Instead of relying on omnipotent narration, McSwigan conveys the story through Peter Lundstrom’s often child-like perspective. How does Peter’s narration affect the way the story is understood? When are readers meant to comprehend things that are beyond Peter’s understanding? Analyze at least three to four excerpts from the novel in your response.

Compare Peter’s act of throwing snowballs in the novel’s opening chapter to his later act of throwing a snowball at the Commandant in the novel’s climax. Explore how these two scenes exemplify both the changes in Riswyk in the two months of the novel’s action, as well as Peter’s resultant change and growth.

Living in a challenging environment requires people to adapt with ingenuity. How are the Norwegians’ ingenuity, resilience, and forward planning showcased in their scheme to safeguard Norwegian gold?