By Kathryn Lasky
4RBooks: 4/6, grades 6-8
Amazon rating: 4.4/5, grades 3-7 (only 3 ratings, 1 review)
Good Reads: 3.48/5
Common Sense Media: not rated or reviewed
287 pages
Synopsis:
13-year-old Alice and her family are spies. They belong to the Tabula Rasa of Great Britain, a network of spies known for never standing out in a crowd, being virtually “faceless,” unremarkable and unmemorable. Alice’s sister, Louise, has decided to leave the organization to start her own life, just as Alice and her family are given an A assignment, the first for Alice. They are to go to Berlin and infiltrate the German high command.
While Alice’s dad works as a mechanic for the highest officers in the Third Reich, and her mother becomes a member of the typing pool, Alice exceeds in school and athletics and is chosen to work in Hitler’s inner circle. From there, she will be feeding intelligence back to the Allied forces and helping with operation Valkyrie, a plot to assassinate Hitler.
Alice walks the thin line between espionage and daily living as a young girl in Germany. Keeping friends and passing on secrets. Making friends with a homeless Jewish boy and keeping his existence a secret. Working for the Fuhrer while participating in the plan to kill him. Little does she know that she has become a suspect and her life might be in danger. Help often comes from the unlikeliest of places.
Parental Guidance: high (spoiler alerts)
Alice uses the term bastard in her head to describe another person.
A group of girls discuss another girl who is pregnant at 14/15.
Realistic discussions of the Germans views of inferior races.
Use of the words sh** and piss.
Sh** used a second time.
An unmarried teenage girl may be pregnant as part of a German plan to
increase the population of genetically pure people.
Alice befriends a homeless Jewish boy who dies from prolonged exposure
to the elements.
Alice is almost assassinated.
Recommendation:
There is a lot to like about this historical fiction novel. The history is very accurate so readers who enjoy books about WWII will be excited and teachers teaching this subject can assign the book knowing it is true and factual, where needed. The spy story surrounding Alice is paced well and keeps the reader eager to find out what happens next. She is believable and girls could easily imagine themselves in her shoes. There are multiple twists at the end that range from scary, to anticipated, to sorrowful.
This could fall into the category of “books written for kids that adults would enjoy, too.” In my opinion, it is not a book for elementary students, no matter that Amazon categorizes it as grades 3-7. The subject matter and language used are not appropriate for ages below middle school, unless read with a parent. I would highly recommend this to a middle school, with one reservation, the use of expletives. Parents will need to make their own call on how they feel about this matter, and teachers will need to consider their community, principals, and school districts before adding this book to their library.
*Side note, even though this book as been out since last year, I found it interesting that only three people have rated it for Amazon, and only one wrote a review. Curious. Ogress and the Orphans, which came out this year, has 280 ratings.
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