Gratz, Alan. War Games. Scholastic Press, 978-1-338-73610-6. $18.99. 368 p. Grades 5-8.
Evie Harris has arrived in Berlin just in time for the 1936 Olympic Games. As an American gymnast, she has the opportunity to see Germany for the first time—complete with its shiny buildings, clean streets, and ominous leader, Adolf Hitler. Little does Evie know: she is competing in Nazi Germany on the brink of World War II. Evie begins to uncover the dark truth about what is happening to Jews, the LGBTQ+ community, and any other people who the Nazis deem undesirable to exist in their society. Evie links up with two other Olympians and a reporter to steal from the Nazis in a dangerous robbery plot. When she begins to stray from this goal to pursue the gold in her Olympic event, she is brought back to the plan with a dire threat. Her choices here will have serious consequences for herself and her new friends.
THOUGHTS: Alan Gratz offers a fresh sports-fiction take on World War II. Real-life figures like Olympian Jesse Owens and Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, among others, also become compelling characters in War Games. Gratz’s signature fast pace is present to keep the pages turning, and while the chapters’ perspective is limited to one character, it doesn’t interfere at all with the intense action plot sequences driving the story forward. There are lots of sports scenes to keep readers engaged in Olympic moments, but the book is also rife with real historical events and occurrences during pre-WWII Nazi Germany. Evie witnesses prejudice and injustice against many different groups of people. Young readers still learning about WWII may also be surprised to learn that Hitler was democratically elected by the German people, even after he led the unsuccessful 1923 Beer Hall Putsch plot to overthrow the government. Using the Olympics as a setting was a brilliant choice by Gratz to introduce students to a new historical lens for Germany and WWII. Libraries will not be able to keep War Games on the shelves in the years to come—this is a must-add for any middle-level historical fiction collection, and one of Alan Gratz’s strongest works to date.
Historical Fiction
Evie isn’t like the other girls on the 1936 Team USA gymnastics team. Her family is poor and fled Oklahoma after the devastating the Dust Bowl. She didn’t have the same privileged training as her teammates, and she isn’t part of their in-crowd. But she made it to the Olympics among other top athletes like Jesse Owens, and this is her chance to make an impression and help her family rise out of poverty. With the goal of winning gold so she can become a star in Hollywood, Evie has high hopes. But her situation has caught the attention of others who want to help her strike gold too, only not in the way Evie plans. Amidst the backdrop of Nazi Germany during the Berlin Olympics, Evie is recruited to help rob the Nazis during one of the world’s biggest events. Her slight build, dexterity, and family situation are exactly why the criminals tapped her for what could be the heist of the century. But Evie wants to earn her gold. When things don’t quite go her way and Evie can’t shake her Youth Services Host Heinz, her options are running out to get the gold and help her family.
THOUGHTS: Gratz’s newest middle grade title will draw in fans of his other historical fiction as well as readers of sports fiction or compelling character driven titles. Though Gratz takes some creative liberties in developing the conflict, young readers will be engaged from the start and root for Evie to make it through every twist and turn. Knowing Gratz’s popularity, this one won’t stay on the shelf long.
Historical Fiction
Evie is in Berlin, Germany, competing on the US gymnastic team in the 1936 Olympics. Her family lives in California after escaping the Dust Bowl. She hopes that if she wins a gold medal, she can help her grieving family who is living in poverty. A mysterious journalist, aware that Evie has nothing to lose, approaches her about plans to rob a bank with a German weightlifter and French diver. Evie wonders if it is wrong to steal gold from the Nazi bank considering their oppressive actions. In addition to the dangers of the heist, how will she have the time to plan and rob the bank with her busy Olympic schedule and the scrutiny of her Services Host, who she believes is part of Hitler Youth. As she spends time in Germany, she realizes both the city and its people aren’t really what they seem.
THOUGHTS: The book isn’t just about a bank heist, it tells stories about the oppression of the Nazis. I was fascinated by the details Gratz added about the 1936 Olympics. The section at the back of the book clarifies who and what was real and the elements that Gratz created for the story. The end notes explain that while the Germans pretended to allow Jewish athletes to compete to appease the other countries, only one Jewish competitor was allowed. The book was interesting without the bank robbery plot, but I think my students will enjoy the adventure of the caper.
Historical Fiction
