Petros and Zola lounge in the shade, arguing about their skill with a sling shot. Stavros, their cousin, joins their competition, but the bird he shoots is a swallow—and to kill a swallow is definitely bad luck. Early on, the authors establish themes (bad luck), foreshadow events (accidents with a slingshot), and skillfully build tension as Nazi sightings and skirmishes move closer. Finally, soldiers march into town and the German commandant seizes Petro and Zola’s family home. Akila and Audrey Couloumbis narrate a rousing adventure and account of World War II that seldom is examined in Ameri can children’s books. 2009 Horn Book Fanfare, 2010 NCSS/CBC Notable Children’s Trade Books in the Field of Social Studies. lmp