Captive by Donna J. Stoltzfus

He hates Germans.  His father is in the war fighting them and he has no reason to like them.  So why do the people he's working bring them in to work on the farm?

Schiffer Kids and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published October 28th.

What John discovers is that they are not monsters, they're just people like us.  They didn't join the service because they wanted to, they had to.  Hans even saved his life when the building they were working began burning.  His attitude about the Germans is changing.

But when his father comes home without his feet and lower legs, he has no use for them.  Nor does he like his son's drawings that show the Germans.  He won't let him use any of them for the drawing contest.  So he doesn't win.  But he's invited to visit the artist's studio and it looks like his dad has a job making frames.  Losing is not all bad...