Max in the House of Spies

 Max in the House of Spies is a tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz.  Gidwitz is also the Newbury Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor's Tale.

Max is an eleven year old boy living with his parents in Berlin, Germany in 1939.  Because his family is Jewish his parents are becoming aware that it is not safe for them to continue living in Germany.  They take the brave and proactive step to send their son, Max on the Kindertransport to England.  Max is leaving his parents and his country behind for the first time in his life. He is placed in a Jewish home in London.  

We follow Max as he adapts to his new life. He meets bullies at school and learns to defend himself and the brothers who he is living with. Max has some unusual abilities. He can make a working radio from the junk at the bottom of a trash can.  He also has two immortal creatures living on his shoulders.  Berg and Stein represent good aand evil and only MAx can see them.  They are his constant traveling companions as he negotiates his new life in England.

Max is also quite the genius and finds creative ways to get out off trouble and maybe even cause a little trouble.  His antics and talents come to the attention of the British Intelligence Service.  They are ready to train him as a spy and send him back to Germany to help the war effort.

This is the kind of story that will interest young readers. It will build confidence in the reader who feels small and wishes they were able to fight the bullies, also the reader who feels out of control and dreams of taking charge.

An entertaining for both adults and pre teens.