Projekt 1065

Michael O'Shaunessey is an Irish boy living in Germany while his father serves as Irish ambassador.  The only reason Ireland still has an ambassador under the Nazi regime is Ireland's neutral status.  You wouldn't expect Michael to a Nazi sympathizer, an active member of Hitler Youth, but he is.  You also wouldn't expect a 13-year-old boy to be a spy for the allies, but he does that, too.

When Michael's Hitler Youth group is recruited to find and capture a British pilot, there's no time to tell his parents.  They usually do all the dirty work; Michael just gathers information. Michael decides to try and save the soldier himself.

That is just the beginning of Michael's most dangerous mission yet.  He has to steal the plans for a new German jet that could turn the tide of the war.  And if that weren't dangerous enough, he'll have to make friends with a fanatical Hitler Youth boy to do it.

Will Michael be able to complete his mission and give the allies a vital boost in the war effort, or will he fail?  The stakes are high with many lives at stake, including his own.

Fans of Alan Gratz's previous books will be drawn in once more with this tale of a boy who seems to be in over his head against a dangerous enemy.  My only real complaint about this book is Michael seems a little flippant in his attitude toward the Nazis in the beginning.  He never says anything out loud, but he also doesn't seem very nervous about them at the beginning of the book either.  That's just a small complaint, and kids will love the book!