From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes an action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller that asks what it would be like to wake up in present-day America if Germany had won World War II.
Henry, Frances, and Lukas are neighbors, and they used to be best friends. But in middle school, things can change fast—Frances has become an emo art-girl, Lukas has gone full sports bro, and Henry has gone sort of nowhere. But when a dead gerbil brings them together again, the three ex-friends make an impossible discovery: a radio buried in Henry’s backyard that allows them to talk to another group of kids in the same town…on the same street…in the same backyard…seventy-nine years in the past.
The kids in 1944 want to know all about the future: are there jetpacks? Laser guns? Teleportation? Most of all, they want to know about the outcome of the war their dads and brothers are fighting in. Henry and his friends are cautious—they’ve all seen movies about what happens when you disrupt the fabric of time—but figure there’s no harm in telling them a little bit, just enough so they can stop worrying so much. And, at first, everything seems fine. Nothing’s changed—well, nothing so big they can’t contain it, anyway.
Until Henry, Frances, and Lukas wake up on May 6, 2024, to an America ruled by Nazis. They changed history. And now it’s up to them to change it back.
*Warning! Upon finishing this book, you will experience an urgent desire to read more historical fiction!* Six kids, three from 2023, three from 1944. They unexpectedly make contact with each other across the decades, after discovering a radio that appears to be broken at first glance. When a cardinal rule of time-travel is broken (“don’t tell what you know about the future”), it puts literally the entire world in danger of being ruled by Nazi Germany forever. Because when time-travel rules are ignored, sometimes the bad guys win… Great introduction to history for middle-grade readers! If this had been released when I was a kid, I would have devoured it, more than once! As an adult, I found it difficult to put down! My only complaint is that two of the characters, both boys, have names that begin with L, Lawrence and Lukas. I found it a bit difficult to keep them straight while reading. Just a small annoyance; I really enjoyed this book. Can’t wait for the next one in the series! *Update 8/30/25* Great reading this the second time around; a bit easier in hardcover because I could flip pages if I was confused about something. That’s much trickier to do on a Kindle! Moving right on to the sequel now; housework, phooey!
“I think about that all the time. That exact minute. All of history can hinge on a single minute, on one dumb decision.”
It has been awhile since I've read a dystopian middle grade read. It is a chilling notion to think about the consequences and the fate of our world had the tide of World War II shifted in another direction. A precedent which would very much unravel the fabric of time and change our very way of living, let alone our existence. It is a terrifying thought - one almost too drastic and terrifying to think about. What if the Allies had not succeeded? 😟 What if Nazi influence expanded across the oceans? What if the persecution reached the shores of the United States, or worse, what if the United States ceased to exist, in its place, a new empire, Westfallen one that followed the ideals of Hitler, one that eradicated free speech and tolerance, one that had 6 very unsuspecting children wondering how one well-meaning act could set of a chain of events that would be impossible to take back. 😔 “That’s the kind of phrase that should always stop you in your tracks. Nobody ever says, What would be the harm?”
It is the crafty slow build of the impending doom that captured my attention. The perspective easily shifts between two voices and timelines that of twelve-year-old Henry in the present, and twelve-year-old Alice of 1944 - communicating via a radio that the trio of their friends discovered in their backyard. 'We are talking to each other through time.' What starts off as an enthusiastic fascination of trying to make a simple change in the air waves, slowly turns to something more. For in the past, the traces of the war dominated their hearts, and the idea that knowing how events turn out could actually work to their benefit to prevent it from happening.
But, even if you are able to alter one course of events, the universe will find a balance. That is the hard truth, Henry and Alice discover on opposite spectrums of time. For as much as an idea can be based on good intentions to change the past, it is inevitable that the future will be rewritten, too. What is meant to be, is meant to be. 'You know what they say about people who fail to learn history?' 😥 It was scary and it was hard to see how something so novel and exciting could suddenly change into something so ominous and disastrous. And I liked that the historical details were not like an info-dump, that the characters weren't like naturally smart but made their knowledge known in an engaging manner. The facts were relevant to the time and their families; it is what propelled them to act decisively to fix whatever they had destroyed. 👍🏻
“It was the siren. The same siren. The unmistakable stomach-turning blare of a siren that didn’t belong in the land of the free.”
And that is what kept me going. No, actually it was the characters; their strong friendships, the challenges they faced, the determination and clever ingenuity, as well as the hopeful promise to fix their errors is what was so gripping. It was also their heart - their humor - their candor that depicted kids being real kids, which I liked. 🫂 They squabbled, they bickered, but they also deeply cared. 'It was just too crazy. Too horrible. Too ridiculous to be real.' For Henry and his friends it is worse because the memory still remains of their lives in New Jersey before the change - before Westfallen existed. Before when 'we were gerbils. Proud. Scrappy. Somewhat unpopular', but at least it was not this. 😢
It is that subtle rift where we get the hint of how precarious their situation is - when one of their friends is a Jew - the fear, the uncertainty, the horror and the terror is vividly captured, as well as their steadfast courage and resilience to fight to hold onto the memories - 'and the memories hurt. We needed to hold on to them' - of a life that is a reality - and not this nightmare. The setting changes so suddenly, but impactfully. It is the searing way in which Alice and her own cohorts are facing their own present that is affecting Henry's future. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 It's a vivid and heartbreaking portrayal of how too much information can have disastrous results, while also capturing how desperate they are to still ensure that history follows the same path. The guilt and the foreboding had its insanely intense moments, which kept the suspense going, was tangible throughout; the emotions and reactions were believable to me. 👍🏻 I especially love how subtly the authors have laid out the connection that draws Alice and Henry together. It is so well done, that I cannot wait for how and if they will find out the truth. 🥺
The fact that it ends on a cliffhanger, one which I kinda speculated with some very foreboding comments, I am really curious and looking forward to see what will happen next. Traveling through time?? New perspectives? Who's to say or know?? 😥
4,5 ⭐ J'ai trop aimé !Vu que ça faisait un moment que je n'en avais pas lu, j'avais presque oublié à quel point j'aimais les romans historiques et les uchronies... bah là, j'étais servie ! C'est un roman qui réécrit l'histoire en partant d'un point très simple : et si le Débarquement avait été contré ? A cause d'une mystérieuse radio qui permet à des enfants de deux époques de parler et de conversations qui auraient du rester secrètes ? A partir de là, il faut imaginer un roman hyper addictif, bien mené, qui réussit le tour de force d'être aussi drôle que fort... j'ai adoré adoré, et même si j'aurais aimé que ça se cloture en un seul tome, j'ai HÂTE de lire la suite !
Westfallen explores the horrifying possibility of what life would be like if the Nazis had triumphed in World War II. Using trios of 12-year-olds in 1944 and 2023 who are mysteriously able to talk through history, the authors show the kids accidentally creating this alternate reality and then trying to set it right again. We are clearly set up for a sequel with a cliffhanger ending and little details throughout that seem like they will come into play in a later book.
Many of my students love historical fiction (especially World War II), but science fiction is a harder sell in my middle-grade classroom. This might be the book that gets them hooked, as long as they can keep track of which characters are in which time period since the chapters switch back and forth. The plot is gripping, making this a page-turner once you realize how badly things might turn out.
I hope this book is a success as my readers will be asking when the next one comes out the moment they finish the final page. Other teachers looking for clean, safe reads for their shelves should know that there are no content warnings for this one. My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC provided in exchange for my honest review.
This was absolutely fantastic and unique! This is one of those books that’s hard to describe without spoilers, but I’m going to try to set the stage.
Three kids in 2023 New Jersey end up communicating with three kids in 1944 in their same town. I loved the kids and their different personalities and friendships. I loved how historic details were woven through. I loved the way problems were introduced and solved (or not solved) and gosh I can’t wait for book 2!
I was also impressed with how this story handled some difficult historical points for an upper middle grade audience. I’d recommend this for 12+ independently, but I do think this would be a fantastic family read aloud with even younger kids.
Really, really good. I was super excited to pick this one up after my sister raved about it. I've been thinking a lot about the concept-what would the world be like if the Nazi's had won? It feels genuine and heart breaking at the same time. If you can suspend your disbelief about how it all "works" I really enjoyed this.
A couple other thoughts: I read this with the full expectation that I would buy it for my elementary school library. Unfortunately, I don't think I can. There is quite a bit of language for a middle-grade novel. It feels unnecessary.
The ending of this doesn't feel congruent with the rest of the book. Almost like they were writing the whole thing expecting it to be a stand-alone but then at the last minute decided to do a sequel?
All that to say-this is probably the best middle grade historical fiction I've read since The War that Saved My Life.
Une tuerie. Du début à la fin. Impossible de décrocher. 3 gamins trouvent une vieille radio enterrée dans leur jardin et parviennent à communiquer avec 3 autres enfants qui vivent en 1944. Sans le vouloir, ils vont modifier le cours de l’histoire et se réveiller dans un monde dans lequel les nazis auraient gagné la seconde guerre mondiale. Prenant, espiègle, parfois drôle, on se croirait dans un film de Spielberg ! Dès 11 ans mais pour 15 ans sans problème.
This was so good!! I have been in such a bad reading slump lately and I just absolutely devoured this story, I couldn’t put it down. And that ending!!!!! I am absolutely dying for the next book.
This is a good idea for a book but I just don't like it. I had no idea who was in what year, or who was who, or anything. The writing was really bad and the characters were confusing and all too similar. Nothing seperated them from each other, they weren't unique and they all blurred together. I can only remember Frances, Lukas, Henry, and Alice. I know there were two more but I CANNOT think of who they were. And I just finished this LITERALLY five minutes ago. So yeah, I wouldn't reccomend it. I would tell people that its a cool idea but I would not reccomend they read it.
For a long time there’s been this sort of guilty pleasure slash secret desire that the inhabitants of a certain nation (or rather a collection of states) hold around the idea that a certain nation (or rather a collection of states) that prides itself (theirself?) on being the land of the brave and the home of the free might somehow become a fascist hellscape.
Novels and subsequent television shows such as The Man in the High Castle dwell on this guilty pleasure slash secret desire, and the stratospheric success of that title alone indicates that this is something that the inhabitants of a certain nation (or rather a collection of states) think a lot about.
A lot.
More so, perhaps, recently.
Now, this transition into fascism would have to happen under what we will reasonably call the Strangelove Paradox. If you’ve never seen the Kubrick movie Dr Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, then you need to watch it so that you’ll fully understand this review.
I’ll wait...
Okay? Good to go?
So the Strangelove Paradox is that "we" [the inhabitants of a certain nation (or rather a collection of states)] would not do the Terrible Thing on purpose, of course, because we’re so nice and good, but if it turned out that the Terrible Thing came about to have been done by us by some unforeseen turn of events entirely beyond our control… then let’s go with that.
All the way.
Which finally brings us to this novel.
Now that the certain nation (or rather a collection of states) has actually slid into fascism, it’s a bit hard to figure out where this novel sits on the matter. It’s a bit late to have warnings about something that’s already happened. Sure, the writers do give a rationale that it is good to know what fascism is like so that you can appreciate the contrast with, like, freedom and stuff, but as if there has ever truly been freedom and stuff under the watch of this certain nation (or rather a collection of states). It’s more a vast social experiment in giving some people apparently limitless freedom, wealth, and entitlement while condemning others to grinding poverty, lack of opportunity, and injustice…
But I digress.
This novel is a time twister in which some kids change history and a certain nation (or rather a collection of states) becomes a satellite Nazi exclave. Probably it’s saying something about how people shouldn’t allow their nation (or rather a collection of states) to become a Nazi regime, but who knows? See above. There are other novels in this series, and I can’t wait to read them to find out.
You can argue amongst yourself as to what the authors are saying about fascism in the middle 2020s, because I have larger and more pungent fish to parboil.
The potentially lead author here is known for having written a bunch of novels about a sisterhood with some travelling pants. And here her little brother is helping out. It’s just darling.
Rather than drone on and on about contemporary fascism, I want to point out all the premises that the novel gets wrong, because I’m just a Grinch that way. Here we go.
False Premise 1: That the D-Day Landings were crucial in the outcome of World War 2
Classic Certain Nation (or rather a collection of states) Exceptionalism. The Nazis lost the second world war because they were defeated by the Soviet Union. Sorry. That’s just a fact. There was an admirable mop-up operation in Western Europe by the other Allies, but, had there been no Soviet Union, there was every chance that the Nazis would have won that war despite the Rangers climbing up those cliffs in France. The Nazis actually had won the war by the end of 1940, but then Hitler forgot to read his history books and thought that taking on the Soviet Union on their home ground in winter was the best idea he’d ever had, and he upped the ante. And here we are.
So there’s that.
False Premise 2: That radio transceivers work like crystal radio iPhones
In the acknowledgements they actually thanked some goon for his or her help on the technical aspects of this story. Sheesh! But then, maybe they misunderstood what they were told.
So the kids dig up an 80 year old radio, put it on a bench, and it starts to work. It works by you talking into the speaker to the people who are talking to you out of the speaker.
Oh, and it crosses time, but let’s not even go there.
A crystal radio is a simple receiver that does, indeed, work magically by amplifying ambient radio signals. It doesn’t need a battery, but rather the microscopic energy from the radio waves themselves being picked up by a large antenna (a domestic water pipe or a fence wire) are strong enough that you can, though an ear piece, faintly hear a broadcast.
You cannot transmit a signal with a crystal radio. You just can't.
Sure, some transmitters have crystals, to provide the broadcast frequency, but they also need a power supply.
So there’s that.
But then this.
When you talk on your iPhone, the other person can not only hear you, but they can talk back at the same time you are talking. This is what happens in the novel, because the kids “grab the speaker” and talk to each other. There is no VOX (voice operated switch), there isn’t even a microphone with a button on it. They just talk to each other. Through the speaker.
Your iPhone has two channels, send and receive. It's called "full duplex". That’s how you can talk and hear at the same time. No radio built in the 1940s by some kid in a backyard shed from spare parts would have had that level of sophistication. Also, see above regarding crystal radios just not being transmitters.
So there’s that.
False Premise 3: That the Nazis would have survived 80 years as a political force
Nope. Fascism generally is not the best of political formats for longevity. Not just because they tend to get the mistaken idea that they can take on far stronger foes than themselves, but because, sooner or later, they collapse under the weight of their own hubris and internal (and sometimes external) social disgruntlement with their shenanigans.
Yeah but, I hear you splutter, there are neo-Nazis RIGHT NOW!
Yeah but, they’re not a government, are they?
Or, you know, the people you think of as neo-Nazis aren’t a government. The current neo-Nazi governments around the world, they ain’t gunna last 80 years. You just watch.
Nazism (that is, Hitlerism), even under the best conditions in the world, would have collapsed before the end of the 1950s, or possibly the 1970s at the very latest, if everyone really got on board with it. Even with the passionate support of all the Evil People who were having a great time beating up people they didn’t like, it would inevitably have been overturned, or gone broke. Possibly both, but not in that order. Run your own simulations if you don’t believe me.
False Premise 4: That you can sustain a population indefinitely while at the same time killing off its children before they reach reproductive age
Yeah nah. You can’t be sending the children off to death camps and still have more children coming along. There are picture books explaining where babies come from, I recommend the authors refer to one.
False Premise 5: That all the evil people in a community that has turned to fascism will have German names
Just gosh. Do I need to go through this one?
I have some other peeves, such as
a) how it is actually hard to keep track of which time period we are in at times because the authors are not really writing export quality historical fiction, or
b) how not ONCE in a novel written in 2023 do the present day children with the magical time travel radio think to mention to the kids in the past, oh, I don’t know… THE CORONAVIRUS!!!!! , or
c) how obvious it is that the authors are dropping Character Profile Details That Are Important to the Plot literally half a page before they become important…
So there’s lots going on with this novel, and it is for Young Adults, which means it is important, as it is shaping the way the future generation thinks about important things, like radios and hair dye.
Yes, hair dye.
How does hair dye factor into a time twister story about changing the outcome of World War 2?
You’ll just *have* to read this novel to find out now, won’t you?
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. I don’t know how I initially missed this one, but I am so thankful for my librarian network for recommending it to me. It takes place in two interconnected timelines, one in 1944 and one in 2023. They’re both in the same town… and the same shed in a residential backyard. In 1944, as World War II rages overseas, a teen digs up (literally, it’s in the ground) her brother’s old radio. For fun and nostalgia, she turns it on. To her and her friends’ shock, they connect… with a trio of teens in 2023. This group, who were tight as kids but have grown apart, dug it up after an old joke and are shocked to find that the old thing works… and even more so that they are talking to kids in the past. Then they discover that through the butterfly effect, they can change the outcome of history. When one well-meaning piece of information is shared, it alters the outcome of World War II, and the Allies do not win. Now it’s up to these six kids to right their wrong and save history as we know it. It’s full of action, accessible for its audience, and leaves on a cliffhanger with a sequel coming this fall. I’ll be recommending this when we’re back in school for sure. Recommended for grades 6-8. #mglit #librarians #librariansofinstagram #middleschoollibrarian
Thanks to SimonKids for the ARC! This is a very fun page-turner of a read. I loved the parallel-ish characters, the healing of friendships, the magical delight and discovery of communication between decades. The speculative 2023 felt uncomfortably possible. It's a little scary, in that regard, but balanced with so much fun, humor, history, I think it's not too tense for the age range. The scene in the school/camp was the only one that jumped the shark a tiny bit. But it was fun! My 15 year old is reading it now. It's maybe a little young for her, but she's really enjoying it. I'd read book 2!
3.5. I took off a star for the length of almost 380 pages. Unique and thought-provoking book that will appeal to a select group of readers. The characters are in middle school, but this series starter seems more YA due to the length and detailed plot in two different time periods. I might purchase. This will be up for awards, I’m sure.
Westfallen débute sur une idée simple mais puissante : que se passerait-il si le cours de l’histoire, tel que nous le connaissons, était altéré par un petit geste enfantin ? Les auteurs prennent ce “et si” comme point de départ et construisent autour une intrigue mêlant le fantastique (communication à travers le temps), l��histoire alternative, et une exploration des responsabilités morales, le tout centré sur des jeunes de douze ans. Ce mélange rend le roman à la fois palpitant et chargé de sens. Le roman s’adresse principalement aux lecteurs “middle grade”, mais ses idées frappent plus largement, ceux qui aiment la science-fiction, les romans historiques revus, le questionnement éthique, ou simplement les histoires d’amitié, pourront y trouver beaucoup.
Ann & Ben Brashares ont ici une écriture qui combine deux forces : la simplicité nécessaire pour rester accessible à un public jeune, et la richesse d’une narration capable de porter un récit complexe. Le récit alterne entre les enfants de 2023 et ceux de 1944, ce qui oblige à jongler entre les époques. Ce dispositif permet de montrer non seulement ce que les protagonistes voient et ressentent dans chaque temps, mais aussi comment une action dans un temps peut troubler tout ce que les personnages croyaient stable. Le personnage de Henry, narrateur dans le présent, s’adresse dès le départ au lecteur (“Quelle est la pire chose que vous ayez jamais faite ?”), ce qui crée une proximité. On ressent ses doutes, ses regrets, ses peurs, pas de gros discours pompeux, mais des pensées d’enfant (ou de pré-ado) confronté à quelque chose de bien plus grand que lui. Cela rend le récit très humain.
L’univers de Westfallen est construit sur deux lignes temporelles et sur ce qui les relie, sur ce qui les sépare, et sur ce qu’il advient quand elles s’entremêlent. Le roman se passe dans un lieu unique (la ville, le jardin, la maison, le cabanon) mais à deux époques : mai 2023, et mai 1944, juste avant le Débarquement. Ce choix est important : 1944 est un moment crucial de l’histoire réelle, et les conséquences d’y intervenir ont un poids énorme. Le présent est très contemporain, avec technologie, culture moderne, soucis d’adolescents, etc. Le roman imagine ce qui se passe si l’Histoire (avec un grand “H”) que nous connaissons est modifiée : si les Alliés ne l’emportent pas, si le régime nazi gagne, ce qui mène à un présent oppressif, ce qui est très inquiétant, mais aussi très bien utilisé comme avertissement. Le pays change : l’Amérique devient “Westfallen,” un régime nazi colonial, etc. Cela transforme non seulement la politique et les lois, mais la vie quotidienne, les identités, les libertés. L’élément déclencheur est la radio : un vieux poste, bricolé, qui permet de communiquer à travers le temps. Ce n’est pas un vaisseau spatial, ce n’est pas une machine compliquée : c’est quelque chose de simple, presque magique, mais suffisamment ancré dans le plausible pour qu’on y croit.
Henry Platt est le cœur battant du roman. Son narrateur est un mélange de lucidité et d’impuissance : il sait qu’il a fait quelque chose de terrible, mais il est aussi terriblement humain, avec ses doutes, ses maladresses et son courage. Autour de lui, les cinq autres adolescents apportent chacun une couleur différente : certains sont plus téméraires, d’autres plus réfléchis ou plus effrayés. Ce qui rend le roman intéressant, c’est que les auteurs ne nous donnent pas des héros parfaits mais des ados crédibles, avec leurs failles. On s’attache à eux parce qu’ils ne sont ni tout blancs ni tout noirs. Leur dynamique de groupe, entre tensions, secrets et solidarité, donne une dimension psychologique très riche à l’histoire. On sent qu’au-delà de la science-fiction, c’est un roman sur l’amitié, la culpabilité et le courage.
Westfallen est bien plus qu’un simple roman jeunesse d’aventure. C’est une uchronie palpitante qui questionne notre rapport à l’Histoire et à nos responsabilités, même à un jeune âge. Avec une plume vivante, un univers oppressant et original, une intrigue qui tient en haleine et des personnages attachants, Ann & Ben Brashares signent ici une vraie pépite du genre. C’est le genre de livre qui donne envie de tourner les pages tout en réfléchissant à ce qu’on ferait à la place des héros. Et c’est ce qui fait sa force : il divertit, mais il marque aussi l’esprit longtemps après l’avoir refermé. Une vraie petite pépite!
Wooooooooah??? I'm surprised by how good this actually was?? I'm not really into books/movies/anything related to WW1 or WW2/the nazis bc there's so much stuff that has already been done about the subject LIKE surely there are other parts of history we can explore now?? But when I read the summary and then the first paragraph I was immediately hooked aaaaah
if we're friends on goodreads you must have picked up on by now im a realll sucker for good old time travel shenanigans so obviously I had to like where this one was going but the tone is so good too!! It really draws you in the story and inside the characters' minds so much so that you just want to know what happens next. And often when there are multiple povs theres THAT one you're at least a bit reluctant to read but all the characters are so convincing here and just nice kids overall sharing such a strong connection you're bound to root for all of them😭
seeing how the past and future are tied together made me want to sob 😭😭😭 but it was superrr funny too and well nazis get punched in the face and that's always good right
only thing is i believe it would have worked really well as a stand-alone but it's actually a series?? Well I guess more good food for me so who am I to complain
THIS WAS SO AMAZING, and the dedication was awesome It blended humor and emotions perfectly 👌 And also WHAT WAS THAT CLIFF HANGER!? ARE THEY STILL IN NAZILAND OR NO!? WHAT HAPPEND TO YOGI????/SAMMY?? also why does he not know why his dog got called yogi in an alternate universe, his brother is obsessed with baseball. Maybe if Eli got to decide he named him yogi after Berra yk? Best quote: "Punch him."
(For context this one nazi guard was talking trash about the mc's mom without realizing that her son was RIGHT THERE pretending to be a prisoner being shackled by a "guard" that was rly a jew. "Punch him." *WHACK*)
HILARIOUS and I have a theory that Bessie is somehow connected to yogi/sammy. Js a feeling, cz she was mentioned more than once AND given a name. (Im aware that the genders would've had to switch for that to happen. And maybe breed. Oh nvm...)
ANYWAYS TY FOR LETTING ME BORROW THIS YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE (even though u prolly arent reading this lol)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
One of the best Middle Grade historical fictions I have ever read. For fans of those that have loved books with a magical type writer, or any other inanimate object. WESTFALLEN is an alternate history thriller and you are introduced to 3 kids in present day that come across a buried radio… which you soon finds out is a way to communicate with another group a kids, who are living in the same spot but on the year 1944. Cautious but not enough they see that small acts lead to big change, not just for themselves but for the world.
I could not stop reading this one. Alternating timelines and POVs kept the pages turning and the unwavering feeling of what is to come next continued throughout. The ending has me ready for book 2!
I thoroughly enjoyed this alternate history story for young adult readers. The premise is very cool. Three kids in present day America find a radio that allows them to talk with three kids from 79 years earlier who live on the same street, in the same house. The kids from the past are worried about their fathers and brothers who are off fighting in World War II. The present day kids understand that they could change the fabric of history by divulging too much information, yet even snippets have repercussions. Soon they find themselves in present day America, which is ruled by the Nazis. This is sure to keep kids who enjoy history engaged. My four star rating isn’t really fair because I listened to the book and not always with full attention, so at times I was a bit confused. Most likely my fault, not the book’s.
C’était super chouette ? Franchement un roman historique/uchronie bien sympa à lire avec deux bandes d’enfants (une en 1944 et une en 2023) qui communiquent entre eux et empêchent le Débarquement d’avoir lieu… et qui doivent maintenant trouver le moyen de le refaire arriver. J’ai trouvé les différents POV bien fait, j’adore les shenanigans de bande d’enfants pour le coup je trouve ils étaient super attachants et j’ai bien hâte du tome 2
This story has notes of Artemis Fowl and The Infinity Ring series.
Time travel, friendship, and peril. What more could you need?
A set of children stumble upon an old radio and use it to contact three children who live in the past. Together they communicate and share information on what life is like-not realizing the effects it can have on their lives.
I love the concept for this book. It had me really excited while going into the story. This story does have alternating character point of view chapters. Which I always enjoyed as a child but I know isn't always a popular format. It ends on a cliff hanger and will keep children reading and interested for more!
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced e-book copy of "Westfallen" by Ann and Ben Brashares.
This was a good middle grade read. I loved this book’s unique twist on time travel as we follow three friends from the future and three friends from the past. I liked how this book was told through dual povs. I’ve never read a book quite like this one, but I found it to be an interesting read. I can’t wait to see how the story continues in the next book.
Such a fun “historical” fiction read with a cast of six kids - three from current day and three from 1944, connected through time by an old radio and a magical shed. I loved the friendship that developed between these kids and the alternate history that could have been had the Nazis won the war and took over the US. Looking forward to seeing where the next book in this story takes us.
Met 12 jarige hoofdpersonen en in de markt gezet voor 8-12 jarigen is het logisch dat ie af en toe heel simpel leest. Maar er zijn ook momenten dat je je afvraagt of een kind geboren in 2013 met ouders uit 1988 genoeg kennis van WWII heeft om dit boek te voelen/snappen. Ik vond ‘m in ieder geval heel speciaal en ik zou graag een klas met schoolkinderen hebben om ‘m als jaarproject te behandelen.
thank you netgalley and simonkids for this book! i don’t usually make a habit of reading middle grade books but this is so well written informative and still age appropriate i suggest you guys guve it a try for your kids 3.5 rounded up