Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Funny, thrilling, rich tale of Jewish kid spying on Nazis.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
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What's the Story?
Set in 1940, MAX IN THE LAND OF LIES finds the title character turning 13 while on a spy mission to infiltrate the state radio station in Nazi Germany for England's MI6. His second mission—forbidden by his spymasters—is to find out what happened to the loving Jewish parents who put him on a Kindertransport in Berlin and haven't been seen since. As the story opens, he's been parachuted to the outskirts of Berlin, the paratrooper he's with is lying dead, and Stein and Berg, two tiny immortal beings perched on his shoulders, are complaining bitterly about being back in Germany and predicting doom. Successfully dodging Nazi cops with a little supernatural help from his unlikely pals, Max finds his way to his old apartment (now occupied by a family of Hitler fans) and takes refuge with a pastor upstairs. As he turns to his mission(s), some things go better than others, people are full of surprises, and truth gets complicated.
Is It Any Good?
Master storyteller Adam Gidwitz is in top form in his poignant, funny, history-packed tale of peril, spycraft, atrocities, propaganda, tech wizardry, and standing by your loved ones in complex times. Max in the Land of Lies finds its young Jewish hero turning 13 in 1940s Berlin on a spy mission for England's MI6. He's pretending to be Aryan, dodging Nazi cops, punching a bully at Hitler Youth camp, and grappling with a lot of moral quandaries. Meanwhile, he has to deal with social situations involving lectures from Hitler fans: "You children cannot imagine living in a country where Africans have guns and can order you about. Where Jews sit in the Reichstag, telling us white Christians what to do ... Hitler has solved all that. He has tended to the lion's wounds, and fed it milk with his two hands, and now it is strong again, and on the prowl at last. As a proud, blond beast should be." Despite the intense themes and ever-present peril, this book is also fast-paced adventure middle grade readers will devour. Not to be missed.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about kids caught up in the Holocaust, and about those like Max, who survived because their parents, who often didn't survive, put them on a Kindertransport to England. Max in the Land of Lies is a spy story involving one such kid. What other stories do you know about kids in this situation, and do they give you a better sense of being caught up in that reality?
How do you think you would have handled being a kid in Nazi Germany? What would be hard for you to deal with?
Max, and later Freddie, talk about how the people you love and your connection with them are what matters most, whatever else is going on. Are there people you feel that way about? Who and why?
What are some memorable scenes where Max was brave? Where do you think his courage came from?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Historical Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Courage , Empathy , Perseverance , Self-control
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Dutton Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : February 25, 2025
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 353
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : Common Sense Selection
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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