Traitor: A Novel of World War II

Dark historical page-turner is thrilling and insightful.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Amanda McCrina's Traitor: A Novel of World War II is a historical thriller from two perspectives about two soldiers with different uniforms in different years of the war caught in a spiral of betrayal and identity crises. The book includes candid descriptions of war violence, killings, torture, shootings, suicide, and mentions of abuse. The language is occasionally strong, including various ethnic slurs that would've been fitting in the historical context where so many groups hated one another in the face of occupation and invasion. For fans of Elizabeth Wein and Ruta Sepetys, this is an ideal pick of historical and political wartime intrigue.
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What's the Story?
Author Amanda McCrina's first YA novel, Traitor: A Novel of World War II starts with Tolya, a half-Polish, half-Ukrainian Soviet Red Army soldier in newly Soviet-liberated Lwow, Poland in 1944. Tolya Korolenko's not-so-accidentally kills his unit's political officer on the street, but before he can be caught by superior officers, he's rescued by a band of Ukrainian resistance fighters led by young Solovey, scarred and weary after years of war. A betrayal forces them to go on the run and wonder who has betrayed them and why. The book alternates between Tolya's point of view in 1944 and Solovey's (Aleksey's) in 1941. Twists, turns, and secrets make each young man reevaluate who's an enemy and who's an ally in the middle of a war where loyalties change and trusting someone -- anyone -- can be a lethal mistake.
Is It Any Good?
This well-researched and executed historical thriller immerses readers in the stories of two young soldiers, each accused of being a traitor to a different cause in WWII. By setting the story in the occupied Galician city of Lwow, McCrina chronicles and explores all of the various armies and resistance groups willing to shed blood to claim it -- the Germans, the Russians, the Poles, and Ukrainians, as well as political and religious factions. The novel is best for patient and mature teen readers who should begin with the back matter: a list of military and paramilitary forces as well as an extensive author's note about the history of the region. Then they'll better understand the context and setting. Another important note: While the audiobook is wonderfully narrated, the discrepancy between the points of view and years depicted make this novel much easier to follow in print.
The two timelines and perspectives mean some important milestones and events happen off the page and that a few heartbreaking moments in 1941 are more fully explained in the 1944 timeline. There's a tiny bit of romance, but it's explored in a unique way that doesn't worry itself with a standard beginning, middle, and ending. The women characters are strong but secondary, and they range from a middle-aged resistance fighting nurse to two young and beautiful soldiers/partisans. McCrina shows a great deal of skill and is a new and energetic voice in YA historical fiction. Traitor would be a particularly helpful enrichment novel for middle and high-school students studying world history and WWII.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Traitor. Why is it necessary to the story? How does written violence compare to visual violence?
Traitor is written in two perspectives and two timelines. What did you learn about the two men's intertwined fates? Which character did you relate to more?
Why do you think the history of Polish-Ukrainian tensions during WWII isn't widely studied in the United States? Does the story make you want to learn more about Eastern Europe during WWII or historical fiction in general?
How is romance depicted in the book? How is it different from love stories in similar books?
Book Details
- Author: Amanda McCrina
- Genre: Historical Fiction
- Topics: Friendship, History
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date: August 25, 2020
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 365
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 30, 2020
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love World War II stories
Themes & Topics
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