War Games
When Team USA travels to Berlin in 1936 to compete in the Olympics, young gymnast Evie Harris discovers that the discrimination and hatred by the Nazis is far worse than she had imagined. Still, Evie is determined to take home a medal, become a celebrity like her returning champion roommate, and earn enough money to lift her family out of poverty. This draws the attention of a thief who could use the skill of a talented gymnast to pull off a heist of Olympic proportions and creates a moral dilemma for Evie.
War Games is a richly plotted story with unexpected twists and turns worthy of an eye-popping perfect score of 10 on the uneven bars. The characters are well developed and appealing, giving the reader glimpses into the wide-ranging types of discrimination inflicted on people by the Nazis even before World War II began. While it’s a work of historical fiction, Gratz has included an interesting afterword that explains which characters were based on actual people. It also points out some events that are based on urban myth.
The fast pace and page-turning action make War Games a gold medalist for middle grade fiction that will keep readers in grades 5-8 on the edge of their seats waiting to see how the action all plays out and who wins in the end.
