Heavy Medal Mock Newbery Finalist: MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES by Adam Gidwitz
Introduction by Heavy Medal Award Committee Member Elaine Fultz
Every year, new middle-grade novels set in WW2 are published. Some might think, “Another one? Is there anything new to say?” The answer is YES! Year after year, authors craft new perspectives, characters and plots set in this time period that wow readers. Of course, it’s Adam Gidwitz (author of 2017 Newbery Honor The Inquisitor’s Tale) who spins a genre-blending story for us in 2024’s MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES.
Thus, our first Newbery criteria are met – this remarkable story is individually distinct, the setting is clearly defined, and its [excellent] interpretation of theme/concept is evident on every page. “A hundred thoughts drifted through Max’s mind. About the stories we tell ourselves. And each other. Another word for stories, Max thought, is lies.” (pg. 153)
Max is a young German Jew who is a genius with wiring especially in radios. His parents send him away on a Kinderstransport to London where he experiences bullies, including a really foul teacher, and a seemingly nice wealthy British Jewish family.
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As the plot thickens, readers will delight in page-turning to dig deeper into the story.
“[Max] had no clue that this person recognized the radio station that Max was listening to, recognized immediately that it was the Berlin broadcast, coming through loud and clear – as it couldn’t just an hour before. And Max certainly had no idea that the person listening through the door was a spy.” (pg. 36)
From the brilliant practical jokes Max executes at school to the unnerving spy tryout (interrogation), the plot development is stellar. Descriptive passages are rare, while the dialogue and abundant action are omnipresent. All the while, Max is accompanied by the folkloric creatures Stein und Berg. Berg is a kobold (from Merriam-Webster: an often mischievous domestic spirit of German folklore) and Stein is a dybbuk (from the Jewish Virtual Library: an evil spirit which enters into a living person, cleaves to his soul, causes mental illness, talks through his mouth, and represents a separate and alien personality). Gidwitz is playful with his take on these creatures of legend. As Max’s vexatious sidekicks, these two are a mashup of the shoulder angel & devil and the cantankerous but comical Muppets, Statler and Waldorf.
All the characters in this book are individually distinct and fit exactly into the 1,000 piece puzzle Gidwitz has placed before us. Since this is a novel set in WW2, the presentation of information is crucial. MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES meets this criterion, too, with flying colors.
“That’s the Haus des Rundfunks, also know as the Funkhaus. Where all of Berlin’s radio stations are broadcast from. The most important broadcasting station in Germany.” (pg. 263)
As for appropriateness of style and presentation for a young audience, the bleak story of Max’s losses is mixed with the wit of Stein und Berg, as well as Max’s hope for a future as a spy. The variety of story elements keeps a reader engaged, whether they are new to the topic of WW2, or are a connoisseur of historical fiction depicting this era.
Numerous stories about spies and codes were published in 2024. Is it children’s literature zeitgeist or something else? In the end, there is more spying to be done and deadly Nazis to defeat. Thankfully, we are promised a sequel. But first, can Gidwitz’s Max win him Newbery gold?
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!
Filed under: Book Discussion, Heavy Medal Mock
About Emily Mroczek-Bayci
Emily Mroczek (Bayci) is a freelance children’s librarian in the Chicago suburbs. She served on the 2019 Newbery committee. You can reach her at emilyrmroczek@gmail.com.
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This is one of my top contenders of the group, for many of the qualities listed above. I have long said that Newbery winners often have a very distinctive “quirk” that sets them apart from other books, and I do believe that sometimes (often?) those quirks don’t make them highly sought out or fully appreciated by their intended audience. In MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES, that distinctive feature is the existence of Berg and Stein. I was at first a bit put off by their inclusion in this book, but quickly came to fully appreciate them and believe that they made the story so much more rich and unique. They allow readers to understand Max’s motivations and feelings in an engaging fashion – for example, in Chapter 13, they help talk Max and the reader through his motivations for the pigeon prank, including a backstory that would have had to be less-effectively outlined via a flashback. They also offer a bit of comic relief in an otherwise heartbreaking tale of hardship. In a sea of similar World War II stories, this is an exemplar.
Elaine, Berg and Stein reminded me of Statler and Waldorf too!
I thought this book had a tremendous hook in its first sentences: “Once there was a boy who had two immortal creatures living on his shoulders. This was the fourth most interesting thing about him.” Immediately, you want to know the first three things!
I did not realize until I was about 30-40 pages from the end and wondering how on earth Gidwitz was going to wrap things up that this was the first of a duology; there’s a little bit of a cliffhanger, but just enough resolution that it works on its own (although I imagine most readers will be eager for the next book).
As Elaine said, there are always more WWII books – but there are also always new angles and approaches. MAX is a strong contender, but so are THE ENIGMA GIRLS and THE NIGHT WAR.
I think that this is one of the best WW2 books of many that were published this year. I am with you Elaine! Where did all this WW2 love come from and why now? Of the many that I read, I think ENIGMA GIRLS and MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES were the standouts. War novels can get very “rah rah, the Nazis are bad and the Allies were good!” Which completely erases the atrocities that Great Britain enacted, not only before but during and after WW2. I liked that we got Max’s canny perceptions as an outsider in England along with the commentary from two immortal beings that were able to provide more context.
MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES has everything the Newbery committee is looking for. Great characters, great plot, great setting. I can still vividly picture Max running across that field trying to beat Jane to the big house! I can see it and hear it and feel it! Gidwitz is a talented writer. I think where this novel fell short for me was that gosh darn ending. I listened to the audiobook and so was completely blind sided when it ended with Max parachuting into Germany. Which then leads me to wonder and contemplate… is this a complete story? Do I feel like I need another novel to finalize his character arc and show his growth? I think yes! Max learns a lot of skills in the first novel, but I don’t feel like he truly grows or changes that much. He felt incomplete as a character to me and maybe that’s because I’m still really upset about the cliff hanger, but I think it speaks to the fact that a lot of the Newbery winners are full complete stories. Yes some have sequels, but rarely do they cut off in the middle of the plot.
I also listened to the audiobook and was miffed that the story ended in the middle.
Having read the audiobook, I also wonder if readers know all along that “Chumley” is spelled Cholmondeley.
If I were on the real Newbery committee I’d definitely talk to kid readers about Berg and Stein. Were they funny or confusing? Or both? I found them entertaining at times and distracting at others. It is fascinating to me that we have two WWII stories in 2024 with a strange, supernatural companion. In THE NIGHT WAR it’s a ghost, who I thought could also be considered a guardian angel or imaginary friend. Very similar in lots of ways to Berg and Stein.
No to the Chumley / Cholmondeley spelling. It is spelled Chumley throughout the book ;0
I believe MAX IN THE HOUSE OF THE SPIES is a top 5 contender for the 2025 Newbery 2025.
WWII is the subject of many books this year. Specifically, spy and code-breaking themes are making a mark in outstanding books of 2024 with THE ENIGMA GIRLS ( Fleming, nonfiction) and THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE (Sepetys/ Sheinkin, fiction.) Even in that specialized niche, MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES is distinct and unique and merits award discussion.
Gidwitz provides an engaging WWII story that immerses the reader in the distinct and tension-filled settings of Berlin, Germany, and London, England. The complex history is accessible to young readers, even if they aren’t familiar with it. Max is a complex, likable character with resilience. As a Jewish child in the center of Nazi Germany, readers experience the first-person narrative voice of Max as he experiences religious persecution, community conflict, violence, human rights violations, separation from his family, and displacement to a foreign country. Max experiences grief and the frustration of being a child in a very adult conflict, a feeling that is universal to kids at any time in history.
Adam Gidwitz has creative, distinct writing. He brings a darker Grimms Fairy Tale quality to his books, which honors the origin of magical realism found in classical cultural folklore. This element is introduced early in the plot when Max is sent (against his will,) to London and is joined by colorful companions – Berg (kobold/German folklore) and Stein (dybbuk/Jewish folklore.) The mischievous, ancient shoulder-dwellers provide a fun framework for Max’s character development. The playful quality of Berg and Stein is cleverly interwoven into the fast-paced and suspenseful plot. Emotionally charged moments that help drive characterization are often paired with humor, and I alternated between holding my breath and laughing out loud. The pigeons on the pitch scenario in Chapters 11 and 12 are a great example of this innovative pacing that is compelling for middle-grade readers.
Magical realism is also prevalent in 2024 and appeals to growing young readers grades 3+. My favorites in this category are THE SECRET LIBRARY and THE COLOR OF SOUND. With Berg and Stein, MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES has achieved something unique for this elementary to middle school reading age.
When they meet, Max realizes that his communication with them is invisible and unheard by others. “Max said, ‘You mean you are going to be on my shoulders for the rest of my life? The boy fixing his laces apparently didn’t hear Max say this. Somehow. As if this conversation was happening on some different plane of reality. ” ‘Don’t worry,’ Berg assured him, ‘I plan to return to Germany as soon as the Nazis leave. Which should happen pretty soon? Three hundred years? Five hundred years at the very most.’ ‘Yeah, Stein agreed, ‘you humans can’t focus on anything more than a few centuries. You’re like toddlers.’ ” (p11)
Much like in THE COLOR OF SOUND, readers are given a brief framework to accept the alternate timeline and role of these magical characters. They drive some of the plot and provide humor as characters who see the much bigger picture and connect with historical players Max meets. Initially, they are advisors. A great example is during the London Blitz on page 99:
“BOOM! Max was knocked back a step. Smoke billowed up over the buildings. The angry buzzing would not stop. The low grey clouds were lit from below by sudden fires. ‘Excuse me, Max,’ said a voice from his right shoulder. ‘We, being ancient and immortal creatures, cannot die.’ Max stared out the door at a new world. ‘You, being a twelve-year-old boy, are made of very delicate flesh and bones that snap like dry grass when they are hit by a bomb, or shrapnel or flying bricks.’ Buzzing, burning, bursting- framed by an ornate mahogany doorway. ‘What my good friend Berg is trying to say, ‘ Stein added, ‘is close the door, you granite-headed dope!'”
As the story develops and Max grows, they become more aligned in their thinking and bravery in facing danger. You see this at a critical point near the end of the book. “Ten minutes to drop point. Johnny Jameson gave the map a thumps-up ‘Righo!'” “WRONGO! THIS IS WRONGO! Berg screamed. Max agreed.” (p293)
Significantly, historical WWII people and events are sprinkled throughout the book. For example, Max meets Victor Rothschild, a German-Jewish banking dynasty family member who became a senior officer in the WWII British counter-espionage service, MI5. His home, Tring Park, is the setting for spy training. This is an example of the descriptive language and fun dialogue that links historical fact with fictional elements that move the story:
“The man was no more than thirty, with a thick shock of curly hair that was standing on end, and he wore a suit that had probably been brown tweed a moment ago but would now have to be sold as ‘charcoal.’ He straightened, looked up at the sky, took one more deep heave, and exhaled like a truck starting. Then he wiped some of the soot from his face and said, “Good morning!’… “‘Max,’ said Jean with a new air of solemnity, ‘say hello to our expert in explosives, sabotage, and clandestine devices-and, also our gracious host, Lord Rothschild.” And that was how Max met the richest man in the world.” There are also interactions with key leaders, including Winston Churchill, who evaluates Max as a child spy candidate.
As Max receives training and grows, his internal narrative is grounded by quiet remembrances of his father, a watchmaker. That internal dialogue is always in italics and provides an insight into Max’s motivations and focus. A good example is on page 180:
” ‘When you look at the whole thing, Max,’ his father said, ‘it looks impossible, But each step is simple. The only difficult thing is focusing on each step. ‘ His father looked up from the watch pieces and through his thick spectacles at Max. ‘If you can focus on what you need to do right now, and not worry about what you have to do next, everything in life is easy.” I thought, is this didactic? And then realized that this becomes a part of the books organization- helping the reader to understand Max’s thinking, choices and emotional motivations.
While the first book is a duology, MAX AND THE HOUSE OF SPIES stands on its own for subject matter interest, strong storytelling, and literary quality. It tackles historical issues and addresses issues relevant to kids, such as bullying and cultural differences. The quality and strength of the book are the interpretations of all literary elements that work together.
I read this book three times: the ARC over the summer and in November. I liked it better every read for the tiny details. I understand that there is discussion about the ending. For me the frustration was that it was so good, I was not ready for it to end. I did not feel that it was incomplete. Like Kwame Alexanders THE DOOR OF NO RETURN (2023 HMAC finalist) and BLACK STAR (2024) these books carry the characters through independent stores. It remains in my TOP BOOKS OF 2024 and merits a place in the final 5 HMAC discussion.
On a final note: while the second book cannot shape a discussion of the merits of MAX IN THE HOUSE OF SPIES, I was a lucky ARC reader of the second book in the duology MAX IN THE LAND OF LIES (Feb 2025.) It is different, unexpected, EXCELLENT, and stands independently- I think you will likely see it in these discussions next year, for different but equally strong reasons.
Youth Reviewer 5 stars!
As usual I will start with what I consider the finer points of the book.
The lead is fantastic… it clearly makes the reader want to read more. Stein and Berg are quite funny and do provide comic relief.
There were some really deep aspects of the book like a memory Max had with his father starting on page 180. They were talking about the overwhelming process of fixing a watch and his dad just had him focus on one small step at a time. Great life lesson! I also found the conversation about propaganda and lying starting on page 216 to be quite timely and applied to both sides then (and now).
Unfortunately the blend of fantasy, humor, adventure, and historical fiction didn’t work for me. While I can appreciate the introduction of a dybbuk and kobold from a cultural aspect and that they did make for some humorous scenes, I felt that they detracted from the historical and suspenseful aspect of the book. It just didn’t feel even to me. I would rather have had a book set in a different time and place with them because they were funny.
I was also kind of annoyed when the 2 characters were both referred to as kobolds on page 32.
I know Jenny commented that the resolution worked okay in the book, even with a sequel coming, but I felt totally the opposite. It was such an abrupt ending and I was left disappointed.
I did like the book better the second time around and found more to appreciate, but it doesn’t rise to the top for me.
I agree with your opinions on this one, Julie. It was especially frustrating near the end, when Max was being interviewed by Dr. Brown – narratively speaking, it felt like Max should have succeeded there via a culmination of things he learned during his training, to demonstrate the growth he had over the course of the book, but it ended up being “and then magic happened” in the form of Berg’s knowledge.
Yes! I hadn’t realized how much that scene bothered me until you pointed it out, Brian! I didn’t love that it was a Kobold Ex Machina. I also felt like Max didn’t really learn that much. He still bull-headedly wants to go rescue his parents without thinking through any of the very real world consequences that all of his spy trainers have tried so hard to teach him.
I loved this one so much! I think it is a really strong contender for a nod from the Newbery Committee this year for all the reasons laid out by my fellow committee members. I thought Gidwitz did a really excellent job of making Max’s spy training realistic for a boy of his age. I thought that the inclusion of Stein and Berg actually helped to keep this book within the middle grade sphere. The subject matter could have gotten quite dark but Stein and Berg help to infuse a little bit of humor where needed.
I consider this text a strong contender as well. Plot is very well constructed, ducking in and out of historical moments while also establishing a truly engaging narrative arc. I think a lot will be said about the ending, which is quite abrupt, but I think for this particular text it works. It is completely open-ended and doesn’t feel as if it is too neatly wrapped up or contrived. Characterization is fascinating in this book! Characters (with exception of Max) are not particularly round. In fact, most of the supporting characters have these larger-than-life characteristics (did anyone else get a Monty Python or Gilbert and Sullivan vibe?). In a book that is realistic in nature, this is hard for the reader suspend-disbelief. But because Gidwitz works in some magical realism elements, this works very well and actually adds to the overall tone and feel of this world he has built for us.
The last thing I want to mention is that Gidwitz is masterful here about bringing in important topics or themes without sacrificing the story. It never feels heavy handed when the characters discuss issues of nationalism, racism or propaganda. It blends in beautifully with the story elements and some careful readers will even be able to make contemporary connections.