I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

Max dives into the dirt, pulling Zena down with him just as the forest explodes into chaos. He lies there, frozen with fear, holding Zena tightly. The worst part is the noise, the roaring of the planes, the bombs, and the explosions. Max realizes it’s the Junkers, the Nazis’ most feared bombers. Martin shouts that they need to leave the forest, but Lev argues they can’t: The Nazis likely have the area surrounded, trying to flush them out. Lev suggests heading to the camp, which should be safe since the Nazis don’t know it exists. They start running toward the swamp, but Zena’s damaged boot slows her down, so Martin carries her onto his back. The bombs continue to fall, sending shards of wood into the air. Finally, Max sees the swamp: “It was enormous, an endless sea of brown, soupy water” (61). As they head into the swamp, a plane swoops low, and Max is suddenly thrown backward into a ditch, just as a flaming tree crashes down on top of him.