Danish author Erik Christian Haugaard has written a number of acclaimed works for young adults that transport readers back to a time and place in history that placed upon children burdens nearly unimaginable to the contemporary North American adolescent. Religious strife, World War II, and feudal Japan are just some of the settings Haugaard has explored in his books, which usually feature a child whose hardships are made all the worse due to the loss of parents or other guardians. "Despite its variety, his work is readily identifiable, not only for its consistently high quality but for certain common themes," wrote Caroline C. Hunt in the St. James Guide to Children's Writers. "In almost every Haugaard novel, a boy comes of age at a time of turmoil and stress. Usually, he is uprooted from his own home and seeks (and often finds) a father figure or mentor who...