students. The main characters of this young adult, childrens story are ruth balacki, bronia balacki the silver sword. The silver sword, a little paperknife, is a symbol of hope to four children as they make their way across. Set in the world of ea, zindells plot driven sequel to the lightstone, which was notable for its lively characters, falls short of the first books promise, but delivers plenty of action. Edek gets very sick and ruth gets traumatised, and they both have to protect little bronia.
To order, revise, remember what has been read, summarize time. For all intents and purposes, it is a sword, with all that a sword symbolizes. Tell them to follow as soon as they can having lost their parents in the chaos of war, ruth, edek and bronia are left alone to fend for themselves and hide from the nazis amid the rubble and ruins of their city. The night the nazis come to take their mother away, three children escape in a terriffying scramble across the rooftops. Pdf escape from warsaw book by ian serraillier free. Jul 18, 2011 the imperial war museum is running an exhibition until october 2011 called once upon a wartime. The silver sword teaching resources powerpoint and. The silver sword is about 3 polish kids who with a few challenges and difficulties are trying to find their parents.
It is a very moving account of a family separated by war and how they find inner strength to survive their wartime lot, always holding on to the hope that someday they may find all or some of their family. The silver sword is a novel by ian serraillier, a childrens classic, first published in the uk in. I also like when edek used a rifle to shoot a soldier, those were my favourite parts int he silver sword. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. The father, joseph balicki, is a headmaster at a primary school on the outskirts of warsaw. The simple power of this point is helped by the fact that, although dark in subject matter, the silver sword remains a childrens book. Each time i read the silver sword i wonder if it will still effect me in the same way and sure enough, i get tears in my eyes when i reach the end. The silver sword is a ww2 childrens classic, written in 1956 by a british novelist named ian serraillier.
Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the silver sword. The silver sword is about 3 polish kids who with a few challenges and difficulties are trying to. I dont know how i am going to sum up such a beautiful and intense plot, youre going to have to read the book to know how truly amazing it is. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 218 pages and is available in paperback format. Get an answer for what is the summary of the silver sword and find homework help for other the silver sword questions at enotes. Set in britain in the last decade of the 3rd century, it is the story of justin and flavius, two cousins in the roman legions who find themselves in the intrigue and battle surrounding the struggles between carausius, a selfproclaimed emperor. Review of the book the silver sword by ian serraillier. Joseph finds it in the rubble of his home and gives it to jan on the condition that the boy promises to tell the balicki children if he sees them where joseph went.
The silver sword of the books title appears in these early chapters. Serraillier was best known for his childrens books, especially the silver sword novel 1956, a wartime adventure story which was adapted for television by the bbc in 1957 and again in 1971. They came from the past to retrieve something stol. The silver sword explores war through the eyes of three polish children. A polish family fears the nazis will separate them. The silver branch is a historical adventure novel for children written by rosemary sutcliff and published in 1957, with illustrations by charles keeping. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
A story of singular strength and excitement is this novel, based on a factual account, of the three balicki children in their fiveyear struggle, after the german siege of warsaw, to reestablish themselves as a family. I would have been 8 or 9 when i watched the silver sword on tv. Ian serriallier s the silver sword presents a narration of how the balicki family was separated by the second world war. Immediately download the the silver sword summary, chapterbychapter analysis, book notes, essays, quotes, character descriptions, lesson plans, and more everything you need for studying or teaching the silver sword. Chapter 5 joseph finds jan the next day who helps him catch a goods train to go to switzerland. They are books to be given as gifts, and passed down the generations. Having lost their parents in the chaos of war, ruth, edek and bronia are left alone to fend for themselves and hide from the nazis amid the rubble. The silver sword is a book written by ian serraillier that was published by jonathan cape in great britain. He gives the boy the sword and tells him to give this to his 3 children and come along with them. The silver sword project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Gadiantons and the silver sword by chris heimerdinger. The silver sword study guide contains a biography of ian serraillier, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
The fathers hazardous escape into switzerland from a concentration camp, the imprisonment of the oldest boy and his subsequent bout with consumption, the valorous attempt of. The silver sword is actually a letter opener, but that matters little to jan, or even to the plot of the novel. The silver sword realistically presents the problems of war as seen through the eyes of a polish family torn apart by world war ii. Joseph the father who escaped made his way to warsaw were he met a boy called jan and gave him a silver sword in hope that would help him lead his 3 children to switzerland, the place were joseph was going. I searched for it on line for years hoping that it might be available on a dvd but never did find it, then a few years ago i found that you can watch the final episode at the national media museum in bradford so on one of my trips home to the uk we drove to bradford to tour the museum.
The question and answer section for the silver sword is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel. The silver sword after reading activity order the events to the teacher aim. The story begins with the escape of polish headteacher joseph balicki from a nazi prison camp in the early 1940s, at the height of the second world war. Write joseph balickis journal entry as he waits to call ruth. If you meet ruth or edek or bronia, you must tell them im going to switzerland to find their mother. The silver sword chapters 16 summary and analysis gradesaver. Ruth edek and bronia are three children who lost their pedants when they were taken form the nazis. The book summary the silver sword the silver sword. In addition, story hungry children often dont want the adventure to end, so. I have read this book many, many times to my students and it was nice to hear someone else read it. Summary of the silver sword the silver sword is a story set in ww2. It had also been published in the us under the title escape from warsaw. The silver sword by ian serraillier opens with a description of the polish family at the heart of the story. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
The silver sword summary in wartorn poland, the balicki family lives under nazi occupation after the german invasion. The story is based upon fact, although fictional names are given to a few of the places mentioned. Thank you, sean, for bringing this book to life through your reading. She said that the nazis took his wife away, but his children were lost. What is the plot of chapter one in the silver sword by ian. Someone informs the nazis that joseph balicki, a schoolteacher, has turned adolf hitlers picture to the wall. In 1940, they are living in a warsaw suburb in poland during the nazi occupation of that country, where joseph is the headmaster in a primary school. Alone and fending for themselves in a poland devastated by world war two, jan and his three homeless friends cling to the silver sword as a symbol of hope. Chapter 1 summary the silver sword by ian serraillier opens with a description of the polish family at the heart of the story. The silver sword by ian serraillier penguin books australia. Chapter 4 joseph left the chalet and went to warsaw to find his family but there was no sign of them there. Free download or read online escape from warsaw pdf epub book. The next day he went by his old house and found his small silver sword and also a boy near the ruins of his house.
The silver sword by ian serraillier overdrive rakuten. From classic favourites to more recent titles, these books for children and teenagers take a variety of different approaches to representing the events of world war ii. The silver sword is the story of the balicki family, joseph and his swiss wife margrit and his daughter ruth, and bronia, 3, and son, edek, 11. The silver sword is a novel by ian serraillier, a childrens classic, first published in the uk in 1956 by jonathan cape and then by puffin books in 1960. Ian serraillier september 24, 1912 november 28, 1994, was a british novelist and poet. The silver sword by ian serraillier 9780099572855paperback. The classic tale of a journey through wartorn europe. These children embark on an amazing journey to hunt for their parents.
Bronia, edek, and ruth are torn apart from their parents when their mother. Ks2 english teaching resources the silver sword is a complete 17 lesson year 5 year 6 teaching unit with a 161 slide editable powerpoint presentation, 30 worksheets and a. This study guide consists of approximately 9 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the silver sword. War horse by michael morpurgo, carries war by nina bawden, the machine gunners by robert westall, the silver sword by ian serraillier, and little soldier by bernard ashley. Harry potter and the deathly hallows study guide chapters thirtytwothirtythree, page 3, and snape leaves, on his way to put the sword under ice and use his own patronus the silver doe to guide harry. Plot of story exposition the balicki family is introduced as war is declared for germany wants to overrun surrounding countries, and unfortunately for them they were polish which made them one of the german soldiers targets. The silver sword also known as escape from warsaw takes place in warsaw during world war ii. The silver sword kindle edition by serraillier, ian, serraillier, jane. The silver sword kindle edition by serraillier, ian.
Just last week i finished reading the second book in the tennis shoes among the nephites series called gadiantons and the silver sword by chris heimerdinger. The silver sword summary the silver sword realistically presents the problems of war as seen through the eyes of a polish family torn apart by world war ii. He is attending byu, and sadly his memories of his first adventure are now gone. The father, joseph balicki, is a headmaster at a primary school on the outskirts of.
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