All posts by Kasey

About Kasey

Reads things. Writes things. Fluent in sarcasm. Willful optimist. Cat companion, chocolate connoisseur, coffee drinker. There are some who call me Mom.

Review: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , ,
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jesse Andrews
Amulet Books
Published March 1, 2012

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About Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The New York Times bestselling novel that inspired the hit film!

This is the funniest book you’ll ever read about death.

It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he’s figured it out. The answer to the basic existential How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.

This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg’s entire life.

Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking—this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, now also a film that critics are calling “a touchstone for its generation” and “an instant classic.”

My Review

The opening chapters of the book were a little hard for me to read. The main character’s harsh judgments of other students, which lean heavily on stereotypes, are kind of off-putting.

As he tells the story, his unspoken grief is palpable, which drew me into the book. It helped me see some of the hurtful comments as a defense or distraction from the hurt this kid was feeling.

At some level, it’s clear to me reading the book that the author uses at least some of those statements on purpose to help readers understand the immaturity and inexperience of the main character. He’s not a great guy; even he will tell you this. (Especially if you try to say something nice about him.) He didn’t even begin either of his friendships for benevolent reasons.

But he cares how people feel and wants desperately to connect with them. He’s the epitome of an awkward teenage boy. Reading this book instantly transported me back to some of the experiences I had with boys in high school.

The story doesn’t romanticize cancer. It doesn’t even romanticize being a teenager. It scrapes away any tendency toward glorifying a teenager’s experience and looks at a simple, reluctant friendship between awkward kids who aren’t amazing at anything.

In fact, the book doesn’t even center the story of the girl with cancer. She’s not even named in the title. While I wish that the story made more space for Rachel’s experience, the narrative does wrestle with that loss. Greg realizes at one point that he barely knows anything about Rachel and that so much of his time has been spent thinking about himself and his own feelings rather than centering hers.

The story does fall prey to using a girl’s death as a vehicle through which the main character learns. It’s true. I wonder how the story would have been different if the author reversed the roles of Earl and Rachel so that Greg and Rachel made movies together and then befriended Earl after a cancer diagnosis. We’ll never know, as that’s a completely different story.

Misogyny in Young Adult Literature

One of the things I find really hard to read is literature in which boys objectify and dehumanize girls. I grew up in a purity culture world that normalized that kind of behavior, effectively considering girls temptresses and objects of lust. So, reading about boys talking that way can get under my skin really fast.

I don’t want us to treat it as an acceptable part of the teen experience. Girls don’t deserve that.

One of the powerful moments in the story comes from a moment in which Earl, Greg’s best friend, confronts him about the way he treats Rachel and the other people around him. He tells Greg to stop obsessing over people who don’t care about him and start thinking about the people who do. It’s a hard-hitting scene that, in at least some way, addresses Greg’s behavior and challenges him to be a better person. I really appreciated that scene and love that this push forward came from another guy his age.

One of the Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2023

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl was one of the top ten most challenged books of 2023. Among the reasons I saw cited for the challenges and book bans were that it contains profanity and some misogynistic commentary. Some have described it as “pornographic,” which is, frankly, hilarious since there is no nudity or sexual contact throughout the book. There is, admittedly, one very cringy scene in which the characters make jokes about oral sex. I can’t see how that meets the definition of pornography.

There is a lot of profanity in the book. It’s true. There’s a lot of profanity in a lot of young adult literature in general. While I have some personal feelings about this, I don’t think that a few parents get to decide what everyone else’s kids should be allowed to read. I think the author makes a great point in an article for Deadline that kids who haven’t found books that resonate with them may find that a book in which the characters talk the way they talk might help them connect to literature.

Conclusion

If you made it this far, you can tell I’ve got a lot of thoughts and feelings about this book. I liked it more than I expected, despite its flaws. It presents a powerful story of friendship and how human connection, no matter how mundane, makes a difference in our lives.

It’s weird that this book is among the top ten most challenged books of 2023. I can’t imagine that anyone who regularly reads young adult literature would consider the content of this book vastly different from that of many other books on the shelves for teenagers.

Content Notes for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Greg and Rachel are Jewish. Earl is Black.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Lots of profanity. Some crude language.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to sex. Some explicit statements about sex. No sexual contact on scene.

Spiritual Content
Greg references attending Hebrew School with Rachel.

Violent Content
Greg and Earl repeatedly watch a violent movie, but the book doesn’t describe it in any detail. Greg makes some objectifying/misogynistic comments about girls. They’re usually brief. Greg makes some comments using racist stereotypes about other kids at his school. He and another boy make a racist comment about the contents of ethnic food.

Drug Content
Earl smokes cigarettes and is rumored to have used hard drugs before the story began. Greg and Earl accidentally get high when they eat some food they don’t realize has marijuana in it.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. All opinions are my own.

Review: Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up by Sonia Patel

Book Review and Content, Historical, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , , , , ,

Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up
Sonia Patel
Nancy Paulsen Books
Published September 10, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Gita Desai is Not Here to Shut Up

It’s eighteen-year-old Gita Desai’s first year at Stanford University, and it’s a miracle she’s here and not already married off by her traditional Gujarati parents. She’s determined to death-grip her good-girl, model-student rep all the way to medical school, which means no social life or standing out in any way. Should be easy: If there’s one thing she’s learned from her family it’s how to chup-re—to “shut up,” fade into the background.

But when childhood memories of her aunt’s desertion and her then-uncle’s best friend resurface, Gita ditches the books night after night in favor of partying and hooking up with strangers. Still, nothing can stop the nagging voice in her head that’s growing louder and louder, insisting something’s wrong… and the only way she can burst forward is to stop shutting-up about the past.

My Review

I feel like I should have realized from the back cover copy that this book explores trauma and its effect on a young college student. Though I’m not always a fan of young adult literature featuring protagonists in college, I do think this– trauma emerging and demanding to be dealt with in the first semester of college– is something we don’t talk about enough. It seems like something that a lot of people experience as they leave home for the first time and enter a busy, stressful time of life with a lot of academic and social demands.

Anyway, regardless, I kind of went into this book unprepared for its themes, which made it hit really hard. Some of the scenes are hard to read, not because there’s anything wrong with them, but because they explicitly state things that we often shut people up for talking about. We sometimes treat these things like they’re too shameful or complicated to talk about.

Gita is incredibly smart academically. She finds two really great girl friends, both white girls, and feels sidelined by the guys at the events the three of them attend. At one point, a guy Gita sleeps with asks for her friend’s phone number immediately after they’ve had sex. Ugh. Awful.

As the story unfolds, there are more and more hints at past trauma in Gita’s life. The slow reveal of those things was agonizing for me. I suspected where things were headed, and I could feel Gita’s resistance to remembering what happened. The writing is so on point. It was hard to stay on that knife’s edge for as long as the story keeps its readers there, though.

Because the story takes place in the 1990s, there are so many music references that 90s music lovers will enjoy. Gita listens to a broad range of music, and some of the songs were really well-placed in terms of what was happening in the scene as the song played.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I love that Gita’s relationships with Marisol and Jane anchor her and help give her the courage to speak up for herself. I love the arc of her relationships with her family members, too.

Overall, this is a heavy book that won’t be for everyone. It does a good job exploring the transition from home to college life and the role of trauma and shame in choices someone might make during that time.

Content Notes

Content warning for sexual abuse and assault.

Recommended for Ages 16 up.

Representation
Gita is Indian American.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some F-bombs and infrequent use of other profanity.

Romance/Sexual Content
Gita observes a couple having sex. One partner notices her, but the other does not know she’s there. Kissing between boy and girl. Some scenes show sexual assault from the point of view of a girl who’s very drunk and not really processing what’s happening. Details are sparse but graphic.

Spiritual Content
References to Hindu faith practices.

Violent Content
Some scenes show sexual assault from the point of view of a girl who’s very drunk and not really processing what’s happening. Scenes also briefly show or reference child abuse. A girl hits a boy who kisses her against her will.

Drug Content
Gita and her friends (freshman in college) drink alcohol at parties and the home of some men they barely know.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary by Alice Hoffman

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary
Alice Hoffman
Scholastic Press
Published September 17, 2024

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About When We Flew Away: A Novel of Anne Frank Before the Diary

Bestselling author Alice Hoffman delivers a stunning novel about one of contemporary history’s most acclaimed figures, exploring the little-known details of Anne Frank’s life before she went into hiding.

Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl has captivated and inspired readers for decades. Published posthumously by her bereaved father, Anne’s journal, written while she and her family were in hiding during World War II, has become one of the central texts of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, as well as a work of literary genius.

With the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, the Frank family’s life is turned inside out, blow by blow, restriction by restriction. Prejudice, loss, and terror run rampant, and Anne is forced to bear witness as ordinary people become monsters, and children and families are caught up in the inescapable tide of violence.

In the midst of impossible danger, Anne, audacious and creative and fearless, discovers who she truly is. With a wisdom far beyond her years, she becomes a writer who will go on to change the world as we know it.

Critically acclaimed author Alice Hoffman weaves a lyrical and heart-wrenching story of the way the world closes in on the Frank family from the moment the Nazis invade the Netherlands until they are forced into hiding, bringing Anne to bold, vivid life. Based on extensive research and published in cooperation with the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, When We Flew Away is an extraordinary and moving tour de force.

“Adding new poignance to a story whose ending we already knew, Alice Hoffman has deftly recreated the child Anne Frank with all her wit, mischief, and uncertainties. This fictionalized account of the increasingly desperate years that preceded the famous diary breaks readers’ hearts one more time. But it reminds us of how important it is to remember and honor all that was lost.” — Lois Lowry, Newbery Award-winning author of Number the Stars

My Review

Last year, I read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and a graphic novel adaptation for the first time. I think I’d read the play in school and then saw it performed at a local theatre. None of those other things comes close to reading the diary and the words of Anne Frank herself. Sometimes it’s so easy to believe she’s fourteen/fifteen while writing, and at other times, she writes with so much more maturity and vision than anyone would expect from someone so young.

I heard another author state that one of the most powerful things about Anne Frank’s diary is that we read it knowing how Anne’s story ends. Hoffman brings that sense of reality to this book, though Anne and her family do not know what will happen. A shadow of doom hangs over them despite the sweet memories of ice skating and afternoons with her grandmother or holding hands with a boy.

The writing stays sort of detached from the story. Reading the book, I kept feeling as though I stood on the beginning edge of a story, waiting for it to begin. In some ways, because it imagines what Anne’s daily life may have looked like in the years and months leading up to going into hiding, it is the prologue to the story of her life we are so familiar with.

I liked that the story celebrated Anne’s relationships with her family members. She and her family are under so much stress as she writes the diary. Those hard times and conflicts are preserved in amber and remembered through her diary entries. This novel imagines more nuance and ups and downs in the relationships. I don’t know if those connections are based on research. The book acknowledges Anne’s outspoken manner as well.

I think the book is a lovely tribute to the girl whose diary has changed so many lives. Some readers might find the voice to be a little strange or ethereal. I think Anne Frank fans will want to read this one.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Anne and her family are Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
References to a crush between Anne and a boy.

Spiritual Content
References to Jewish holidays.

Violent Content
References to arrests, police violence, and concentration camps. A family member dies of cancer (offscene).

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Rise of the Spider by Michael P. Spradlin

Book Review and Content, Historical, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , ,

Rise of the Spider (Web of the Spider #1)
Michael P. Spradlin
Margaret K. McElderry Books
Published September 24, 2024

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About Rise of the Spider

Witness the chilling rise of the Nazi Party through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy in this first book in the action-packed middle grade series Web of the Spider for fans of I Survived and A Night Divided.

1929, Heroldsberg, Germany. Rolf might only be twelve years old, but he’s old enough to know that things have not been good in his country since the end of the Great War. Half of Germany is out of work, and a new political movement is taking hold that scares him. Every night, Rolf’s father and older brother, Romer, have increasingly heated arguments about politics at the dinner table. And when two members of the new Nazi Party, Hans and Nils, move to town as part of the Hitler Youth, Rolf is uneasy to see how enamored Romer is by their promises of bringing Germany to glory.

Rolf doesn’t trust Hans and Nils for a moment. For all their talk of greatness, they act more like bullies, antagonizing shop owners who are Rolf’s friends and neighbors. Yet Romer becomes increasingly obsessed with their message of division, and Rolf watches in horror as his family fractures even further.

When there is an act of vandalism against a Jewish-owned business in town, Rolf fears Romer might have had something to do with it. Can Rolf find a way to intervene before things get any worse?

My Review

This is a sad book. It’s an important story, as it follows the rise of the Nazis in Germany through the eyes of a twelve-year-old boy who can’t believe it’s happening. He realizes how hateful the rhetoric is and how it contradicts his family’s values and beliefs. But he also witnesses someone close to him embrace those ideas and join the movement.

The book is pretty short, and the writing style is simple enough to make it accessible for younger middle grade readers interested in historical fiction. It’s the opening to a new series that will follow twelve-year-old Rolf’s experience in Heroldsberg, Germany each year leading up to when Hitler becomes Chancellor of Germany. Creating a window for younger readers to see how Hitler rose to power is a great idea. It’s a moment of history that isn’t often deeply explored with kids that age, but an important one.

I also appreciated the author’s note at the back of the book in which Spradlin discussed his experience seeing the town of Heroldsberg and how his research affected him. This seems like a great fit for upper elementary-aged readers interested in historical fiction and World War II in particular.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Major characters are white Germans. A few minor characters are Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
Brief reference to church and synagogue services.

Violent Content
Someone sets fire to a local Jewish-owned business. Hitler Youth members intimidate and threaten shop owners and shoppers. A group of them beat up an elderly Jewish man. (The narrator can’t see the blow-by-blow but knows it’s happening.) At a rally, a group of Nazi supporters attack a man who protests against them. The narrator can’t see specifics but is scared.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Out of Our League Edited by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli

Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Out of Our League
Edited by Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli
Feiwel & Friends
Published January 23, 2024

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About Out of Our League

A compelling YA anthology from editors Dahlia Adler and Jennifer Iacopelli about the trials and triumphs of girls in sports.

Ambition. Drive. Determination. Talent. Courage. Teamwork.

Every athlete knows what it takes to win. But for teen female players, the stakes are so much higher. In this anthology, the voices of these athletes come alive, highlighting the ferocity of those who are often shunted to the side. From navigating rampant misogyny to forging a sisterhood through sweat or just reveling in the love of the game, the stories in Out of Our League address the phenomenal physical and emotional power of teenage athletes as they compete, persevere, and thrive, on and off the field.

My Review

The last time I reviewed an anthology, I took a new approach, in which I grouped the stories by topic and wrote a couple sentences evaluating each one. I’m going to do that again here so you can see who’s in the anthology and which stories I found to be its highlights.

One thing that this anthology does that was fun to notice is that each story contains connections to other stories within the collection. Like, a character from one story might be mentioned in another one. One story shows the filming of a documentary, and characters in another story reference watching that film. It creates an overall sense of these things happening in a world together, which I thought was really clever.

Overall, I found the stories to be kind of hit or miss with me. Some of them were so good I wished they were full novels. Others didn’t resonate so much. Here is a quick impression for each story in the collection.

The Power of a Support System

Safe at Home by Jennifer Iacopelli – Sisters competing against one another in a championship softball game. I love sister stories, and this is a great angle to mine the complexities of those relationships. This one packs a lot of thought into a few pages. Definitely enjoyed.

Power Ten in Two by Leah Henderson – This is another story where I wish there had been more time to get to know the characters and really watch the conflicts and changes play out. I love the idea of it. It’s about a very competitive girl whose drive isolates her from her teammates and an unusual object lesson her coach puts her through to teach her the value of operating as a team.

All for One by Yamile Saied Méndez – This story follows a girl experiencing disordered eating. She wrestles with a lot of guilt and shame and shows up for her cheerleading team, trying desperately to keep everything together. The story shows a lot of depth and compassion while acknowledging the danger and harmfulness of those behaviors and the importance of a support system.

Relationships in Sports

#GOALS by Amparo Ortiz – I like that this one highlights that all kinds of girls play sports, and you don’t have to be the best for your interest to matter. I appreciate the focus it brings to the pain of a breakup and the value in being your true self, even when that doesn’t fit into the box someone creates for you.

Sidelined by Maggie Hall – This one might be my favorite. I think it also uses flashbacks most successfully. I love the way it captures the evolution of the relationship between Oliver and Lexie and sets up the turning point of the story. We also see a girl who, despite her status as a rising basketball star, deeply loves football.

Bunker Buddies by Sarah Farizan – I think this story set itself a tall hill to climb. The story begins in a tense moment and immediately flashes back to the setup that led the character to that situation. The flashback explained the character’s feelings but wasn’t particularly endearing. The relationship between the main character and her opponent in the golf match is the most compelling thing about the story. The end of their match contains a sweet moment that careful readers will find referenced later in another story.

Save the Lead by Cam Montgomery – I know nothing about sport climbing, so it was fun to read this one even simply to learn a little more about it. I loved the relationship between Pilar and Pavel. I also loved the way that it impacted each of them without dominating their connection to their sport.

Issues in Sports

Two Girls Walk Into a Wrestling Match by Noomi Kanakia – Some stories in the collection highlight the power of friendship and camaraderie between girls in sports. This one explores the discomfort and harm that withholding acceptance does to fellow players. A transgender girl waits for her match to be called at a wrestling meet, and not everyone welcomes her.

No Love Lost by Kayla Whaley – I really like the concept of this one. It’s written like the transcript of a documentary, so it has an unusual look on the page, and the emphasis on what people say brings the characters into sharp focus. The story covers a lot of ground in a few pages, and I wonder if that dilutes the power of its message. At the core of the piece, two girls have an unresolved conflict over something that happened a year ago. They revisit the conflict in an argument and explore the ramifications of the decisions that the star tennis athlete made at that time. It’s an interesting conversation that raises some good points about disability representation in sports. It felt like an odd use of the documentary-style storytelling format, though.

Three Minutes by Aminah Mae Safi – I didn’t connect with this story as much as I hoped to. While I think it brings focus to an interesting part of boxing competition, I felt like I kept waiting for the actual story to begin. I wanted to know why she fired her coach, but we never really explore that or what she changed about her training or diet. It was interesting to think about the parts of boxing that happen outside the ring, though.

Fall in Love with Sports

Better in the Long Run by Sarah Henning – A girl in love with cross country shares her enthusiasm with a boy who got roped into the team as a punishment. I liked the back-and-forth between the two characters. The story shows a lot of growth for them.

Woman Land by Monica Kenneally – I love that this collection includes a story about girls in powerlifting. It’s a fun one, too, that shows a girl taking a risk on something she feels intimidated by and finding a new source of joy and personal pride.

Bunker Buddies by Sarah Farizan – I think this story set itself a tall hill to climb. The story begins in a tense moment and immediately flashes back to offer readers the setup that led the character to that situation. The flashback explained the character’s feelings, but wasn’t particularly endearing. The relationship between the main character and her opponent in the golf match is the most compelling thing about the story. Instead of further embarrassing or poking fun at her, the younger girl is kind and offers help. In exchange, the main character offers her friendship, something that matters a lot to the younger girl. The end of their match contains a sweet moment that careful readers will find referenced later in a another story.

Sports Camp

Kylie with an I by Carrie S. Allen – This one was excellent. A girl who has only ever had boys as hockey teammates attends an elite camp for girls in preparation for a huge championship. She has to reckon with internalized ideas about women in the sport and her expectations of herself and other players. She quickly realizes she’s got some work to do. This is another story that packs a lot into a few pages and does it so well.

One on One by Juliana Goodman – I have mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, I love that it explores the complexity of romance within a basketball team. On the other hand, I wish it had addressed the cheating aspect more fully. I know sometimes in real life, people get away with things, so it’s not unrealistic. It was nice to see a win for love, though.

Valley Girl by Dahlia Adler – I love the way this celebrates summer camp and how playing a sport together, even if it’s not something we’re good at, brings people together. Definitely a feel-good story that had me smiling.

Anchor Points by Marieke Nijkamp – The collection ended on a really strong note with this story. It’s about two people who’ve grown up loving archery and attending an archery camp. We get to see the impact that the sport has had on their lives and the value of the friendship they’ve formed, even if it took years to come to fruition.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Representation
Stories include a diverse cast of characters in terms of race, identity, sexual orientation, and disability. One character has disordered eating.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some stories contain swearing and the f-bomb.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between a girl and nonbinary person.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One story shows an athlete who gets an injury. Another shows an athlete who engages in bingeing/purging.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Westfallen by Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Middle Grade 8-12, , , , , , , ,

Westfallen
Ann Brashares and Ben Brashares
Simon & Schuster
Published September 17, 2024

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About Westfallen

From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes an action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller that asks what it would be like to wake up in present-day America if Germany had won World War II.

Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school, things can change fast—Frances has become an emo art-girl, Lukas has gone full sports bro, and Henry has gone sort of nowhere. But when a dead gerbil brings them together again, the three ex-friends make an impossible discovery: a radio buried in Henry’s backyard that allows them to talk to another group of kids in the same town…on the same street…in the same backyard…seventy-nine years in the past.

The kids in 1944 want to know all about the future: are there jetpacks? Laser guns? Teleportation? Most of all, they want to know about the outcome of the war their dads and brothers are fighting in. Henry and his friends are cautious—they’ve all seen movies about what happens when you disrupt the fabric of time—but figure there’s no harm in telling them a little bit, just enough so they can stop worrying so much. And, at first, everything seems fine. Nothing’s changed—well, nothing so big they can’t contain it, anyway.

Until Henry, Frances, and Lukas wake up on May 6, 2024, to an America ruled by Nazis. They changed history. And now it’s up to them to change it back.

My Review

The radio that connects kids from two different time periods sets up this novel’s unique approach to World War II historical fiction. It allows readers to compare and contrast differences in American suburban life in 1944 versus 2023, which I thought was pretty cool.

The story alternates between Henry’s perspective in 2023 and Alice’s point of view in 1944. These scenes remain pretty short, with sometimes three or so per chapter. While the plot requires a bit of willing suspension of disbelief (for example, the kids convince an adult to help them stage a poorly planned jailbreak), the story stays focused on the actions of its younger characters for the most part. The kids get to be the heroes faced with preserving the victory of the Allied forces and keeping the United States from falling into German control permanently.

I didn’t expect the book to be a series opener, so when the setup for the next book emerged in the final chapter, that took me a bit by surprise. I’m curious to see where the series goes and would love to see it explore other possible alternate histories in the same time periods.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 10 to 14.

Representation
Lukas is Jewish. Henry is biracial.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
Henry sees evidence that someone beat up a child. Jewish people are forced to work and/or imprisoned.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use but help support this blog. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.