Graffiti Knight

May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-It is 1947, and life is hard for 16-year-old Wilm and his family. The city of Leipzig, in southeast Germany, is controlled by the Soviets, who are brutal masters. The Germans are constantly hungry because the Soviets have significantly reduced their food rations. Even worse, the German police, Schupos, are puppets of the Soviets. Wilm and his friends like to skulk around and pretend to battle the enemy, but the war becomes real when he experiences just how powerless his community really is against them. After witnessing Schupos beat and taunt his crippled father, the teen discovers the reason that his sister's boyfriend doesn't come around anymore: Ernst, a Schupo himself, came upon four Soviets raping her and now considers Anneliese damaged goods. Wilm is determined to fight back, and starts committing small acts of sabotage against the police. Finally, an attempt to leave his mark on the Soviet compound goes awry, and he and his friends are forced to flee. The last quarter of the book is nonstop action as the group travels for days, attempting to avoid pursuers to make it to Bavaria and the American Zone. Wilm is a flawed but engaging protagonist, prone to headstrong actions, and he matures believably over the course of the story. While over-expository conversations between characters lead to moments of stilted and unnatural dialogue, Bass does a fine job of opening readers' eyes to the harsh realities that so many German civilians faced after their country's defeat, regardless of whether they had supported the Nazi regime.-Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2014
This gripping page-turner set in 1947 East Germany explores the aftereffects of war and occupation. World War II is over and Germany partitioned among the victors. For most in the Soviet-occupied zone, life is grim and anything but peaceful. Hunger's a constant companion, trust in short supply. Most despise their Russian masters and even more, the German police--Schupos--who do their bidding. With their elders embittered and broken, friendship sustains 16-year-old narrator Wilm and his friends, Karl and Georg. Pretending to spy on the Schupos blows off steam, but after the Schupos beat up Wilm's amputee father and Wilm learns of the brutal sexual assault on his sister, Anneliese, the game turns real. Supported by Karl and Georg, Wilm starts by scrawling graffiti calling the Schupos "puppets" and vandalizing police vehicles. Risk-taking proves energizing and deeply satisfying--also addictive and eventually desensitizing. It's at odds with his growing interest in building bridges. The engineer who mentors him lends him books and encourages his interest, but their connection weakens as Wilm's acts of sabotage escalate. The authentic setting, compelling characters, and taut, suspenseful plot claim attention throughout. Bass refuses to oversimplify human beings. When motivations are tangled and complex, actions, even the best-intended, have unforeseen consequences. A different kind of war story, highly recommended. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

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March 15, 2014
Grades 8-11 Just as Ruta Sepetys revealed a different perspective of the Holocaust in Between Shades of Gray (2011), Bass introduces another view of history unknown to many American readers. In 1947, two years after WWII has ended, the Soviet Army controls Wilm's German city of Leipzig. The 16-year-old's family and friends survive day-to-day in bombed ruins with barely enough food or other provisions. When Wilm discovers that his older sister has been violated by the Soviets (later he learns the term means rape), he decides to take action against the German police, whom he considers puppets of the Soviet regime. After vandalizing police facilities and equipment, he always leaves a signature marionette mark. Based on actual events (background is provided in the concluding author's note), the gripping historical fiction turns adventurous as Wilm's anger and pranks escalate. And when one prank goes too far, the teen and his friends must escape both the Germans and Soviet forces or face a sentence worse than death. This eye-opening story shows that war's end is never tidy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)