Into the Fire

Westfallen #2

by Ann Brashares, Ben Brashares

From #1 New York Times bestselling Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants author Ann Brashares and her brother Ben Brashares comes the “resonant and powerful” (School Library Journal, starred review) second book in the action-packed middle grade alternate history thriller trilogy that asks what present-day America would be like if Germany had won World War II.

Former best friends Henry, Frances, and Lukas thought they’d managed to restore history to its original path after their antics with a time-bending radio went awry. But they’re still trapped in Westfallen, the version of present-day America where the Axis won WWII, living an alternate—and much darker—version of their lives.

Henry has to work at the Home for Incurables, Lukas is on hard labor all day, and only Frances, whose parents are members of the Nazi elite, gets to go to school and move freely. And since they and their friends in 1944 destroyed the radio, they have to find cruder and ever-more-desperate ways to communicate across time. Frances uses her privilege in Westfallen to gather as much information as she can, while Henry tries to turn Lukas into a local baseball hero to save him from being sent away to a work camp.

But the deeper the three friends and their 1944 counterparts dig into how Westfallen came to be, the more they begin to attract unwanted attention from people with a vested interest in making sure this version of history becomes permanent…at any cost.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Time Travel, Childrens, Dystopia

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 16, 2025

About the author

Ann Brashares is an American young adult novelist. She is best known as the author of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series.

Reviews

[Amina · Rating 4 out of 5]

​✰ 3.75 stars ✰

​“​We did so much. We did so much​ wrong.​”

I was already on an adrenaline high as the ante rose higher on either side of time, in anxious anticipation of how the Mars and Jupiter ​kids would change the course of a history, already altered beyond recognition. But it was when Rick Astley​ started rickrolling ​- what a great, stupid song​ -​ the emotions overwhelmed me and I teared up...​ 😢

​You had to be there​.

​​ “​Some mistakes you pay for your whole life long.”

After a bit of a shaky start, where the constant pov switching and me hastily trying to recollect ​where exactly​ we left off​ - Good Lord, you had to be careful starting fires​ - did the plot kick into high gear and full alert, as our four main principle characters remind us how dire the circumstances are for all of them.​ ​A neo-​Nazi​ alternative reality that somehow set off a catalyst that has altered the perception of mankind is a disastrous fate, one where even now their lives are in dangerous peril.

​The threat is alive and real, ​and the action never stops, especially when you're plunged headfirst Into the Fire, clinging to the bittersweet hope of returning home to a future that is true. Henry and Frances may be separated from Lucas, but their thoughts are always with him - fierce in their desperation to save him from ​further harm, simply for being Jewish.​ ​🥺 It's heartbreaking, and I do feel it is a disservice that he doesn't have a pov, too.​ Or Artie's, for that matter.

​ “What we don’t know scares us. And when we’re scared, hate comes easily. Much easier than love.”

​I​ love that there​ was a mystery​ that steadily built up the suspense, one that had to be solved on either side.​ The authors did not shy away from the danger they're in, how influential the evil and hatred has spread, that even now, Westfal​len is not safe for those who go against their way of thinking. 😟​ It's a bleak​, hateful world to imagine, and that's what made me so much more involved in their struggles to find a way out to prevent it from getting any worse.

​Yes, the pov hopping takes a toll. But, when the ​clues align, perceptions connect, relationships hea​l and the love of friendship and goodness reigns, it's a powerful feeling - one that shines with each of the characters' brave attempts to do whatever it takes to right the wrong​, when Fate was not our friend anymore.​ ⌛

​ “It’s not that we believe what we see, it’s that we see what we believe.”

​It does seem a bit much for twelve-year-olds to handle, but from ​Lawrence and ​Henry bonding over their share​d​ friendship with Roland, to Frances seeing how even the ones who are safe are really not, it's solid teamwork that in the heat of the moment you see how much they care for each other - each determined to restore the balance of fate​ - a responsibility heavy on their shoulders and hearts.​ 🫂

Oh, that cliffhanger​!! 😮 Book 3, when??? But note to self, reread notes or review or even books before release for a refresher, ​cuz it will help​!!

[Caitlin Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better review when I am coherent but OMFG OMFG WHAT THE FUCKKKKKK
>>Okay I'm back, here's the full review!
This was such an amazing sequel to "Westfallen"! I loved the inclusion of Frances and Lawrence's POVs in this one; it added even more depth to their characters and their motivations. I really couldn't put this down - the overarching plot, as well as the "b plots" were so intriguing and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure everything out with the kids.

I loved watching the relationships between the characters develop - both within the main core 6 and the side relationships that continued to evolve in both positive and negative ways. It's so interesting to see how the little changes the kids make impacted the people around them. I couldn't BELIEVE the way this book ended and I'm going to absolutely be thinking about it until I can get my hands on the next one - which I'm sure is very far away. This series is so amazing, I can't wait to see what happens next!

**I received an e-arc from Edelweiss**

[Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Westfallen book 1 shocked me with how good it was and I wasn’t sure if this sequel could live up to my expectations. I’m thrilled that after a bit of a slow start (my fault for not rereading and being fuzzy on a few characters) this book was just stunning and jaw dropping.

This series is so different from anything I’ve read. It’s part historical fiction part alternate history part time travel and part political thriller. There are multiple POVs and oh did I mention that baseball and The Hobbit play KEY roles in this novel?!? Any book that can put a unique and fascinating spin on a WWII novel is really special.

For some reason I expected that this would a duology but I’m not mad that another book is in the works. I will definitely be rereading both books so that everything is fresh for book 3!

[Connor H · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun. I liked it a lot!my favorite scene was when they rickroll Hitler and an entire baseball stadium!

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance Kindle copy of this book. It’s out on 9/16! All opinions are my own.
•
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Another banger. This one picks up where Westfallen left off. In 2023, Frances is a wealthy Nazi, Henry has to work at the Home for the Incurables, and Lukas has to do hard labor all day. In 1944, the friends continue working to set the timeline right. The action is still there, and the reflections on society really hit. It does end on another cliffhanger, and I will be anxiously awaiting book 3! #mglit #librarian #librariansofinstagram #middleschoollibrarian

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids are deeply invested (ages 9-15) so don’t take my word for it. We listen while we drive to school and I find the jump multiple character/multiple timeline plots to be jarring and hard to follow. (My kids did ask “wait, who is that again?” Several times but I couldn’t remember usually!) The audiobook should come with a character guide; we would’ve been smart to write down our own. Nonetheless, this second book in the series did not disappoint the intended audience!

[Julius Jova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked Westfallen up on a whim, one rainy afternoon this August. The cover drew me, and even thought I may not be the target demo; 13 year old New Jerseyan me would have loved it just as much as 26 year old me did. Book two did not disappoint and book three cannot come soon enough.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I don’t often read a sequel that’s even better than the first in a series, but this one was!

The three kids from 2023 and their contacts from 1944 are at it again, trying to right the mistakes they made by inadvertently changing the future. This time, the future seems exceptionally bleak; America no longer exists, taken over by the Nazis and changed into “Westfallen” when they won WW2. And it is a place that no one who has ever lived in a democracy wants to live in…

The sibling authors of this series are fantastic writers! These books will keep one reading late into the night! I sure hope a #3 is coming out in the near future…

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I loved the first of this series. This was good, but didn’t quite reach the level of the first for me. Still good and still worth reading and contemplating.

This is going to sound petty. So I realize that when I say it because I realize time-traveling teens is fantasy. But, I wanted the historical parts to be accurate. Several times it talked about EMTs/first responders rushing to scenes. They did not exist how we know them in America in the 40s. There were no paramedics until the late 60s. Petty I know. But it bothered me each time it was mentioned.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

With barely a break in the action, the Brashares siblings return with the next installment in their time travel series. Once again, a magical radio in a garden shed links together two groups of tweens: one in contemporary New Jersey and another in the same town in 1944. At the end of book 1 (Westfallen), the modern group’s unwitting actions have led to the Allies’ downfall and a Nazi takeover of the United States. Now living in fascist Westfallen, Henry (mixed race) and Lukas (Jewish) are considered “mischling” while blond, blue-eyed Frances lives the life of an Aryan princess; together they work to uncover what went wrong.  Meanwhile, back in 1944, Alice (White), Lawrence (Black), and Arnie (White and with Nazi sympathisers in his family) are on the receiving end of a confusing and shifting set of instructions flowing over the airwaves from 2023. In the first book, Alice and Henry served as the first person narrators in alternating chapters, but in this one they are joined by Lawrence and Frances, bringing more perspectives into the story. Readers will be able to keep track of these shifts because each chapter opens with the name of the character, the date, and a sarcastic, foreshadowing comment. The Brashares walk a fine line, keeping the story exciting and clear while acknowledging the brutality of life in Westfallen. They even manage to inject some humorous bits into what could otherwise be a grim story – Alice’s adoption of a grumpy cat named Schrödinger, for example, or Lukas’s signature walk-up song, the cheesy 80s classic  “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, which Frances manages to blast during a Westfallen baseball game. The book ends with yet another cliffhanger, moving the historic setting up to the 1950s and leaving several questions unanswered, including the whereabouts of Alice’s mother, the powers of the garden shed, and who built the radio in the first place. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Star Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

We ended on one doozy of a cliffhanger. Not that we didn't see a cliffhanger coming--there were so few pages left without any answers--but I was not expecting quite the turn of events. This is a rare occassion where I enjoyed the sequel more than the first novel. The writing improved drastically and garnered an entire extra star on the rating.

The cliffhanger is what probably made this my favorite representation of time travel if my theories prove to be true by the end of the story. There is an absolute smidge of magic and whimsy, but overall I feel the actual logic of how things and , now, people move through time. Alice's battle with fate and her relationship to how time went sideways felt realistic preteen angst. Lawrence makes a new friend who is an excellent B side character and even better example of the spiderweb that is the butterfly effect. Frances has an identity crisis that is completely suitable to a preteen growing up in two idealogically different worlds. Also, hats off to the memories of Francy and Frances having moments together in her rat brain. Perhaps next go we'll get to see more of Lukas and Artie.

Many of the existential and spiritual moments are probably more appreciated by an older reader going along for the ride, but these are good middle grade novels for all those kids who think. They don't know, they don't understand; they just think. This is what you need to read to them. Hopefully they'll learn a thing or two about ideologies.

The smallest of down sides keeping 5 stars away were some of the aspects that should have been a mystery or a red herring didn't throw me off the scent. This is a novel aimed at middle graders, so I won't begrude it too much. Besides, the entire movement of the novel is intense and page turning. It didn't really need the Scooby Doo moments to move the reader along.

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

You gotta fight to face the fake fears just as hard as you fight to flee the real ones.

We are back in a dystopian America with three kids who "broke the future" in 1944 and three modern kids dealing with a version of our country that is down right dismal.

While the action is literally on fire in this second book, I did not like it as much as the first. More about that later. I will start with what I liked about this second installment:

😎Henry, Frances, and Lukas are living in the reality of a WW II loss to Germany. Ooof. Their iPhones and Xboxes are just the beginning of the things they have lost.
📻 The radio in the clubhouse is still there, but for Artie, Alice, and Lawrence there is very little unity. Can they fix what was broken?
⚾ Can a baseball game make a difference in how the future feels? How can they overcome the ban on putting mischlings on the team? You will love how they ome up with a glove for Lukas.
🎡 For the 1944 kids, a ferris wheel car will become their temporary office in a great time of crisis. Loved their decisive action to make an effect on the outcome of the war.

If you have not read the first book yet, go back and read it before starting this one. I still struggled a bit to stay oriented in this one even though it was not long ago that I read the first book. For me it would have been helpful to mark each perspective change with the year when it takes place. Keeping the characters in their perspective timeline was tricky with them mixed up in different orders in the chapters.

Oh, and it isn't over yet. One of our characters is stranded in a third timeline at the end of this one.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Kim Mento · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book opens with Lawrence writing a letter to his father, explaining the events of the first book. The six main characters are still trying to fix the timeline errors they caused in the first book. In 1944, Alice, Lawrence, and Arnie are attempting to make the necessary changes to history to prevent Germany from invading and the US from becoming Nazi‑run. They try to stop a train accident and decode news reports being sent from kids in the future to discover what happened in Millerton on May 21, 1944.

In the altered timeline of Westfallen, 2023, Frances—now called Francy—is rebellious against her Aryan social‑climbing family, but their status gives her access to spy on the powerful Nazis in town. Lukas is trying to make a baseball team to avoid being sent to a work camp because he is Jewish. Henry (considered a “mishline” because he is mixed race) must work at the Home for Incurables, which is full of broken people and secrets. Although the book ties up many storylines, it ends on a cliffhanger setting up the third book.

Into the Fire can be read without having read Westfallen, but I suggest reading both. This book is just as good as the first, though it was a bit slow in the middle. Some descriptions were overly detailed, and I was eager to find out what happened next. I also enjoyed the new characters and am eager to see how their stories unfold. The story is full of adventure and danger but also has lighter moments. It will definitely keep my middle schoolers reading, and I hope it encourages them to read The Hobbit, which is an important part of the story.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three friends thought they were done fixing the timeline they messed up playing with a time traveling radio, but they are back in their own time only this version has Germany winning the war. But the three of them plus their friends in the 1944 time smashed the radios they were using so the kids must find other ways to communicate. But how to fix this? Frances whose parents are influential so she can move about more freely in this time variation takes on the research part of it while the boys work their hardest to keep Lukas from being sent away to a work camp. They need to be able to stick together so they can go back to their time as soon as they can.
I missed reading the first book so I will go from here. This is the ultimate time change paradox, what would happen if story. A story we don’t really want to think about but need to so history does not repeat itself. It might be a different time and different people and different laws but can someone just take over like Hitler did, anything is possible. This is a really good book for anyone regardless of whether a tween or an adult, I hate to say it is a thinking book but to kids, just know there is a lot of action, suspense and baseball, yep baseball.
Review copy provided by Edelweiss

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh for crying out loud! Just when I thought we were going to get to a resolution, we have to wait for another sequel! These books are so good! I could not wait for "Into the Fire" to come out. I was so excited to get an ARC of it. Now I need to wait for the next one. Brashares does a fantastic job of creating characters that you love. In both "Westfallen" and Into the Fire I have felt as though I was right there with all the kids as they tried to figure out what was going on in the world and how they could rectify the wrong that they created. I love how she weaves history into her stories so you don't feel as though you are learning history. You gather facts as you are experiencing the story.

I did a booktalk for "Westfallen" and it flew off the shelf. I will do the same for "Into the Fire" and I know it will have the same response.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Westfallen books are a wild ride into the world of speculative history. In the first book, a few small actions changed the course of World War II as a group of children in the present time communicated via an old radio with children in the past. In the second book, Into the Fire, things are still off course. The children in the past must figure out who the spies are. The children in the future are trying to figure out if they can do anything to fix the past. There is a mostly happy outcome in the end, but there is a final twist which must mean there is yet another book coming in the series. This book is great for middle school on up. There are themes of peril, death and lots of suspense.

I received an advance reader copy for free. All opinions are my own.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Fire (Westfallen #2) by Ann Brashares, they did it again! This one was a must read after the cliffhanger of the first book. The writing and the pace is so exciting, the entire family enjoys this series. Page turning, cleaver, with the "what - if " history all wrapped up in the search for answers. We found ourselves rooting for the two groups of kids in order to change the awful world they were living in back to the US. Never knowing what will happen at the next turn. Teens, Tweens and Adults will love this series, makes for a great read aloud or audiobook choice. It is by far one of the top books we have read as a family. Loved every heart pounding minute.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. I couldn’t put this one down. It was so exciting, terrifying with an excellent mystery thrown in! The way the alternative history is written makes me thankful the Nazis didn’t win in WWII. It feels very believable. It’s a cliffhanger which means a third book is being written, which surprised me. Usually the second book is just a way to get to the third book. This was quite the exception.

Although it is less than the first book, the kids in 2023 do take the Lord’s name in vain. There is the use of “hell” and “damn” two times. Frances and Alice both have anger issues which plays out in disrespect to their parents.

Other than that, this is an excellent second book in what is turning out to be a great series!

Found in MG Bundle.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good follow-up to the first one. I wish I would have known from the beginning that this was going to be at least a trilogy. The ending of the first one felt rushed & like it didn't fit with the rest of the book. I wish the transition to this book would have been more smooth-and better explained.

I loved that baseball and the Hobbit both had critical roles in this one! I loved how it made me think differently about history. It was interesting how the stories are weaving together. For sure there are storylines where you have to suspend your disbelief, but I've really enjoyed these.

Content: This is listed as middle grade but I would put it more as YA. There's language that shouldn't be in a middle grade.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Fire is an exciting sequel to Westfallen. Lawrence, Alice, and Artie are living in 1944 while Frances, Henry, and Lukas are in a new Nazi run 2023. Clearly stopping the telegram Anna Schulz was supposed to send didn't correct life in 2023. Frances' family are now Nazi elite while Henry is forced to work for tehe Home for Incurables and Lukas works in a hard labor camp, close to being sent to work camp when he turns 13. While things are not great in Westfallen, things become much worse as the group uncover a suspcisou death and learn that those in power will keep Westfallen just like it is at all costs.

I love the chapter titles; they are fun and sarcastic and perfectly suit each chapter. There are plenty of plot twists, lots of action, and some very bad people. AND, the book ends on a cliffhanger!

[Rachel Knuttel Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series!!!! It’s killing me!! In a good way!!!

While this can’t quite touch the perfection that I see in the first Westfallen book, this was a really good and enjoyable sequel! And the ending?!?!!! 😱😱😱

I truly think that this series expertly offers social commentary that is both honest and also very accessible for its age group. It’s funny enough that I laughed out loud on top of that!

I enjoyed getting some new character perspectives in this one and getting into the heads of Lawrence and Frances. Will we get Artie and Lukas in the next books? Final book??

I can’t wait to read the next one.

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 2 picks up right where the first Westfallen book leaves off (and you really must read these in order). Frances, Henry, and Lukas are still stuck in the alternate reality present day "America." They continue communicating with Alice, Lawrence, and Artie back in 1944, searching for clues and news articles to figure out where the outcome of WWII turned so wrong and what they need to stop or change. This one ends on a cliffhanger as well. It's going to be a long wait until the third book. Recommended for grades 6 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Luciana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my, what a ride. It was so great to reunite with the three kids from ''Mars'' and the other three from ''Jupiter'' and to see them navigate through the consequences of their acts and the new world as a result of that. There were so many secrets revealed, twists and turns here and there and everywhere. And judging by the ending, is pretty obvious that there's gonna be a third book, and all I can say is that I can't wait to read it.
Congratulations to the authors and a big Thank you so mucho to Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers and to NetGalley for sending me this wonderful ARC.

[Diana of Shelved by Strand · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our heroes from Book 1 are all back, still trying to restore a post-WWII America from 1944 and modern time simultaneously. With 3 main characters in each of the two timelines and the way the story shifts the narration between them, it might be best to reread Westfallen 1 before reading Into the Fire. There is more timeline shifting in this one, and the Brashares end on another cliffhanger to set up a Book 3.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC.

[Jen Nishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowzah! What a book! Picks up right where the last one left off and hits the gas button and does not stop until the end. So well crafted and well written. Despite being written by two authors it reads harmoniously and you can’t tell who wrote what. I loved learning more about the Westfallen universe and found some of it eerily similar to our world today. Ends on a cliffy. Can’t wait for the next instalment.

[Geralisa Eades · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t take one more cliffhanger ending lol

I discovered this year in August and waited patiently for the September release. This book series is so good. I can’t wait to introduce it to my middle schoolers. All of the names and places are starting to get a little confusing as the plot thickens and I really wish the ending had a little more closure, but I will wait Another year for the book that has not even been written yet to be released!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have enjoyed the series so far, particularly the modern day parallels, and of course, the historical twists. I will say, I did not love this one quite as much as the first one, but that could’ve easily been because I read the first one a while ago, so I did not remember all of the details, so it took me a little while to get into the second one, and also usually I love beginnings and endings of trilogies, but the middle one is always tricky.

[Julia Harkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This alternate history middle grade books takes you back to the butterfly affected world of Westfallen. It’s a little confusing still to keep the kids and timelines distinct, but very fun to see how the authors choose to play with the storyline and its effects. Some characters in the new 2023 are more affected than others by their new normal, which isn’t consistent, but I don’t think middle grade readers will mind too much. Excited for book 3 next when it’s here!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

The first book in the series, Westfallen, had a ham radio, communication across the decades, and a crucial malt shop, so I loved it. The sequel was also good, but I got a bit confused by what was going on. I'd recommend to young readers that they read the secondly as quickly after the first as possible! The third is forthcoming.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great to be back with the 6 kids from Westfallen. The story moved along at a good clip, the stakes were even higher, and the cliffhanger ending had me screaming because how am I supposed to wait a year for book three?! Sometimes it was hard to keep all the characters straight, but not enough to drop my rating to 4 stars.