Jesper

Jesper is a young-adult historical novel by the Canadian author Carol Matas, set in Denmark during World War II. Published in 1989 by Lester & Orpen Dennys of Toronto, it is the sequel to her earlier award-winning work Lisa. In the previous book, the girl Lisa joins the Danish resistance and meets the young resistance fighter Jesper; this book shifts the narrative focus to Jesper himself. The story opens with Jesper already imprisoned by the Germans, repeatedly tortured, enduring constant physical pain as he awaits execution. In his cell he recounts his experiences in memory: how, as a journalist and saboteur, he carried out underground work in Nazi-occupied Denmark, how he evaded capture, passed intelligence, and executed sabotage operations, and what lay between him and Lisa. The climax comes on the eve of execution: a daring bombing raid by the Royal Air Force becomes not only a signal of the end of the German occupation of Denmark but also the means of Jesper's rescue. With tight suspense and action scenes, the work presents the courage, fear, and choices of ordinary young people under occupation, suitable for young readers to understand this period through individual fates.