My Work
GERMANY, 1937. Tragedy brings Amelie Meyer back to Berlin. It’s been four years since she was forced to flee her home, leaving everything behind — including her father. Transformed by the Nazis, Berlin is now a drab and dangerous city, and Amelie can’t wait to return to Paris. But before she can leave, she finds herself swept up in an intrigue that makes her question everything she thinks she knows about her father. Is he a traitor or a hero? The only way to find out is to put her own life on the line.
BERLIN, 1933. The Nazis are in power and for thirteen-year-old Amelie Meyer life is changing in ways she never could have imagined.
Her new teacher is picking on Jewish students, her friends are starting to shun her for not joining their Aryan youth group and her father is getting remarried. As tensions mount at home and school, Amelie embarks on a perilous journey—with nothing less than her whole future at stake.
ENGLAND, SUMMER 1940. Following a brush with death in the Irish Sea, 10-year-old Käfer Avigdor unexpectedly finds himself back in London. There, he stumbles upon a sinister Nazi plot that targets hundreds of people in Britain—including the most powerful man in the country. The one person who might be able to defeat Adolf Hitler.
With the Germans threatening to invade England at any moment, Käfer musters all his courage and ingenuity in a valiant effort to thwart the Nazis. But will he succeed in time to save the day?
Like Boy from Berlin, One Boy’s War is inspired by real people and historical events.
“Do we have to leave because we’re Jewish?”
April 1938. In Europe, storm clouds are gathering. Eight-year-old Käfer Avigdor is blissfully unaware of the danger his family faces until, one evening, he overhears a whispered conversation between his Mama and his beloved Aunt Charlotte. It starts him rethinking who he is really is and where he belongs.
Within hours, Käfer and his family flee their comfortable life in Berlin. In a desperate race to stay one step ahead of the Nazis, Käfer is called on to be braver and more resourceful than he ever imagined possible. But will it be enough?
What Readers Are Saying
Nancy McDonald’s Boy from Berlin may not be Harry Potter but Käfer Avigdor creates his own magic as he narrates his and his family’s journey from Nazi Germany to The Hague and eventually England during the early years of the Second World War. Like Harry Potter, Käfer’s innate kindness, honourable behaviour and deep rooted integrity grow and manifest as he faces choices daunting to any adult. Eloquently and intelligently written, the story can be enjoyed by adult and young audiences. Read it! Then look for the sequel.
- Patricia Burnell
Highly recommended! A feel-good adventure that will thrill any young reader’s heart, Boy from Berlin also contains hints of darkness and real-life complexity reminiscent of hit movies from Pixar and Disney. Young Käfer and his family flee Germany one step ahead of the Nazi war machine in this story based on historical facts. The tale is set some 80 years ago, but it resonates with today’s headlines of refugees from Syria, genocide in Iraq and the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar. Boy from Berlin -- a memorable story that is both inspirational and hugely entertaining.
- Bill Prentice
One Boy's War is a great, heart-thumping, follow-up to The Boy From Berlin filled with adventure, humour, and a loving tribute to individuals and families who survived the horrors of WWII. The author fills the book with a vivid sense of place and atmosphere. These books would make such a wonderful film or television series. An enormously pleasurable and enlightening read.
- Sally Reardon
Spies, Nazis, a family in peril, all seen through the innocent eyes of an observant 8-year-old. This is a wonderful adventure that touches upon some important 20C history in a spellbinding and age-appropriate way. And there's a sequel in the works! Highly recommended for any 8 to 12-year-olds in your life. It will prompt many questions and an excellent opportunity to answer them.
- Margaret Slaght
In her book Boy from Berlin, Nancy McDonald adeptly captures the innocence and playfulness of youth juxtaposed against the horrors and turbulence of the Second World War. Her vivid literary palette captivates the reader by weaving personally informed historic fact with engaging fiction. It strikes both personal reminiscences and vicarious familiarities. The experience, lessons learnt and being grateful will ring true for young and old. It is book that is a must and good read. I look forward to reading more of her work.
- Bern Gorecki
This is a ripping, fast-paced yarn, spun from the true adventures of a Jewish family fleeing from the jackbooted nightmare of creeping Nazism, shortly before the outbreak of WW11. Told from the perspective of Käfer, the younger son, this novel/memoir for older children is the work of Nancy McDonald, widow of the late, much-loved and respected Canadian TV producer, Heinz Avigdor - the Käfer of the story. It is a loving and lively homage to a man of compassion, courage, humour and exquisite manners - and the keeper of a trove of compelling tales. I look forward to a sequel, in which Käfer adapts to life as a young boarder at a famous Toronto school which at the time was an enclave for the WASP/Presbyterian, privileged class. Highly recommended summer reading!
- Cilla Kent
- Patricia Burnell
Highly recommended! A feel-good adventure that will thrill any young reader’s heart, Boy from Berlin also contains hints of darkness and real-life complexity reminiscent of hit movies from Pixar and Disney. Young Käfer and his family flee Germany one step ahead of the Nazi war machine in this story based on historical facts. The tale is set some 80 years ago, but it resonates with today’s headlines of refugees from Syria, genocide in Iraq and the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in Myanmar. Boy from Berlin -- a memorable story that is both inspirational and hugely entertaining.
- Bill Prentice
One Boy's War is a great, heart-thumping, follow-up to The Boy From Berlin filled with adventure, humour, and a loving tribute to individuals and families who survived the horrors of WWII. The author fills the book with a vivid sense of place and atmosphere. These books would make such a wonderful film or television series. An enormously pleasurable and enlightening read.
- Sally Reardon
Spies, Nazis, a family in peril, all seen through the innocent eyes of an observant 8-year-old. This is a wonderful adventure that touches upon some important 20C history in a spellbinding and age-appropriate way. And there's a sequel in the works! Highly recommended for any 8 to 12-year-olds in your life. It will prompt many questions and an excellent opportunity to answer them.
- Margaret Slaght
In her book Boy from Berlin, Nancy McDonald adeptly captures the innocence and playfulness of youth juxtaposed against the horrors and turbulence of the Second World War. Her vivid literary palette captivates the reader by weaving personally informed historic fact with engaging fiction. It strikes both personal reminiscences and vicarious familiarities. The experience, lessons learnt and being grateful will ring true for young and old. It is book that is a must and good read. I look forward to reading more of her work.
- Bern Gorecki
This is a ripping, fast-paced yarn, spun from the true adventures of a Jewish family fleeing from the jackbooted nightmare of creeping Nazism, shortly before the outbreak of WW11. Told from the perspective of Käfer, the younger son, this novel/memoir for older children is the work of Nancy McDonald, widow of the late, much-loved and respected Canadian TV producer, Heinz Avigdor - the Käfer of the story. It is a loving and lively homage to a man of compassion, courage, humour and exquisite manners - and the keeper of a trove of compelling tales. I look forward to a sequel, in which Käfer adapts to life as a young boarder at a famous Toronto school which at the time was an enclave for the WASP/Presbyterian, privileged class. Highly recommended summer reading!
- Cilla Kent