The Center of the Earth

by Darlene P. Campos

When Dahlia, the courageous daughter of an Ecuadorian embassy official, sees how Germany is changing as Adolf Hitler's reign takes hold, she knows she must act.

Her best friend, Werner, and his family have been ostracized and endangered, and she can't stand to see them suffer. With a new identity, Werner hesitantly finds a new beginning as part of the Aviles family back in Ecuador.

He and Dahlia must balance the typical growing pains of youth with the distance in culture and geography for Werner.

Based on true accounts from Holocaust survivors, THE CENTER OF THE EARTH gives a heartwarming yet heartwrenching firsthand look at what it means to be a family.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade

300 pages, Paperback

Published September 9, 2025

About the author

Darlene P. Campos earned her MFA in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso and her BA in English with a medical studies minor from the University of Houston. During her time at UH, she won the Glass Mountain Award for Prose and the Sylvan N. Karchmer Fiction Prize. She is also a two-time Best of the Net finalist in both fiction and nonfiction categories, and the 2025 winner of the Encouragement Grant from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She has been featured in interviews by School Library Journal, Poets & Writers, and Book Riot. She is a co-founder of LatinxPitch, an online event for Latinx authors of children’s literature that helps them match with a literary agent or publisher for their work. She is Ecuadorian-American and lives in Houston, TX with her husband and their eight rescue cats.

Reviews

[Julie Ditton]

The Center of the Earth is not a journey into the planet, but a journey into the past. Darlene P. Campos has written a touching historical fiction about friendship, family and bravery which is based on true events. The novel begins in prewar Germany and follows the friendship of a young Jewish boy and the daughter of an Ecuadorian ambassador. Through alternating points of view, we see how life changes for Werner and his family after Hitler's rise to power. His friend, Dahlia, convinces his father to smuggle Werner to safety in Ecuador. The book highlights the little-known fact that Ecuador served as a refuge for many Jews during the war. It follows Werner's life as he goes to a private Catholic school, but also becomes part of the Jewish community. He deals with becoming a son in a found family and worry over the fate of his real family. Sensitive readers may learn about the camps, but they are not part of the immediate story. It is the possibility that Werner's family have been sent to camps and killed that is woven into the plot. Campos captures friendship, romance and history in this fantastic middle grade / young adult novel.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent YA historical fiction based on real experiences by Jews and Ecuadorians in Germany and Ecuador during and after World War Two.
I will post my complete review here after it has been published in Historical Novel Review.

[Mia Wenjen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a true story about an Ecuadorian diplomatic family's daughter, Dahlia, who wants to save her best friend, Werner, from the Nazi Germany concentration camps. They arranged for Werner and his family to immigrate with them to Ecuador, where their coming-of-age story begins.

[Theresa Maria Villarreal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darlene Campos’ Center of the Earth is a beautifully written historical fiction novel for teen and young adult readers that blends history, friendship, and resilience. The story follows Werner, a Jewish boy from Berlin, and Dahlia, a Catholic girl from Ecuador, from ages ten to young adulthood. Werner faces the harsh realities of life in a Jewish ghetto, while Dahlia and her family offer him safety and hope in Ecuador. Once he arrives, Werner experiences humanity and care in ways profoundly different from the hardships he endured in Berlin.

One of the most moving moments is when Werner discovers a hidden pocket in his jacket containing his family’s most treasured possessions. Inside he finds a mezuzah, his father’s wedding ring, Rabbi Rubenstein’s kippah and tefillin, and his great-grandfather Jakob’s tallit. Anyone raised in a faith, especially in Judaism, will understand the deep significance of these items. Campos captures this emotional weight beautifully, showing how objects can carry memory, tradition, and love.

The story alternates perspectives between Werner and Dahlia, giving readers insight into both of their experiences, struggles, and courage. Werner and Dahlia’s friendship, full of shared laughter, small adventures, and support, balances the heavier historical themes and makes the story accessible and relatable.

Based on true accounts from Holocaust survivors, Center of the Earth gives a heartwarming yet heart-wrenching look at what it means to be a family. It is powerful, moving, and well-written, and highly recommended for teen and young adult readers, educators, and anyone who values historical fiction that touches the heart.

[Jilanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Center of the Earth illuminates an unknown aspect of WWII, how Ecuador played a role as a safe harbor for Jews during the war. Told from the perspectives of a Werner, a Jewish boy with a loud and loving family, and Dahlia, the spunky Catholic daughter of a Ecuadorian embassy official, it's a story filled with humor, heartbreak, and chutzpah. I was relieved that the ending offered both joy and sadness. But I think my favorite line of the book came after Dahlia's quinceañera. When her father attempts to control who she dates (wanting her to go for an arrogant, rich boy), Dahlia defies him, telling him to "stay out of her love life." As he huffs off to bed, her mother says, "Welcome to womanhood, Dahlia. You've made a grown man have a temper tantrum. You're officially a strong woman." 😂 I do believe I snorted. So yes, this book is also about a girl who believes in herself and her voice and isn't afraid to use it. And she's not afraid to use her fists, when needed.

I was also fascinated by the author's note and the photos and information she discovered during her research for this book.

[Mona Frazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a moving middle-grade historical fiction based on a true story. There are many books on the Holocaust and this period in history, but few are for middle-grade/YA readers. There are also few that speak about the countries and people who gave refuge to Jewish children. This novel has all of that and more.
Told in dual POV of Dahlia, a young Ecuadorian girl, and Werner, a Jewish boy from Germany, the reader is taken through life at the brink of disaster for Jewish people, his journey to another country where he doesn't speak the language, and how he survives five years of separation from his family.
There are bits of humor added in, and one of my favorite lines after the recalcitrant Dahlia, who doesn't want a quinceñera, is "Welcome to womanhood, Dahlia. You've made a grown man have a temper tantrum. You're officially a strong woman."
Heartbreaking at times, it's also a hopeful and an example of resilience. Recommended for all readers.

[K.G. Mach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, epic story that crosses continents and cultures and takes readers from Germany to Ecuador in the years of WWII.

Told in dual POV, this historical-fiction novel will have middle-grade and adult readers falling in love with Dahlia and Werner.
Dahlia captures us from the first page with her compassion and feistiness. The story opens in Germany, 1939, several months before Kristallnacht. Dahlia, whose family is from Ecuador, becomes friends with Werner, a Jewish-German boy her same age. As we watch Germany change, inching toward war, we see through both Dahlia and Werner how the rules of this new world are impacting them. (Younger readers will be astounded by the things Werner could no longer do - go to school, sit on a park bench, or even step into the public library.)

But heroes come in all ages and sizes.

Dahlia convinces her father to secure false documents for Werner to take him back to Ecuador with her family. She sets about teaching Werner Spanish so he can pass the exit interviews.
Thus begins a journey across the world.
Werner travels to Ecuador with Dahlia and her family, but his entire family - father, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins - are still in Germany. He cannot contact them. He cannot reach them.
Werner imprints himself on our hearts as he grows and changes in the war years, wrestling with the reality of his new life and the constant worry of the whereabouts of his family, and the regular adolescent problems. He becomes a young many we would all be proud to know.

The friendship, the story, and the the courage of both Dahlia and Werner, all amidst the backdrop of war, makes this a powerful, and epic story.
Readers who enjoyed Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan and Refugee by Alan Gratz will absolutely want to read this tale.

[Ellen Leventhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darlene Campos's newest middle-grade book, The Center of the Earth, tells the story of best friends Dahlia and Werner during Hitler's rise to power. When Dahlia, the daughter of an Ecuadorian embassy official, sees how Germany is changing, she realizes that she must act. This dual-point-of-view story will enlighten you, tug at your heartstrings, and challenge you to be your best. Based on true events with input from Holocaust survivors, I highly recommend it.