Max in the House of Spies

Starred review from November 27, 2023
After Kristallnacht, things continue getting worse for German Jews, prompting the parents of highly intelligent 11-year-old Max Bretzfeld to send him to England via the Kindertransport. Though Max doesn’t want to go—especially because he often feels as if he’s the only one looking out for his meek parents—they insist. Max ends up living with the Montagus, an aristocratic family of British Jews, and he did not arrive alone. He’s joined by two invisible companions: a dybbuk, or Jewish evil spirit, on one shoulder and a kobold, or German folk spirit, on the other. When Max realizes that one of the Montagus is a British spy, he endeavors to become one as well, believing it to be the quickest way to return to Berlin to search for his parents. Gidwitz (the Unicorn Rescue Society series) imbues Max’s first-person voice with plentiful charm and intellect, making him an irresistible and irrepressible protagonist even his otherworldly tormentors can’t help but grow fond of. The compelling plot, which occasionally stretches credulity, boasts an exciting mixture of triumphs and perils, leading up to a cliffhanger ending that will have readers clamoring for the sequel. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sarah Burnes, Gernert Company.

December 1, 2023
A determined refugee will do whatever it takes to get back to his parents--even becoming a British spy in Nazi Germany. When 11-year-old Max Bretzfeld, a Jewish boy from Berlin, is sent to England on the Kindertransport in 1939, he's accompanied by two tiny men on his shoulders whom only he can see. The German kobold and Jewish dybbuk rarely interact with Max, but they comically comment on his circumstances. And such circumstances! After a working-class upbringing, he's fostered in England by Jewish baron Lord Montagu. Most of the white non-Jewish people Max encounters are shudderingly classist, racist, and antisemitic, but after a childhood in Nazi Germany, this is hardly new. Nonetheless, he'll do anything to get back to his parents, and thus, Max sets out to become a spy. While it may be hard to convince British intelligence to send him back to Germany, Max will do whatever it takes. Despite the compelling premise and likable characters, readers will have to wait for the sequel for a payoff. After a strong start, the kobold and dybbuk are relegated to the roles of Greek chorus, and the story's fascination with the real-life people who inspired the secondary characters is such that various questions concerning them are intriguing but remain unresolved in this volume. Nonetheless, this book--packed with sideways thinking, sociopolitical insights, and a Marmite-eating kangaroo named Kathy--delights. A duology opener with a truly likable hero and clever puzzling. (historical note, annotated bibliography) (Historical fiction. 8-11)

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Starred review from December 1, 2023
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* What if the Holocaust hadn't happened? What if someone had stopped it sooner? What if that someone was . . . a child? In 1939, Max Bretzfeld, a savvy 11-year-old with a penchant for radios, begrudgingly leaves his parents in Berlin as danger escalates there for German Jewish families like his. With a mischief-making kobold that appears on one shoulder and a dybbuk on the other, Max adjusts to life in London with his affluent Jewish foster family, who, thanks to connections in the British intelligence community, reluctantly help Max train to return home to infiltrate Nazi ranks as a spy. Clever Max plays the long game with determination, and his agency is refreshing. While humorous and Holocaust story aren't descriptors typically combined (unless you're Taika Waititi), those familiar with the mordant wit of Gidwitz's Newbery Honor Book and Sydney Taylor Book Award winner The Inquisitor's Tale (2016) will appreciate Gidwitz's steady gift for finding moments of levity in horrendously dark situations. This first story of the Operation Kinderspion duology ends with Max in a white-knuckle situation, and the pre-WWII tale should read well alongside adventurous youth-resistance stories like Margi Preus' Shadow on the Mountain (2012) and Shirley Hughes' Hero on a Bicycle (2013). This heartfelt historical novel explores big questions of autonomy and allegiance with an admirable protagonist readers will respect and adore.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from March 1, 2024

Gr 3-7-Gidwitz's latest is absolutely everything a reader could want in a World War II spy novel. Max is sent away from Berlin by his Jewish parents at the brink of WWII. Alone and scared, Max finds himself accompanied by two immortal and incorporeal creatures, a dybbuk and a kobold. Named Stein and Berg, these two offer comedic insights and observations in classic Gidwitz style, with sarcasm and wit in equal measure. Max must engage his full mental capacities to survive anti-Semitic bullies. He then must work his way into training to become the youngest spy for Britain, all in hopes of getting sent back to Berlin to be reunited with his parents. Brilliant, funny, and full of twists and turns that engage both the heart and the mind, this novel will have readers clamoring for the follow-up in the duology. Newbery Honoree Gidwitz is at the top of his form using humor, fantastical creatures, and in-depth research to bring this story zestfully to life. VERDICT Highly recommended for all collections serving middle grade and older readers who enjoy smartly written historical novels.-John Scott

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2024
From the moment eleven-year-old Max Bretzfeld arrives in England as a Jewish evacuee from WWII Germany (accompanied by two immortal, opinionated, and invisible-to-others creatures, a kobold and a dybbuk), his overriding desire is to return to Berlin. The preternaturally clever, resourceful Max has always protected his gentle parents, practiced as he is at anticipating the actions of bullies and staying ahead of their next moves. Who now will protect his parents from the Nazis? When he realizes that one of the men in his Jewish foster family works for British Naval Intelligence, he resolves to find a way to use that connection to be accepted as an undercover agent and sent back to Germany. Clearly, Gidwitz's (The Inquisitor's Tale, rev. 11/16) story calls for a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but the unlikely and fantastical elements are balanced by a rich and realistic depiction of WWII London, from the snobbery of life at an elite boys' school (including entrenched antisemitism) to the Blitz. Max's training as a spy is described in riveting detail, with readers rooting for the determined boy even as we know the dangers awaiting him if he passes the test. A cliffhanger ending (a sequel is promised) adds even more tension. An author's note gives more background on the historical and folkloric figures, settings, and events of the novel; an annotated bibliography is appended. Martha V. Parravano

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2024
From the moment eleven-year-old Max Bretzfeld arrives in England as a Jewish evacuee from WWII Germany (accompanied by two immortal, opinionated, and invisible-to-others creatures, a kobold and a dybbuk), his overriding desire is to return to Berlin. The preternaturally clever, resourceful Max has always protected his gentle parents, practiced as he is at anticipating the actions of bullies and staying ahead of their next moves. Who now will protect his parents from the Nazis? When he realizes that one of the men in his Jewish foster family works for British Naval Intelligence, he resolves to find a way to use that connection to be accepted as an undercover agent and sent back to Germany. Clearly, Gidwitz's (The Inquisitor's Tale, rev. 11/16) story calls for a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but the unlikely and fantastical elements are balanced by a rich and realistic depiction of WWII London, from the snobbery of life at an elite boys' school (including entrenched antisemitism) to the Blitz. Max's training as a spy is described in riveting detail, with readers rooting for the determined boy even as we know the dangers awaiting him if he passes the test. A cliffhanger ending (a sequel is promised) adds even more tension. An author's note gives more background on the historical and folkloric figures, settings, and events of the novel; an annotated bibliography is appended.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)