New Views of World War II: Newbery Contenders That Tackle History

In our recent check-in survey several readers noted that books about World War II seem to be a bit of a trend this year. It’s a fairly common topic for children’s literature in most years, but my top four books on the subject all seem fresh and unique, either because of style, content, or both. Some (or all?) of them might be up for discussion again later during our Wednesday Roundups. And I should let you know there will be spoilers ahead (especially impactful if you haven’t read THE NIGHT WAR yet):

MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz

This was especially strong in plot and character. Max’s trip from Germany to the Montagu house, and eventually to the Tring Park training facility keep the pace quick, but not chaotic, and readers aren’t sure what’s going to happen next. Max is an interesting enough character at the beginning, and I like the way we get to know him better through his actions and through the narrative voice. Like when he uses the radio trick to make sure he gets to volunteer as a spy. (114-120). After the surprising (to everyone but Max) offer is given:

The entire family turned and stared at Max.
Max tried his very hardest not to grin.
Flick of the wrist. Cast of the fly. Hooked. (120)

The presentation of themes was strong too, and not heavy-handed. Max experiences racism and hatred from different angles. He explains his strategy with bullies to Stein and Berg and equates bullying with Nazi Germany (84). When Uncle Ewen is told that “Hitler’s a madman,” he looks a little deeper: “What about everyone else?…How in God’s name does Hitler get them all to go along with it?” (106) Max takes that in, but later, when Ewen explains propaganda to Max, but Max is a deep enough thinker to wonder about Britain’s own methods (218)

Though it reads like historical fiction, there’s a key fantasy element in the book: the “two immortal creatures living on [Max’s] shoulders,” (p 1), Stein and Berg. Their comments add humor and a different perspective. For the most part they helped Max with the way he looks at things and how he thinks, and they almost could be “figments of his imagination,” which is what he thinks at first (7). That shifts a bit when Berg helps Max get through the ominous psychological exam (276-280). He gives Max information that he couldn’t possibly have had on his own. That changed the way I thought about Max slightly: he’s no longer just a smart, brave kid trying to save his parents. He’s a kid with an extra power that will help him in the quest. I’m not sure how that changes my thinking about the book, but it was an unexpected moment. The ending is a bit of a cliff-hanger, as Max is now headed for Germany, but I felt like this first book in the duology has a complete enough story arc to stand on its own.

THE NIGHT WAR by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

Here’s another Newbery Honoree who also inserts a bit of magic into an otherwise straightforward historical fiction novel. In MAX, we learn about Stein and Berg from the start; in this book, it takes us (and Miriam) quite a while to realize that Madame Simone is a ghost. I didn’t suspect until Miriam figured it out just past the 200 page mark:

I didn’t know how to ask Madame Simone what I needed to without sounding, if I was wrong, like a lunatic or a child who still believed in fairy tales, but I knew it was time… (205)

And when Madame Simone  has explained her ghostliness, her identity is neatly revealed:

“I enjoy your company” – she cleared her throat – “very much. Mind, I still expect you to obey me.”
I swept her an extravagant curtsy. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
She grinned. “I though you’d finally guessed. It took you long enough.”
“You used to be Catherine de’ Medici,” I said. “You’re the ghost of the former queen.” (208).

As with MAX, the supernatural character helps the protagonist accomplish her dangerous missions, but I didn’t feel like that detracted from the suspense or the otherwise clear and engaging historical setting. It also brought a broader perspective of the times. Miriam tells Beatrice:

“The things that are happening now,” I said, “the war, the Nazis – someday it will be history. We’re living it, but someday it’ll all be someone’s story. The way you described Catherine, just now – she sounded like the Nazis.” (204)

This book also has strong characterizations. Miriam’s experiences and the people she interacts with make her growth from an innocent girl to someone who’s working hard to understand the complexities of human nature and decide how to act on what she learns is very convincing. Jacqueline and Beatrice are also interesting, especially in the ways that Miriam’s view of each evolves as she learns more about them.

Like MAX, this book goes beyond the obvious theme of Nazi-ism is bad. Miriam has to navigate antisemitism the whole way through, staying wary of adults she might think she can trust and other children as well. We can empathize with her struggle as she tries to decide what she should do for the child she’s trying to protect.

THE GIRL WHO SANG by Estelle Nadel

Here’s another fresh look at WWII: A graphic memoir of a Jewish girl barely surviving in Poland. Some of the most powerful moments are set up visually. In Part 1, “Innocence,” we learn about Enia’s almost ideal life in the 1930’s, with hints of the threats to come.  

Dovid and my sister were sweethearts.
We all thought they would get married.
And I thought we would be this happy forever.” (27)

That last sentence is set against a half page of white, giving it extra significance. That technique is echoed at the end of that section, just before they go into hiding: 

So we ran.
Away from Sonjia, from Tate and Moishe, from our cousins. We toward what we hoped was survival.
We never saw them again. (58-59)

This time, the last sentence is printed in white against an ominous fully black page.

Enia tells her story all the way through the resettling in America, and even offers a brief look at her adulthood when she meets someone who came over on the same ship. The later part of the book is less gripping than the first part, but I like the way we see how she not only survived against all odds, but also continued to go forward facing different challenges.

I sometimes struggle to evaluate the graphic novel format according to Newbery Criteria, and this one can be challenging in that respect. The mixture of narration and dialogue works very well, but the visual components contribute a great deal. The words were most like a memoir: reflective and telling a story that happened in the past; while the drawings brought us directly into those moments. An effective use of the format, but I’ll have to think harder about how it works as a Newbery contender.

THE ENIGMA GIRLS by Candace Fleming

This one is in the form of more traditional nonfiction, but tells such an interesting and multi-layered story. Besides being thoroughly absorbing, THE ENIGMA GIRLS excels in one key area from the Newbery Criteria: “Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization.”

It tells the true stories of several women working on codebreaking during World War II in England. We learn the girls’ individual stories and personalities to some degree. Just enough, I think, that they emerge as distinct individuals, but not so much that their biographies overwhelm the other information. And there’s a lot of other information.

Background on the war effort is smoothly woven in, with an emphasis on the espionage side of things. It’s arranged chronologically, broken down into seven broad section. As the war progresses, we get further into the individual stories and the successes and challenges of the overall activities at Bletchley Park.

There’s also a fair amount about the science of codebreaking, including brief interludes at the end of each section which go deeper into the technical side. I think some readers will delve into these, but it also works if you skim or skip and keep to the main historical narrative.

It’s a lot to keep track of, but well-organized and especially held together by the insights into the the women’s lives and thoughts. Like when Mavis sees a newsreel at a movie theater about a British naval victory:

The moviegoers cheered. In this bleak spring of 1941 – as German planes pummeled London and German U-boats torpedoed English ships in the North Sea – British citizens badly needed a morale-boosting victory. Admiral Cunningham had given it to them.
But not, Mavis knew, without the help of the Cottage.
Secretly, she glowed with pride. (106)

At the same time, we get a strong feel for the pressure they were all under and the uncertain future they faced. In one case, they failed to unravel a code in time…and six hundred people died in the bombing that followed (76-77).

This is really strong historical nonfiction. With all the different aspects of history, there’s still strong forward momentum, especially moving towards D-Day. It’s a long book (370 pages) and could be challenging for elementary age readers, but does seem accessible to middle school ages.

Though I’m looking especially hard at these four, there are other WW2 books out this year, including HEROES by Alan Gratz (historical fiction around the bombing of Pearl Harbor), UPRISING by Jennifer Nielsen, and THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE by Steve Sheinkin & Ruta Sepetys (historical fiction: more codebreakers) which comes out in early October. Please share your thoughts below on the Newbery potential of these (or any other) 2024 World War II books for kids….

Filed under: Book Discussion