Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teens aim to foil Nazi plot in thrilling, magical adventure.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
It's December 7, 1941, in New York City, and four 13-year-olds (soon to be known as THE METROPOLITANS) find themselves at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For recently motherless Madge, it's a way to kill a few hours while her aunt wants her out of the house. For Walt, a German Jewish kid whose parents sent him to safety with New York relatives, it's a regular destination to check out medieval armor. For Kiku, it's where her father works. Joe, a Mohawk kid who's on the lam and living rough in the park after beating a brutal principal who was beating Joe's sister, is trying to return a book Madge left on a bench. But when a creepy man does a smash-and-grab on a manuscript page just as the announcement of war breaks out, the kids are swept up in trying to foil a Nazi conspiracy to kill the population of New York, in which the Nazis seem to be getting some help from magical forces.
Is It Any Good?
This is a thrilling adventure full of relatable issues, appealing heroes, and deadly peril as four teens race against time to foil a deadly Nazi attack on New York in the wake of Pearl Harbor. Fans of King Arthur tales will revel in the intertwined Camelot plot in The Metropolitans, as old battles are fought anew, and there's lots of historical detail about 1940s New York. Much of the story involves artifacts and employees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and readers will pick up quite a lot of information about the exhibits, as well as a strong sense that's it's not at all dull and boring.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the element of Camelot in The Metropolitans. Why do you think the stories of King Arthur have remained so popular through the centuries? Who's your favorite character in them?
What did you learn about the Kindertransport and other efforts to help Jewish kids escape the Nazis? What other stories about this chapter of history do you know? How would you feel if your parents sent you away for your own good?
If you had to do something bad to save your loved ones from death, would you?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Fantasy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures , Friendship , History
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Viking Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : March 14, 2017
- Number of pages : 368
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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