Publisher about the book (Bukla)
"I want to do something beautiful, Jef. Something good. Something that will give me wings."
I smiled happily. "And then we'll soar above the world. Like true heroes, Ward."
Who is the hero? Ward Dusoleil, who trusts authority and volunteers to join the German army to defend his homeland and faith on the bloody Russian front; or Jef Claessen, who betrays his best friend and his dreams, abandons his family and stays home? What is true courage? To tell the truth and save a life, even though the truth can have devastating consequences for those closest to you; or to keep it quiet in order to save your loved ones? We All Want Heaven is a suspenseful novel about the dilemmas that confront young people, pushed aside by adults in the chaos of World War II. And it is a novel about the miracles that only music and the boundless will of a child can make possible.
Els Beerten (1959) is a Flemish young adult writer, English teacher and creative writing teacher. In her books for young children and teenagers, she often tackles the theme of finding security and self-confidence, and the importance of honesty with oneself and others. The novel We All Want Heaven (2008) became an instant classic upon its publication and won numerous top awards. Her works demonstrate how fragile and thin the line between literature for teenagers and adults can sometimes be.