By the time the prisoners leave, Patty has developed a very serious crush on Anton. He tells her his name is Frederick Anton Reiker and she learns that he speaks flawless English because his mother was English and his father had studied in London. Patty is there and offers to help one of the prisoners buy some pencils, paper and a pencil sharpener. One day the prisoners are brought into the store to buy straw hats to wear while working. The story begins with the arrival of a trainload of German POWs, who are taken to a barracks outside of town to work in the fields. She receives three severe beatings by him in the course of the novel. Patty is a lonely girl, who is constantly criticized by her mother and mistreated and physically abused by her father. Patty and her younger sister, Sharon, are cared for by Ruth, their black housekeeper. Her father owns a small department store there, and is helped out by her mother. It is the story of 12 year old Patty Bergen, a Jewish girl living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas. I think it is appropriate for age twelve and up (the child abuse is pretty severe).I had never read Summer of My German Soldier before now, though I did get an in depth description of it when my niece read it in middle school. This story provides a good example of prejudice in many forms, including anti-Semitism, the extreme anti-German sentiments of the time (everyone is assumed to be a Nazi regardless of their personal views), and racism. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Patty and her black maid, Ruth, the only person she could call a friend. I had heard of this book for a long time but had somehow missed reading it. When Reiker escapes, Patty helps him hide from the authorities, leading to all sorts of trouble for both of them. She finds him extremely polite and handsome and develops a crush on him. Patty assists him in obtaining merchandise.
One of the prisoners, Anton Reiker, speaks English and translates for the others. German POWs are brought into the store one day to buy hats. She lives with her distant mother, physically abusive father, and younger sister. Twelve-year-old Patty Bergen lives in the small town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, where a Prisoner of War camp has been built. Young adult coming of age story set during WWII.
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