Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II

Max in the House of Spies is a spirited and rambunctious middle-grade World War II novel that follows a Jewish boy on his quest to become a British spy.

Eleven-year-old genius Max Steinberg, who has "two immortal creatures living on his shoulders" (a kobold and a dybbuk), is sent from Berlin to England in 1939 to escape the Nazi regime. His new home is with the Montagus, a kind and unassuming Jewish family who also happen to be spies for the British government. Max misses his family and develops a plan to become a spy, return to Berlin, and save his parents. However, Max's first attempt at espionage lands him in Camp 020, a British Intelligence Service special outpost, where he is accused of being a German spy. Max, with the help of Berg the kobold, Stein the dybbuk, and some new friends, must prove his innocence and show that he has what it takes to become Britain's only child spy.

Newbery Honor winner Adam Gidwitz (The Inquisitor's Tale) uses historical events to build this inspiring and exciting tale of one boy's determination in the face of extreme prejudice and violence. Gidwitz demonstrates the pervasiveness of antisemitism and ethnic prejudice--not only on the part of the Nazis, but from the English as well--and underlines the need to struggle against such "bullying" wherever it's found. The author points out historical wrongs, but the novel is never heavy or sorrowful; instead, Max in the House of Spies is filled with humor, hope, and tenacity. --Cade Williams, freelance book reviewer

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