The name Adam Gidwitz raises expectations and raises the bar. This author’s other books include the fabulous The Inquisitor’s Tale and the New York Times bestselling series The Unicorn Rescue Society. It is evident that this book is a deeply personal work for the the author, and he has taken great care to craft the era, the climate, and the feelings of Max, a German Jewish boy. No punches are pulled when it comes to revealing the Anti-Semitism that was rampant not only in Germany, but in other countries, too. Not all who saw their actions as heroic were truly motivated by the plight of the Jews in Germany, but more by nationalism. Although there is a fantastical element in the form of two creatures that only Max can see and hear, this is primarily a literary device; this book at its heart is historical fiction.
The first part of this book is more contemplative and foundational. As the narrative progresses, then the action and stakes start to ramp. Be prepared that this is the first book in a duology and it ends with a humdinger of a cliffhanger. I, for one, will be sure to pick up the second book in this series.
Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy Provided by the Publisher
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: 6 religious exclamations; 5 mild obscenities; 20 derogatory names; 1 anatomical term.
Note: British use of “bloody” not tallied.
Violence/Gore: References to Stalin’s prison camps; character pockets a dinner knife and a character says he was afraid it was going to be used to kill someone (it was not); report of how non-Jewish boys used to punch and harass the Jewish boys during recess; boys circle another boy threateningly; character recalls how a teacher smacked him on the ears with a ruler over and over because he was Jewish; rugby tryout in which there is a lot of tripping, hitting, etc.; scene of the bombing of London by Germany with injuries and deaths implied by extent of the damage; explosion causing damage to property; boy of twelve recounts the events and violence of Kristallnacht; character practices hitting, punching a practice dummy; reference to eugenics and euthanasia projects for Hitler and murder of disabled people; chin slammed into steel edge of door when an individual becomes stuck; person dies in an accident and twelve year old sees the pool of blood under their head; verbal threats.
Sex/Nudity: Red swastika painted on a dummy’s “private parts”.
Mature Subject Matter:
Racial prejudice, nationalism, bullying, WWI, Anti-Semitism, separation from parents, death, prison/concentration camps, propaganda, racial slurs, interrogation.
Alcohol/Drug Use:
Pipe smoking by adults; cigarette smoking by adults; reference to how the British addicted an entire continent to opium; brief discussion on whether to give a boy a cyanide pill.
