conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me a description for a story titled Shadow on the Mountain about Espen, Norwegians, War with the genre: Children's Books, Literature & Fiction.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Gr 6-9-This engrossing offering sheds light on the Norwegians' courage during World War II. the author masterfully weds a story of friendship with the complications faced by 14-year-old Espen and his friends as Nazi restrictions and atrocities become part of their everyday lives. Espen not only has to deal with the political turmoil, but also with discovering that his best friend has joined the German cause, which Espen is committed to work against. Even his young sister, Ingrid, joins the resistance when she gets a bit older. Norway's hazardous topography adds to the adventure as Espen must ski across dangerous mountain passes in order to carry out his secret missions. This is at once a spy thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a chronicle of escalating bravery. Multidimensional characters fill this gripping tale that keeps readers riveted to the end. An informative author's note explains that Espen was inspired by Erling Storrusten, who, as a teenager, helped in the resistance movement. A "Bonus for Code Breakers" and instructions for making invisible ink are appealing additions. the author aptly celebrates the determination of ordinary citizens in this story. Similar truths are told in Mal Peet's Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passions and Betrayal (Candlewick, 2008) and Kathy Kacer's Night Spies (Tandem, 2003).-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Swap the first and the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: No redistribution permitted. the author masterfully weds a story of friendship with the complications faced by 14-year-old Espen and his friends as Nazi restrictions and atrocities become part of their everyday lives. Espen not only has to deal with the political turmoil, but also with discovering that his best friend has joined the German cause, which Espen is committed to work against. Even his young sister, Ingrid, joins the resistance when she gets a bit older. Norway's hazardous topography adds to the adventure as Espen must ski across dangerous mountain passes in order to carry out his secret missions. This is at once a spy thriller, a coming-of-age story, and a chronicle of escalating bravery. Multidimensional characters fill this gripping tale that keeps readers riveted to the end. An informative author's note explains that Espen was inspired by Erling Storrusten, who, as a teenager, helped in the resistance movement. A "Bonus for Code Breakers" and instructions for making invisible ink are appealing additions. the author aptly celebrates the determination of ordinary citizens in this story. Similar truths are told in Mal Peet's Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passions and Betrayal (Candlewick, 2008) and Kathy Kacer's Night Spies (Tandem, 2003).-Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.Gr 6-9-This engrossing offering sheds light on the Norwegians' courage during World War II.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this story.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Shadow on the Mountain
  Some members of the government, including Vidkun Quisling, head of the Norwegian Nazi party, welcomed the Germans. Upon the invasion, Quisling quickly deposed the sitting government and declared himself prime minister.
  In May, the Allied forces withdrew from Norway, and in early June, King Haakon and other members of the government left Norway for England and the Norwegian military disbanded. Nazi Germany was now occupying the country and was fully in control.
  The occupying Germans had expected Norwegians to welcome them as their protectors against the Soviet Union. Fair-haired, blue-eyed, tall and fit, the Norwegians embodied the ideal of the Aryan race, which, according to Hitler, was destined to be the master race, and the Germans were unprepared for the hostility they encountered. An organized resistance formed almost immediately, including underground military groups (Milorg), civilian groups (Civorg), and intelligence units (XU), with a Coordinating Committee (KK) overseeing the common struggle. The movement was aided by a new British military branch called the SOE (Special Operatives Executive). But even ordinary Norwegians, young and old, found myriad ways of resisting. Despite an enormous military presence—one German soldier for every eight Norwegians—and in spite of the military's brutal methods, so effective was this resistance that President Franklin D. Roosevelt was inspired to say to the American people:
  He wondered what was happening at home. His father would still be at the train station, working his usual long hours. His mother would be worrying about them both, glancing out the window one last time before pulling the blackout curtains closed. His sister, Ingrid, would be up in her room, probably scribbling in her diary.
  The car pulled up alongside Espen, and he glanced at it. He felt a rivulet of sweat run down his back. The car was full of German soldiers. The driver waved at him to stop, and Espen did, standing with one foot on the ground, the other resting on the pedal. Right away, his glasses fogged up. He took them off and cleaned the lenses with his shirt. Then he gave one last thought to his family, hoping that whatever happened next would not put their lives in jeopardy.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The drive from Fossen to Lilleby took longer than it normally would have; they had to stop twice for sheep on the road and another time to change a flat tire. By the time they reached the bicycle shop, Aksel had worked himself into a lather. He told the men to follow him in and bring the bicycle with them. As they stepped inside, the sole employee in the shop was heading into the restroom.
  The repair man wiped his hands on his apron and went to the front of the store, where he dug around in a drawer for a long time before finally producing a receipt.
  Aksel recognized the name: Leif Eversen. They had gone to school together, and, like Stein, they had played on the same soccer team. And Aksel knew where he worked: the fish factory.
  Back in the car, Aksel began to think about Leif and the entire soccer team and how much he hated all of them. Leif had been one of those who had walked off the field the day that Aksel had been made captain. The thought of it brought a metallic taste, like gunmetal, to his mouth. He rolled the window down and spat. Well, he thought, it had been a worthless team, anyway. None of them were any good. And the young one—that kid who'd played goalie—he was as dumb as a post. Like that stupid employee at the bike—
  Aksel had a sudden, jolting realization: That bike shop fellow had never come out of the bathroom the whole time they'd been there. "The devil!" he shouted. "That Hegvik's man! He wasn't going to the bathroom—he was climbing out the window! Step on it!" he screamed at the driver.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The drive from Fossen to Lilleby took longer than it normally would have; they had to stop twice for sheep on the road and another time to change a flat tire. By the time they reached the bicycle shop, Aksel had worked himself into a lather. He told the men to follow him in and bring the bicycle with them. As they stepped inside, the sole employee in the shop was heading into the restroom.
  The repair man wiped his hands on his apron and went to the front of the store, where he dug around in a drawer for a long time before finally producing a receipt.
  Aksel recognized the name: Leif Eversen. They had gone to school together, and, like Stein, they had played on the same soccer team. And Aksel knew where he worked: the fish factory.
  Back in the car, Aksel began to think about Leif and the entire soccer team and how much he hated all of them. Leif had been one of those who had walked off the field the day that Aksel had been made captain. The thought of it brought a metallic taste, like gunmetal, to his mouth. He rolled the window down and spat. Well, he thought, it had been a worthless team, anyway. None of them were any good. And the young one—that kid who'd played goalie—he was as dumb as a post. Like that stupid employee at the bike—
  Aksel had a sudden, jolting realization: That bike shop fellow had never come out of the bathroom the whole time they'd been there. "The devil!" he shouted.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last three paragraphs.. Start with the sentence 'Erlitig Storrusten stands outside a German bunker near the Lillehammer Tourist Hotel'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Erlitig Storrusten stands outside a German bunker near the Lillehammer Tourist Hotel. (2007) (COURTESY OF ELSE WARD)
  There are a great many more words in the English language than there are in Norwegian. Hence, translations from Norwegian into English can vary widely, depending on how the translator chooses to interpret the words. In the case of the Scharffenberg quotation accompanying the section "1945," I selected from among a variety of translated versions to offer the version easiest for young readers to comprehend.
  Thanks also to Geoff and Else Ward for the wealth of stories that can be found on their website www.wwiinorge.com. The stories kept me transfixed while the sun set, the light faded, and dinnertime came and went—and still I couldn't stop reading. Thank you for collecting and sharing them.