Publishers Weekly
03/14/2022
Nielsen (Words on Fire) presents a history of WWI from the perspectives of five young people—each representing an empire of that era—whose stories slowly converge. Opening with Austro-Hungarian Felix Baum, a Jewish 12-year-old who witnesses the June 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand, the novel quickly introduces 11-year-old Elsa Dressler, daughter of a German major, and continues with the experiences of Kara Webb, a British nurse’s daughter working with her mother on a Red Cross ambulance train. Kara eventually crosses paths with Juliette Caron, a French girl separated from her family, who hopes to get her father released from prison. When Juliette finds wounded Russian Dimitri Petrenko, 14, she tends to his injuries until he can return to his company. The engrossing plot abounds with necessary, if just-credible, coincidences that build connections between the five as they live through battles, bombings, and occupations—each one growing in courage and compassion while maturing over four years of wartime. All characters cue as white. An author’s note contextualizes WWI’s beginnings. Ages 8–12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (May)
From the Publisher
Praise for Words on Fire:
* "Gripping... Audra's story deserves a place on the shelf next to Lois Lowry's Number the Stars and Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief." — Booklist, starred review
"[This] adventure about a little-known place and time... delivers action and suspense." — Kirkus Reviews
"There is much on offer in this novel: family love, patriotism, magic, and the importance of books... Highly recommended." — School Library Connection
Praise for Resistance:
A Sydney Taylor Notable Book
"The edge-of-your-seat climax places readers amidst the gritty, horrifying street battles of the Warsaw Ghetto and pays tribute to those who sacrificed themselves so others would live... Historical fiction at its finest, this informs, enlightens, and engages young readers." — School Library Journal
"Highlight[s] moments of resistance via cinematic action sequences." — Kirkus Reviews
"Suspense mounts continually as Chaya survives her ordeals, gaining strength and faith in her mission. The courage and self-sacrifice of many characters is inspiring." — Publishers Weekly
"Fast-paced and suspenseful." — School Library Connection
Praise for A Night Divided:
ILA-CBC Children's Choices List selection
"Absorbing and deeply suspenseful, with plenty of ticking-clock tension... an eye-opening glimpse of history." — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A marvelously crafted historical novel about courage, perseverance and the will to survive, A Night Divided excels in every regard." — Reading Eagle
"Distinct supporting characters... demonstrate the harrowing choices people made to survive, encouraging readers to consider what they would have done if fate and history had cast them into the story... The novel's strong setting and tense climax will keep readers engrossed and holding their breath until the last page." — School Library Journal
"History buffs will drool over the magnificently told tale, but even reluctant readers will become immersed in the tension-filled exploits." — Voice of Youth Advocates
"Like Anne Frank before her, Gerta is small but mighty, a hardheaded heroine who dreams up big ideas and refuses to give up in the face of adversity and danger." — Publishers Weekly
Praise for the Ascendance Trilogy:
A New York Times Notable Children's Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Chicago Public Library "Best of the Best" Children's Book
A Cybils Award Winner
* "An impressive, promising story." — Publishers Weekly, starred review
"[A] pageturner." — New York Times Book Review
"Sage proves to be a compelling character whose sharp mind and shrewd self-possession will make readers eager to follow him into a sequel." — The Wall Street Journal
"A swashbuckling origin story..." — Los Angeles Times
"A fast-paced and thrilling read with twists and turns that never let up." — School Library Journal
"Gripping." — Kirkus Reviews
"Should appeal to fans of... Suzanne Collins... [A] surefire mix of adventure, mystery, and suspense." — The Horn Book
Kirkus Reviews
2021-12-15
Five teenagers from across Europe lead coincidentally intersecting lives during World War I.
The day that 12-year-old Felix witnesses the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, everything changes. His father goes to war, and Felix loses the relative safety afforded to Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His city is invaded by imperial Russia, and the Jews and Roma of Lemberg might be shipped to internment camps. With the help of Elsa, a German girl, Felix and his mother escape. Though they go their separate ways, Felix and Elsa will meet again, along with British Kara, French Juliette, and Russian Dimitri. Kara wants to be a doctor and works as an orderly on a Red Cross train, Juliette seeks her lost family, and Dimitri is a miserable soldier in the trenches. The chain of coincidences that repeatedly bring these teens into each other’s lives is increasingly improbable until they resolve five years later, on the last day of the war to end all wars. While the events are packed with historical facts, the overall framing feels ahistorical: the British are kind, competent rescuers; to be a good German requires being opposed to one’s countrymen; and a Russian sees “freedom” from both the tsar and Lenin in the land-mined French countryside.
Adventures across a massive war and pandemic make for a tidy tribute to common understanding. (author’s note) (Historical fiction. 10-13)
