Village of Scoundrels
Based on the true story of villagers who saved thousands of Jews during World War II, Village of Scoundrels traces the fortunes and misfortunes of several teenagers in Les Lauzes, France, in 1943.
Tucked away in a corner of Vichy France near the Swiss border, Les Lauzes is a haven for Jewish teens living under false identities and non-Jewish youth working for the French resistance. But when a policeman comes to town and grows suspicious, the Gestapo arrive, and the friends must scramble to protect themselves and each other.
While the novel illuminates a fascinating and little-known facet of an extensively studied and novelized war, Village of Scoundrels is less powerful than it could have been. This is due primarily to Newbery Honor winner Preus’s decision to include multiple point-of-view characters. The tactic might have worked with two or three, but a middle-grade novel is simply too short to accommodate the half dozen or so Preus includes. She can’t spend enough time with any one character for the reader to develop more than a superficial attachment.
Additionally, because the characters all manage to catch amazingly lucky breaks, the stakes never feel as high as they would have been in that time and place. The characters and events of the book are based on the actual villagers, and in this regard, Preus’s careful and extensive research must be applauded, but in a plot line, the repeated narrow escapes feel too convenient.
Where the book shines is in its extensive end material, which includes photographs and biographies of the individuals who inspired each character, including their lucky breaks.
Overall, Preus has crafted a unique, soundly researched novel, whose shortcomings will most likely be overlooked by its target audience.
