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Guardian Angel
Thirteen-year-old Markus has good friends, loving parents, and a strong need for more in life. When the A-list kids in his social-studies class ask him to work with them on their Holocaust project, he jumps at the chance, but he suspects that they just want to exploit his German grandmother, who was in Auschwitz during the war. He wrestles with his grandmother's reluctance to talk about the past, his mother's strange behavior, and his friends' and classmates' demands. Then long hidden and mysterious secrets from the past begin to surface, and they turn his world upside down. Markus must come to a new understanding of the very concept of truth.
252 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2013
1 person is currently reading
307 people want to read
About the author
William McCauley
1 book12 followersI was born and grew up in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC, in a delightful little town called Vienna. My B.A. in German and M.A. in English are from George Mason University, and at the ripe old age of 29 I "ran away from home" to do doctoral work in linguistics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. After two years, my Wanderlust attacked again, and I trekked on down to Miami, FL, where I did more doctoral work at the University of Miami. Then the powers that be at The German School Washington, where I had taught English for six years, tracked me down and asked me to come back. That brought me back to the DC area, where I taught at the German School for another eighteen years. I finished my career in education at the end of school year 14-15, retiring after ten years as a Gifted and Talented Education specialist with Howard County Public Schools in Maryland.
As a kid, I was a bookworm nerd - I was NEVER far from a pile of books! This led to my love of storytelling, and my longtime work as an English teacher helped me to recognize and value quality literature. Because I work at a middle school (grades 6-8), when I started writing, it was natural for me to concentrate on this age level.
I'm passionate about animals and animal rights. As a vegan, I don't eat, drink, or wear anything that comes from animals. I won't use products (shampoo, deodorant, etc.) that have been tested on animals. I would never go to a circus that features animal acts. I don't believe that animals were put on earth for our entertainment, exploitation, or consumption.
I care deeply about nature. There is no doubt in my mind that all of nature is connected and interwoven, and one small change or act of damage done here can have rippling ramifications everywhere else. My love of nature was a natural precursor to my veganism.
Having grown up in the '60s, I wear my liberal badge proudly. This means that I always have fought, and always will fight, for equality for all. I've marched for African-American rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights. I admire the Wiccan rede: "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will." I also feel drawn to the eastern concept of ahimsa: refraining from doing harm.
Ever since I was a little kid, I've been obsessed with languages. The only one I speak pretty fluently besides English is German, but I'm happily conversational in French and Spanish, and I'm working on modern Greek. I also had two years of college Russian, and I've studied Dutch and Italian on my own.
Last but certainly not least, I care about my students. I remember navigating the turbulent waters of middle school, and I notice the metaphorical sea-sickness in many of their faces. If I, as a teacher and writer, can do anything to help them through this storm, I'm there for them.
I can't imagine writing without weaving in some of my passions. My first book, Guardian Angel, deals with the struggle young people often have to understand that beast of a concept called "the truth." My current project, Revenge, will draw heavily on my knowledge and activity in animal rights. But hopefully it will also be a page-turner!
As a kid, I was a bookworm nerd - I was NEVER far from a pile of books! This led to my love of storytelling, and my longtime work as an English teacher helped me to recognize and value quality literature. Because I work at a middle school (grades 6-8), when I started writing, it was natural for me to concentrate on this age level.
I'm passionate about animals and animal rights. As a vegan, I don't eat, drink, or wear anything that comes from animals. I won't use products (shampoo, deodorant, etc.) that have been tested on animals. I would never go to a circus that features animal acts. I don't believe that animals were put on earth for our entertainment, exploitation, or consumption.
I care deeply about nature. There is no doubt in my mind that all of nature is connected and interwoven, and one small change or act of damage done here can have rippling ramifications everywhere else. My love of nature was a natural precursor to my veganism.
Having grown up in the '60s, I wear my liberal badge proudly. This means that I always have fought, and always will fight, for equality for all. I've marched for African-American rights, women's rights, and LGBT rights. I admire the Wiccan rede: "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will." I also feel drawn to the eastern concept of ahimsa: refraining from doing harm.
Ever since I was a little kid, I've been obsessed with languages. The only one I speak pretty fluently besides English is German, but I'm happily conversational in French and Spanish, and I'm working on modern Greek. I also had two years of college Russian, and I've studied Dutch and Italian on my own.
Last but certainly not least, I care about my students. I remember navigating the turbulent waters of middle school, and I notice the metaphorical sea-sickness in many of their faces. If I, as a teacher and writer, can do anything to help them through this storm, I'm there for them.
I can't imagine writing without weaving in some of my passions. My first book, Guardian Angel, deals with the struggle young people often have to understand that beast of a concept called "the truth." My current project, Revenge, will draw heavily on my knowledge and activity in animal rights. But hopefully it will also be a page-turner!
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June 1, 2013This is my book, so I won't rate it. (Needless to say, I like it. :-)) Thirteen-year-old Markus Simmons wants so badly to move into the A-list group of kids at school. He sees his chance when they approach him to work with him on their Holocaust project for social studies class. He suspects, though, that their main goal is to gain access to his ailing grandmother, who was in Auschwitz during World War II. She violently refuses to discuss her time in the camp, and he's torn because he knows he shouldn't press her, but he wants so badly to improve his social status.
Then someone in the class announces that he's a Holocaust denier, claiming that the whole thing was staged by the Jews to gain sympathy. Markus goes ballistic, and things just spiral downward when someone from the past appears and makes unthinkable accusations against his grandmother.
Things go from bad to worse when mysterious secrets from the past surface that turn Markus's world upside-down. He has to come to a totally new understanding of the concept of "truth."
Then someone in the class announces that he's a Holocaust denier, claiming that the whole thing was staged by the Jews to gain sympathy. Markus goes ballistic, and things just spiral downward when someone from the past appears and makes unthinkable accusations against his grandmother.
Things go from bad to worse when mysterious secrets from the past surface that turn Markus's world upside-down. He has to come to a totally new understanding of the concept of "truth."
November 1, 2013
I won/received this book through Goodreads.
Amazing book! I love it! I will be handing it off to my kids and grandmother alike to read! Well written and kept me guessing what was really going to happen. I love that it teaches such a wonderful lesson-- just because you have been given a label, it doesn't have to define who you really are. Things aren't always cut and dry... truth is in the eye of the beholders. Great read! Highly recommended to young and old alike!
Amazing book! I love it! I will be handing it off to my kids and grandmother alike to read! Well written and kept me guessing what was really going to happen. I love that it teaches such a wonderful lesson-- just because you have been given a label, it doesn't have to define who you really are. Things aren't always cut and dry... truth is in the eye of the beholders. Great read! Highly recommended to young and old alike!
August 1, 2013
What a nightmare. I could not imagine going through any of this. What must have been going through Oma's mind to do what she did? This book was amazing! Kept me guessing and I still got it wrong in the end. Never saw it coming. A Holocaust must read!
June 19, 2013
Awesome book! It had a unexpected twist at the end. I would recommend it to any young adult looking to learn more about Holocaust survivors. Way to go, McCauley!!
August 14, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and didn't want to put it down once I started. Loved the twists that I did not see coming!
August 30, 2013
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
April 15, 2018
3.5 Stars
To date, thirteen year old Markus has never had a strong interest in hearing his Oma's (grandmother) stories regarding her Holocaust experiences. She's never gone into much detail about that time in her life anyway, tending to hesitate or change the subject whenever the topic is broached. But when three of the most popular kids in school ask him to team up with them on their Holocaust project, Markus is suddenly looking at Oma in a new light! Being a newly minted teenager, Markus has been having a tough time on the puberty front. Already battling through years of ridicule for being a ginger, now he's got the fun of voice cracking on top of that. But if he gets in with the popular kids, his school rep might have a chance at being saved.
He runs into a problem though: when Markus approaches her to start what he believes will be a series of in-depth sit-down conversations, his grandmother is now tight-lipped. In fact, Markus is shocked at her downright violent response when he puts forth a question about Auschwitz.
Some days later, when Markus informs Oma that one of his classmates is planning on doing a denier stance (arguing that it never happened) on the Holocaust, she decides it's time to face these skeptics once and for all and share her story. Additionally, Markus finds an online support group for Holocaust survivors and gets the idea that he might be able to track someone down who knew Oma (Sarah Goldberg) during that time, offering additional support & credence to the details of her account.
Things get progressively more and more sticky the more time Markus spends on the online support group. His inquiries get a hit and culminate in the arrival of a mystery man who shows up at the nursing home where Sarah lives, claiming he definitely remembers her from Auschwitz. This progresses into the US Justice Department getting wind of this meeting and sending federal agents out to investigate. Now the agents are suspicious that Sarah is hiding some incriminating truths about her past. Because there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, these are serious allegations indeed. Soon enough, the media gets involved, which then leads to protestors parking themselves outside the nursing home, picketing and yelling that their good town is harboring war criminals!
It is at this point in the story that the reader, through the actions being described to them, is asked to ponder on the dangers of history repeating itself, the potential ruination that can come to a person's life if you put more faith in what you HEAR versus what you KNOW to be true. These scenes also offer strong social commentary on the power of media in general, a topic that is all too relevant in todays' world! Think about it, how much spin is put on the news stories being presented to you? What facts are conveniently left out to further one side's agenda? What's the possibly irreparable damage someone's life might suffer as a result of this selective presentation of facts?
After awhile, Oma Sarah has just had enough. All of a sudden she takes on this mood of "Fine, you want to know the story, HERE IT IS" and just lays everything out there. Getting her number tattoo. How her face became permanent scarred on one side. Why all the secrets and shadiness around her story.... the last 50 pages or so of this book felt just chock full of twists and turns and revelations!
There may be readers that don't agree with or aren't satisfied with the truth of Oma's story, the decisions she made that helped her to survive. Still, her story brings forth an important message that all readers will benefit to take in. It's presented with a Holocaust theme, but the reader can connect with it a number of different ways... and that's the topic of how we personally identify ourselves (or what we identify with) and the complexity of that. The lifelong journey behind it. Oma explains to readers that an identification number is just that --- a number --- it does NOT define your soul's identity. You are an individual, full of unique dreams, goals, interests, loves... not a number forced upon you with the calculated intent to make you feel blurred, lost in a crowd, easily forgettable. As one line in the book says, "It's what we DO with our lives that gives us identity."
I saw some similarities in theme and feel between this book and The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, mostly through the involvement of a teen getting to know their Holocaust-surviving grandmother on a much deeper level. Though both novels might incorporated similar themes and settings, they are each unique in their storytelling presentation.
I struggled some with connecting with Markus, particularly with the way he treated his "uncool" friends -- a gay guy and a black girl. I was definitely taken aback with his comment about his female friend, "I defended her and her stout behind all these years."... whoa, wait, so did he think he was doing them a FAVOR, being a friend to "the gay guy and the token black girl"... what was that about?! Speaking of the kids in this book, I was a little disappointed with the dialogue in general. The story is supposed to take place in a modern day school setting for the most part, but the choice of wording for the school kids had them sounding more like some 1970s kids movie rather than today's world. Outside of the school setting though, Markus and his mother had a very sweet, lighthearted mother-son banter between them that was fun to read.
A note to parents and educators: though this is marketed to the middle-grade and YA reader, there is healthy dose of profanity throughout the book, so you may want to do a discretionary read-through if you have concerns about such things.
FTC Disclaimer: Reading Addiction Book Tours kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
To date, thirteen year old Markus has never had a strong interest in hearing his Oma's (grandmother) stories regarding her Holocaust experiences. She's never gone into much detail about that time in her life anyway, tending to hesitate or change the subject whenever the topic is broached. But when three of the most popular kids in school ask him to team up with them on their Holocaust project, Markus is suddenly looking at Oma in a new light! Being a newly minted teenager, Markus has been having a tough time on the puberty front. Already battling through years of ridicule for being a ginger, now he's got the fun of voice cracking on top of that. But if he gets in with the popular kids, his school rep might have a chance at being saved.
He runs into a problem though: when Markus approaches her to start what he believes will be a series of in-depth sit-down conversations, his grandmother is now tight-lipped. In fact, Markus is shocked at her downright violent response when he puts forth a question about Auschwitz.
Some days later, when Markus informs Oma that one of his classmates is planning on doing a denier stance (arguing that it never happened) on the Holocaust, she decides it's time to face these skeptics once and for all and share her story. Additionally, Markus finds an online support group for Holocaust survivors and gets the idea that he might be able to track someone down who knew Oma (Sarah Goldberg) during that time, offering additional support & credence to the details of her account.
Things get progressively more and more sticky the more time Markus spends on the online support group. His inquiries get a hit and culminate in the arrival of a mystery man who shows up at the nursing home where Sarah lives, claiming he definitely remembers her from Auschwitz. This progresses into the US Justice Department getting wind of this meeting and sending federal agents out to investigate. Now the agents are suspicious that Sarah is hiding some incriminating truths about her past. Because there is no statute of limitations on war crimes, these are serious allegations indeed. Soon enough, the media gets involved, which then leads to protestors parking themselves outside the nursing home, picketing and yelling that their good town is harboring war criminals!
It is at this point in the story that the reader, through the actions being described to them, is asked to ponder on the dangers of history repeating itself, the potential ruination that can come to a person's life if you put more faith in what you HEAR versus what you KNOW to be true. These scenes also offer strong social commentary on the power of media in general, a topic that is all too relevant in todays' world! Think about it, how much spin is put on the news stories being presented to you? What facts are conveniently left out to further one side's agenda? What's the possibly irreparable damage someone's life might suffer as a result of this selective presentation of facts?
After awhile, Oma Sarah has just had enough. All of a sudden she takes on this mood of "Fine, you want to know the story, HERE IT IS" and just lays everything out there. Getting her number tattoo. How her face became permanent scarred on one side. Why all the secrets and shadiness around her story.... the last 50 pages or so of this book felt just chock full of twists and turns and revelations!
There may be readers that don't agree with or aren't satisfied with the truth of Oma's story, the decisions she made that helped her to survive. Still, her story brings forth an important message that all readers will benefit to take in. It's presented with a Holocaust theme, but the reader can connect with it a number of different ways... and that's the topic of how we personally identify ourselves (or what we identify with) and the complexity of that. The lifelong journey behind it. Oma explains to readers that an identification number is just that --- a number --- it does NOT define your soul's identity. You are an individual, full of unique dreams, goals, interests, loves... not a number forced upon you with the calculated intent to make you feel blurred, lost in a crowd, easily forgettable. As one line in the book says, "It's what we DO with our lives that gives us identity."
I saw some similarities in theme and feel between this book and The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen, mostly through the involvement of a teen getting to know their Holocaust-surviving grandmother on a much deeper level. Though both novels might incorporated similar themes and settings, they are each unique in their storytelling presentation.
I struggled some with connecting with Markus, particularly with the way he treated his "uncool" friends -- a gay guy and a black girl. I was definitely taken aback with his comment about his female friend, "I defended her and her stout behind all these years."... whoa, wait, so did he think he was doing them a FAVOR, being a friend to "the gay guy and the token black girl"... what was that about?! Speaking of the kids in this book, I was a little disappointed with the dialogue in general. The story is supposed to take place in a modern day school setting for the most part, but the choice of wording for the school kids had them sounding more like some 1970s kids movie rather than today's world. Outside of the school setting though, Markus and his mother had a very sweet, lighthearted mother-son banter between them that was fun to read.
A note to parents and educators: though this is marketed to the middle-grade and YA reader, there is healthy dose of profanity throughout the book, so you may want to do a discretionary read-through if you have concerns about such things.
FTC Disclaimer: Reading Addiction Book Tours kindly provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions above are entirely my own.
January 1, 2014
This story was touching and really hit home with me. A definite must read.
August 30, 2017
Now this book may be aimed at a much younger audience than myself but in my opinion Guardian Angel is a book that has a story to tell that will appeal to any age.
I have read several books based on/in around the holocaust this one gives it a personal feel. Told from a young boy’s view. Marky is thirteen, they have been given a project in school on the holocaust subject. When the ‘cool’ kids suddenly want him to join their group so they can research together he thinks all his birthday’s have come at once, neglecting his best friends in the process he agrees. It soon becomes obvious to him that they only want the info gleaned from his ‘OMA’ (grandmother) she was in the Auschwitz camp so her story would be priceless.
Oma is old and sick, she refuses to talk about the past but Marky is young and keen and keeps pushing, little does he know what may transpire if he keeps meddling.
This is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching in equal measures. The raw, grim existence that the occupants of the camps had to endure, it’s not an easy book to read but covers history extremely well. It also shows the pure love and selflessness of some human spirit.
If you take anything from this book it should be nothing is as clear cut as it first may appear. Give each person a chance to explain, you never know what battles some people are going through.
There are multi-layers of story involving family, friends and strangers but all becomes clear at the end .. an end I wasn’t expecting but it finalised the book in a good way for me.
William McCauley has produced an entertaining story and has manged to cover a lot of ground in a fairly short amount of space. This held my attention throughout and is definitely one worth reading.
Thanks to the author and RABT for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
I have read several books based on/in around the holocaust this one gives it a personal feel. Told from a young boy’s view. Marky is thirteen, they have been given a project in school on the holocaust subject. When the ‘cool’ kids suddenly want him to join their group so they can research together he thinks all his birthday’s have come at once, neglecting his best friends in the process he agrees. It soon becomes obvious to him that they only want the info gleaned from his ‘OMA’ (grandmother) she was in the Auschwitz camp so her story would be priceless.
Oma is old and sick, she refuses to talk about the past but Marky is young and keen and keeps pushing, little does he know what may transpire if he keeps meddling.
This is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching in equal measures. The raw, grim existence that the occupants of the camps had to endure, it’s not an easy book to read but covers history extremely well. It also shows the pure love and selflessness of some human spirit.
If you take anything from this book it should be nothing is as clear cut as it first may appear. Give each person a chance to explain, you never know what battles some people are going through.
There are multi-layers of story involving family, friends and strangers but all becomes clear at the end .. an end I wasn’t expecting but it finalised the book in a good way for me.
William McCauley has produced an entertaining story and has manged to cover a lot of ground in a fairly short amount of space. This held my attention throughout and is definitely one worth reading.
Thanks to the author and RABT for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
August 28, 2017
Markus has been giving a school Holocaust project and it seems the cool kids want his help. Well, he knows that they really want his Grandma Oma’s help. Oma was in Auschwitz and could give a firsthand account of what happened but she is refusing to talk. Then it seems someone has recognized her as a guard and Markus has his world ripped apart. How could his Grandmother be a Nazi with everything that they did to the Jews? Now Markus is embarrassed and trying to cope with the news, but there are many more surprised to this story.
There are many books out there on the Holocaust geared to young adults. But I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. There is no much more to the Holocaust than just Nazi’s torturing and killing Jews. Guardian Angel explores the grey areas of the concentrations camps. That there is so much more to this history than we first see and it was refreshing to watch Markus go through the wide spectrum of emotions as he realizes there are many more truths than what we read in the history books.
This is a remarkable story and one that shows that there is so much more to history than we first see. I think this should be a required reading for mid-graders to adults. It is heartbreaking yet warming at the same time. I admit that I didn’t get through it without shedding some tears at a couple points.
I received Guardian Angel from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
There are many books out there on the Holocaust geared to young adults. But I have to say that I really enjoyed this one. There is no much more to the Holocaust than just Nazi’s torturing and killing Jews. Guardian Angel explores the grey areas of the concentrations camps. That there is so much more to this history than we first see and it was refreshing to watch Markus go through the wide spectrum of emotions as he realizes there are many more truths than what we read in the history books.
This is a remarkable story and one that shows that there is so much more to history than we first see. I think this should be a required reading for mid-graders to adults. It is heartbreaking yet warming at the same time. I admit that I didn’t get through it without shedding some tears at a couple points.
I received Guardian Angel from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
September 8, 2017
This novel is deep and thought provoking. It is young adult but is very emotional and has a strong tie to Historic events.
There are an abundance of great themes throughout this novel and it is a very powerful read. This novel was quite brutal in its honesty.
I liked the way the author showed how some of the themes from back in that horrible time are still present today.
That being said, there is a light hope that manages to shine through.
One thing I noticed with this novel is that the beginning and even middle was a bit slower moving than the end. I wish that the pace would have been a little bit more even throughout.
There are an abundance of great themes throughout this novel and it is a very powerful read. This novel was quite brutal in its honesty.
I liked the way the author showed how some of the themes from back in that horrible time are still present today.
That being said, there is a light hope that manages to shine through.
One thing I noticed with this novel is that the beginning and even middle was a bit slower moving than the end. I wish that the pace would have been a little bit more even throughout.
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