Rise of the spider

When strangers Hans and Nils arrive in 11-year-old Rolf's town of Heroldsberg, Germany, in 1929, Rolf senses something sinister about the pair and their group, the Hitler Youth. Rolf's older brother Romer, however, quickly falls in with them; at the same time, townsfolk are similarly ensnared by the youths' speeches promising a better Germany. Soon, Hitler Youth begin targeting Jewish storefronts and Rolf and his friend witness the attack of a Jewish business owner. They're horrified by this act of violence but even more so by the lack of help provided by the members of their community. When Romer leaves the family to join the Nazi Party, Rolf and his father attempt to find him at Hitler's rally in nearby Nuremburg. It is there that Rolf realizes, "When things are bad, someone must be blamed. And if you had power, you could blame anyone you wanted." Via heated arguments between Romer and his father, Spradlin (Close Calls) provides context for WWI's impact on Germany and the resulting hopelessness and economic hardship. It all coalesces into a thoughtful reflection-- a series launch--on the rise of evil that will have readers drawing parallels to the current political climate. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)

Tensions rise when a cadre of Hitler Youth arrives in a young student's Bavarian town. "They stood out like skunks in their brown shirts, black pants, and jackboots." Rolf is upset to see the deteriorating relationship between his always-angry older brother, Romer, and their widowed father. But he's more disturbed by evidence that Romer is drifting toward sinister, spiderlike Hans and the squad of uniformed thugs behind him--particularly after the distribution of recruitment leaflets is followed by arson and the beating of a local Jewish merchant as bystanders watch…some approvingly. Matters come to a head when Hitler speaks at a mass rally; Rolf comes away from the experience firm in his conviction that the Nazi takeover must be resisted. This fast-moving, stirring tale is set in 1929, but along with a timeline that begins with Hitler's birth and ends in 1935, the author intersperses helpful flashbacks about the end of the First World War, the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, and other events presented as news stories. He also makes explicit the book's cautionary purpose: "It's common for us who live in democracies around the world to say, 'it can't happen here,'" he writes in his afterword. "It can." Clear of stance and cogent of theme. (glossary)(Historical fiction. 11-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.