Welcome to our online book club for grades 9-12! We are excited for you to join us in reading The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century by Neal Bascomb.
Along with a free copy of the book, you will receive a review page so you can tell us what you thought of the book! You will also receive a questions page to consider, activity pages, and an information page with cool links related to the book!
Kits are ready for pickup today, Monday, April 1! Please remember that we have a limited number of kits available, so it's first come, first served. If you have any special requests or need accommodations, please let Leanna or Michelle know!
All we ask is that you read the book: do as much or as little of the rest of it as you want. No matter how much you do, the book is yours!
"The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century" by Neal Bascomb
“At the height of World War I, as battles raged in the trenches and in the air, another struggle for survival was being waged in the most notorious POW camp in all of Germany: Holzminden. A land-locked Alcatraz of sorts, it was home to the most troublesome Allied prisoners – and the most talented at escape. The Grand Escape tells the remarkable tale of a band of pilots who pulled off an ingenious plan and made it out of enemy territory in the biggest breakout of WWI, inspiring their countrymen in the darkest hours of the war.”
Here are the following pages that you will receive with your kit!
More about the author, World War I, and Holzminden:
Neal Bascomb’s site:
The Imperial War Museum’s page on the prisoners of Holzminden:
History.com’s page on World War I:
Office of the Historian’s page on the US entry into World War I:
The Red Cross’s glossary on the Hague Conventions:
Included as well: a word search, a World War I cipher activity, and a maze.
We hope you enjoy these activities and would love to hear what you thought of the book! We also hope you enjoyed the extra links. Remember, you can comment here on this website, email us at swantonpl@gmail.com, or come in and turn in a physical copy!