Behind Enemy Lines
By: Carol Matas
About the author
Review
Behind enemy lines is fictional story based on real events during world war II. when the main character Sam Frederiksens plane is downed by a German fighter pilot over Nazi occupied France, His duty is to get back to England to fly more missions. Until he returns he must work with the resistance to sabotage enemy communications and supply lines. If he is caught in his efforts he may be sent to a concentration camp or be executed as a spy.
I personally thought this book was amazing, there was a lot of action suspense and overall it was a joy to read. The first person view suits the theme very well and it makes you feel like you are fighting the battle with Sam. After every chapter ended it made me want to read another it was addicting. Carol Matas uses great imagery that helps you visualize the setting and what it would be like to be in the characters shoes. This books only weakness is that the story is based on a very sensitive topic. This factor might deter a reader that isn’t accustom to violence or such a real life topic
I wouldn’t recommend this book to younger readers as it is based on a very sensitive topic. This book is most suitable to readers 13 and up and I suggest that the reader asks there parent or teacher about things they don’t understand. Doing this can help get a better understanding of the message that Carol Matas is trying to send. I would highly recommend this book to any mature reader that is interested in war history.
Behind enemy lines was really a great book to read and I will definitely read it again. I look forward to reading more of Carol Matas's books in the future.
Main Characters
Protagonist
Sam Fredriksen
Sam Fredriksen is the main character in Behind Enemy Lines. I would describe Sam as being intelligent, brave, thoughtful and over all a likeable respectful person. Sam always looks out for others, he puts himself in other's shoes and will always lend a hand.
However, when times get tough he can become awfully pessimistic. I think that Sam was the perfect character to tell the story.
Other Main Character
Tom
Tom is one of the pilots in Sam's bomber that was shot down . At first we didn’t meet Tom but after a few chapters Tom and Sam reunited . Tom seemed to try to find the best of every situation even when things weren’t looking too bright . You could maybe say that that Tom is a foil to Sam when you look at their attitude towards tough times. For the brief time that Tom was in the book you could really tell what kind of person he was.
Antagonist
The German Military
All of the German soldiers were not described in depth or detail, so I would say that they are flat characters. They all were quite mean, strict and at no point were they forgiving or thoughtful to all the people they were hurting.
Moment of impact
My favorite part of the story has to be when Sam's plane is downed by a German fighter pilot. This part of the book wasn't joyful at all but the way the author wrote it was excellent. She used great dialogue to help me imagine the intensity and the mood in the bomber as it was going down. When I read "bail out boys bail out bail out'' my heart started racing. I was glued to the page when I was reading that chapter and once I was finished I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was the best part of the book, and in my eyes one of the best parts of any book