An intriguing alternative history lesson wrapped in a nail-biting adventure.
Hitler plans to unleash his greatest weapon in a last-ditch effort to win World War II.
Millions will die unless a few are willing to risk their lives. It is the winter of 1945. For most of the world, the war is drawing to a close, but much of the Netherlands is still under Nazi control. Fifteen-year-old Tygo Winter is serving as the Nazi Plunder Squad’s locksmith, giving them access to the treasures hidden in the homes of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, while his service keeps him safe from the Nazis, it makes him a prime target for the Verzet—the Resistance. Hungry, cold, and fearful, Tygo can barely think beyond his next meal. But while looting yet another wealthy home, he stumbles upon Willa, who challenges him to hope for more than mere survival. As he did in Hitler’s Secret (2013), Osborne once again revisits the what ifs that surround World War II, focusing on the mysteries of the final days of the Nazi occupation in Europe. The fast-paced narrative is full of intrigue, danger, and many familiar historical figures. Tygo is deftly crafted. While mostly noble and kind, he is also suitably frightened and focused on self-preservation.
An intriguing alternative history lesson wrapped in a nail-biting adventure. (Historical fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-85344-6
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Chicken House/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 20, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
Even Anglophiles should take pause.
If you meet your double, does it mean one of you must die?
It’s 1936, and the youngest member of the Star Turn troupe of British juvenile performers, Ollie Pigott, sees what looks like his twin in the window of a passing train. Could it be his double, or is it just his reflection? Ollie has more pressing problems, like trying to get out of his father’s acting troupe by learning acrobatics (which will also effect an escape from his father’s abuse), so he quickly moves on. American Ralph Halvern, the boy on the other train, is the bored son of a Hollywood movie star, and he immediately becomes obsessed with his look-alike. With the help of the annoying Giselle, a puzzlingly footloose French girl, he slips away from his tutor to search for the face in the window. If the two ever meet, how will their lives change? This taxing historical mystery comes directly from England and is densely flavored with slang; though there is a glossary, it is aimed at modern British children (“Yard: An old measurement…Just under a metre”) and does little to illuminate American readers. The excruciatingly slow plot doesn’t begin until page 70, and the subsequent scenes of mistaken identity quickly become tiresome. What could have been an interesting riff on The Prince and the Pauper with a nice surprise twist instead plays fast and loose with readers’ credulity to a shameful extent.
Even Anglophiles should take pause. (Historical fiction. 12-14)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-908458-16-2
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Inside Pocket
Review Posted Online: Dec. 11, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2013
For fans who can’t be persuaded to read something better.
Now that Nomad the supermutant has left a seed of power in Jack, will his growing superpowers be enough to save his family and what’s left of post-apocalyptic London?
In a London devastated by the release of Evolve, a chemical that killed most of the population but gave amazing powers to the survivors, Jack, Jenna and Sparky try to find Jack’s father, the deadly mutant Reaper, in order to enlist his help in rescuing the rest of Jack’s family from the clutches of Miller and his Choppers. Meanwhile, Jack’s friend Lucy-Anne searches for her lost brother by trekking through the dangerous streets of the city with Rook, a troubled boy who can control flocks of birds. Jack unites the Irregulars (survivors with weaker powers) with the Superiors (his father’s powerful minions) in an assault on Camp H, the holding facility where mutants are dissected when captured by Miller. Will they succeed? And will all be destroyed if Lucy-Anne and Nomad meet? They’ve both dreamed destruction. As with the first in his post-apocalyptic, near-future series, Lebbon wastes some intriguing worldbuilding on superficial characters who have a near-total lack of discernible motivation. What could have been brainless fun is further hobbled by amorphous “powers” and logic-defying plot devices (the government’s fail-safe is a nuclear bomb under London? That’s going to save the country from the mutants?).
For fans who can’t be persuaded to read something better. (Post-apocalyptic adventure. 12-14)Pub Date: April 2, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-61614-767-9
Page Count: 234
Publisher: Pyr/Prometheus Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
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