'An unknown story we should all know, about the triumph of courage and of the human spirit over the most evil regime the world has ever known' Michael Morpurgo

When sixteen-year-old Daniel befriends Josef Gerlach, he feels the old man is haunted by a secret from his past. Sure enough when Josef gives him his teenage diary to read, Daniel discovers a shocking story of rebellion and struggle.

The diary tells how Josef left the Hitler Youth for a gang called the Edelweiss Pirates. Their uniform: long hair and cool clothes. Their motto: freedom! At first the Pirates are only interested in hanging out and having a good time, but as the situation in Nazi Germany gets worse, they start to plan dangerous missions against Hitler's regime - soon they are fighting for their lives.

Dirk Reinhardt, born in 1963, studied German and history before becoming a freelance journalist and starting to write books for children and young adults. The Edelweiss Pirates is his third novel.