Words Matter: The Story of Hans and Sophie Scholl, and the White Rose Resistance

Words are powerful. Words spread truth. Words turn to action. Words matter in this lyrical account of the White Rose Resistance.

The White Rose Resistance was the German student movement that used the power of the written word to speak out against the Nazis during World War II. They worked in secret to distribute leaflets condemning the government's actions at a time when doing so meant putting your life at risk.

The story follows siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, who were instrumental members of the resistance. Words Matter transports readers through the world the siblings inhabited, from their idyllic childhood to becoming leaders in the Hitler Youth groups; the Nuremberg Rally; witnessing the arrests and murders of innocent people; and finally emerging as leaders of the White Rose Resistance -- while still believing in the goodness that lived in the hearts of the German people. The Scholl siblings were arrested and executed in 1943 but their legacy, and the words of the Resistance, live on.

Written in verse and strikingly illustrated for middle-grade readers, Words Matter brings to life an unforgettable true story of nonviolent resistance. Hans and Sophie's story demonstrates the enduring power of words, especially in times of propaganda and fear.

Includes a historical note.

Key Text Features

author's note

further reading

historical context

illustrations

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7

Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.4

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3

Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.

ANITA FITCH PAZNER is the author of the The Topsy-Turvy Bus, a picture book focused on sustainability, alternative energy sources and repairing the world. She earned an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults, is an active volunteer for the Michigan chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and a former journalist. She lives in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

SOPHIE CASSON illustrated The Prisoner and the Writer, written by Heather Camlot, winner of the Canadian Jewish Literary Awards Best Children's Book. Her other books include The Artist and Me by Shane Peacock, a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, and Helen's Birds by Sara Cassidy. Sophie's work has also appeared in the Globe and Mail, the New York Times and Nature, as well as in the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. Sophie lives in Montreal, Quebec.