Orphan, Monster, Spy

When Sarah's mother is killed at a checkpoint, she is left alone in Nazi Germany.  She has blond hair, blue eyes, and is small for her age, but she is Jewish.  In her blundering attempts to escape Germany, he meets a strange man who she quickly realizes is not what he seems.  She helps save his life and instantly feels a connection to him.

It's clear to Sarah the Captain is some sort of spy, and it doesn't take long before he realizes she can help with his current mission.  Her mission is to infiltrate a brutal girls boarding school, befriend, Elsa, the daughter of a high ranking scientist, get invited to her house, and steal the plans for a bomb. 

Sarah is confident she can pull it off since her actress mother has been training her since childhood, but this school is a breeding ground for monsters.  Students and teachers alike prey on the weak to gain power, and Elsa is part of the elite. 

In her attempts to complete her mission, Sarah begins to doubt her own morality.  Is she becoming just like the monsters she despises?

Matt Killeen's book is riveting, disturbing, and violent.  I could not stop reading even though each chapter was more disturbing than the last.  I will definitely recommend this to older readers, especially those who are interested in WWII and the Holocaust, but I would steer sensitive readers away from this one.  Trigger warning, this book deals with attempted sexual assault and hints at an ongoing pattern of assault.  Recommended for grades 8 and up.