New York; Arthur A. Levine, 2013.
It would be difficult to find a piece of fiction that is more exciting than this true account of the capture of Nazi Adolf Eichmann. The prologue, set in 1960, drops us briefly in the middle of the action until Chapter 1 takes us back to Eichmann’s WWII Germany. This slice of Nazi Germany leaves no doubt as to why it became so important to the Jewish people and the world that this man be brought to justice.
Nothing about the mission to capture Eichmann from his hiding place in Argentina was easy. The team of spies had to work in complete secrecy, officially unrecognized by their own governments. If they got caught, they would not be rescued. The author expertly builds suspense throughout the story that will leave readers with pounding hearts, even those who know how the story ends. He does not suguar-coat history which will please young adult readers, but also is not gratuitously graphic when describing Nazi goals and activities.
The Nazi Hunters is a must for middle and high school libraries and will be a hit with students and teachers alike. Bascomb kindly includes a list of participants at the front of the book to help readers navigate the large cast of characters. It has an extensive index, bibliography (the author has indicated items for further reading that would interest young adults), and primary source documents. One of the non-fiction’s best of the year!
CCSS: Reading Standards for Informational Text Grades 6-8, Standards 1 – 6 & 8 – 9.
Reading Standards for Informational Text Grades 9-12,Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7.
Dewey: 364.15 Interest: Grades 6 – 12
Awards: YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction YA 2014 Winner; Booklist review; Kirkus review; Hornbook review; School Library Journal review.
Middle Readers might like: The Anne Frank Case: Simon Wiesenthal’s Search for the Truth by Susan Goldman Rubin.
Adult Readers might like: Hunting Eichmann: How a Band of Survivors and a Young Spy Agency Chased Down the World’s Most Notorious Nazi by Neal Bascomb (the adult version of The Nazi Hunters).
Fiction Pairings: High School: Shining Through by Susan Isaac
Middle School: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyle (Holocaust fiction).
Silverfin: a James Bond Adventure by Charles Higson (young James Bond spy fiction).