by: Alan Gratz
Scott County Library hardcover 303 pages plus author's note
Published: 2016
Genre: YA historical fiction
I read this for two reasons: Gratz books are popular with middle schoolers and I hadn't read one yet AND a class I was subbing in had three historical novels being read and discussed. (A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and this one.) It's interesting that two are WWII era and one is Cold War . . . not sure how the teacher addressed that with the class.
I have LOTS of post-it notes and not much time, so I may summarize. I found this book interesting but hard to believe. Michael O'Shaunessey is the son of the Irish ambassador to Germany. Stationed in Berlin, he participates in the Hitler Youth so that he can work as a spy for the Allies. Another boy, Fritz, shares that his dad is working on a secret jet plane "Projekt 1065" and Michael is determined to get the plans to the Allies. (Note: he has a photographic memory and an excellent grasp of German.)
Page 41: "'Compassion is a weakness,' Horst said for the benefit of me and anyone else in our squad who might not like bullies picking on little kids."
Bullies are part of life, but Nazi Germany really allowed them to thrive. How terrifying to have people like this in charge.
Page 41: "I rose up on an elbow, my Irish blood thundering war drums in my ears, ready to knock Horst's donkey teeth down his throat."
One of my favorite parts of the book was when Michael and a rescued British pilot told jokes and made comments about their cultures and countries. The Irish / English / Scottish humor was amusing. But probably also very stereotyping. I did learn that Ireland stayed neutral during WWII. I love when I learn something new from a novel!
Page 53: "Because that's what Nazi Germany was: the bully who found your most painful wound and poked at it with a stick."
Again with the bullying theme. I wonder if the author was thinking of his middle school readers and the importance of taking a stand against bullying.
Page 92: "There was a haunted look in Simon's eyes now, and I knew he wasn't joking. About any of it. It sounded silly to be afraid of birds, but a real fear, a real phobia, was a serious thing. People without one couldn't understand."
I like that Simon helped Michael overcome his fear of heights (or at least find ways to cope) and that he shared his fear. The compassion and friendship they had was a wonderful part of this book.
Page 103 and 176 . . . the scenes with their "Herr Professor Doktor Major Melcher" were powerful. The theme of life and whose life is most worth saving ran throughout the book. Wow. I should put a screen shot of page 176 here, but I'll just put some excerpts.
"Again I saw myself four years ago, on the Night of Broken Glass. But now I saw it through new eyes - the eyes of my parents. Saw the awful trade: one man's life against the fate of the entire world. My heart ached, as if it were slowly eating me up from inside."
"Sometimes we have to sacrifice good people to win a war, Simon had told me. Sometimes you do what you have to do, even if doing it means doing something wrong."
"Instead, I said nothing. I locked my heart away in a wee iron coffin and swallowed the key. It burned going down and tears stung my eyes, but still I said nothing."
Page 296: "It was a world war, and the fate of every nation on Earth, neutral or not, lay in the balance. When the war was over, the world would be ruled one way, or the other - by freedom or fascism, by hope or by fear. I had seen the depths, the lengths, the Nazis would go to win that war, sacrificing their own children to the cause, and I also knew first-hand the sacrifices the Allies had made to stop them."
I will definitely read more Gratz books next school year while subbing. I love that authors can make historical fiction so accessible to young people!
