Catch you Later Traitor is middle grade historical fiction set in the uncertain times of the Red Scare of the 1950’s. Author Avi expertly takes the reader back to a time of distrust and skepticism, but through the eyes of Pete, a middle-schooler whose dad is accused of being a Communist and his best friend is no longer aloud to talk to him. For Pete it seems that his life has been turned upside down and he’s determined to get to the bottom of it and fix it.

In Catch You Later Traitor, Avi covers a time not usually touched on in historical fiction. The story is told in a way that not only helps the reader understand the time period better, but questioning how we treat others. This novel is definitely one that leaves the reader thinking. The only problem with that thinking is that you are left wanting a little more depth into the characters way of thinking as well and more depth into their interactions with each other.

Review was of an Advance Review Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Algonquin Young Readers

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  5 religious exclamations; 1 anatomical term.

Violence/Gore:  2 accounts of murder in a fictional radio show; character threatens others with a fist fight; description of Soviet work camps and murders of dissenters; character punches another; description of dead body covered in white sheet; mention of going off to war and possibly being killed; mention of Nazi gas chambers; account of adult hitting a child on the head; account of death in labor camp; account of man dying of natural causes.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Communism, Atomic bomb and bomb shelters, divorce.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adult smokes cigar; adult smokes a pipe; account of adults smoking.