General Information:

Title of Book: Orphan Monster Spy

Genre of Literature: Historical Fiction

Author: Matt Killeen

Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers

Copyright Date: March 20, 2018

Number of pages: 423

Setting(s): Western Europe/Germany

Main Characters:

Sarah: A Jewish girl who meets Captain Jeremy Floyd while running from Nazis. She becomes a “German” spy for him at a Nazi boarding to prevent a bomb being created. She is 15, but very small for her age, is also good at acting, and speaks many languages.

Captain Jeremy Floyd: A British man who takes on many identities, and who is very smart. He runs into Sarah, and uses her to help him stop Hans’ bomb from being made.

Hans Schäfer: A scientist for Hitler, who is working to create a powerful nuclear bomb.

Elsa: The daughter of Hans Schäfer, who attends the Nazi school that Sarah is spying at.

 

Book summary/point of view:

In about 100 words, provide a brief summary of the plot of the book. Include the time period in which it takes place.

Orphan Monster Spy takes place in Germany around late 1939. A Jewish girl named Sarah is left alone when her mother is shot at a stopping point. In order to survive, Sarah goes on, and she comes across this mysterious man named Captain Jeremy Floyd. He takes her in and they end up going back to his house. One day when Captain Jeremy Floyd is away, Sarah discovers that he has many different IDs, as well as books of various languages. After Captain Jeremy confronts her about going through his stuff, he asks Sarah if she would like to help him on his mission to stop the German scientist, Hans Schäfer, from creating a nuclear bomb that would destroy many. Sarah agrees to help him, so Captain Jeremy enrolls her in the Nazi boarding school that the daughter of  Hans Schäfer attends. Sarah’s job is to befriend Hans’ daughter, be invited to their house, and steal the blueprints to the nuclear bomb so Captain Jeremy can stop him.

From whose point of view is the book told?  How does this influence the story?

This book is in third person, but it is from the point of view of Sarah. This influences what information the reader knows. Through dreams and memories, the reader can find out things about Sarah’s past and what has influenced who she has become. The reader can also see how she reacts to the events that take place.

What is the most important event in the book?  Why is it the most important? When does this event take place in the book (page numbers)?

The most important event in the book takes place in chapter thirty when Sarah is working to set off the bomb before it could be finished, so that it could not be redesigned. This is the climax of the book, and the moment where you find out whether or not Sarah will survive and complete the mission. Pages 368 and 369 describe Sarah’s thought process when she is figuring out how to rewire to bomb and set it off so that she would have time to make it out of the building alive.

Choose one character – Give a more detailed description of their role in the book, and then compare them to someone you know personally today.  Use two quotes from the book to help illustrate your description – cite page numbers where the quotes are found.

Sarah is the main character of the book. She finds her way to a man named Captain Jeremy Floyd, and she ends up helping him on a project involving a German scientist. Sarah undergoes a large number of risky things in order to survive and get information regarding the nuclear bomb. While working to set off the bomb safely, “Sarah realized that she might not make it” (368). Sarah is also someone compassionate and strong. There are multiple occurrences in the book where Sarah either takes beatings for another girl, or she helps the wounded. When the Captain got shot, “Sarah pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket and pressed it against the wound, pushing her weight against it” (228). She worked to make sure the Captain wouldn’t bleed out. I think Sarah is comparable to my mom. Even through some of the hardest times, my mom preservers and does anything she can to provide for me and my siblings. She will also work her hardest to protect us like Sarah does by helping Captain Jeremy Floyd. My mom is full of compassion just like Sarah as well.

Use two quotes from the book to show new things you have learned about this time period in history.  Explain what each quote helped you to better know or understand – cite page numbers.

The first quote I chose shows what it was like for Jews during this time period: “Going to the Olympic Stadium had been hugely risky for a Jew, even back in ‘36” (53). The Jews didn’t even really get the opportunity to participate in things that others did during this time because of the fascism in Germany.

The second quote I chose shows the mentality of Jewish children during this time: “There had rarely been time to be frightened or cross in the past six years, since the National Socialists had come to power” (6). This quote shows what it was like for Sarah, emotionally, during this time period. As a Jewish child, her focus was on doing what she could to survive without complaints.

How might our world be different today if the historical events in your book had turned out differently?  Use two different examples to explain your answer.  

Our world might be different today if World War 2 had ended differently, supposedly by a nuclear explosion. This could’ve altered who won the war and how countries redeveloped. If Sarah had never set off the bomb before it was complete, Hans Schäfer, or some other scientist, would have made one that would wipe out many. Another event that could’ve turned out differently is the number of Jews that were able to escape with the Captain. Though the Captain may have been a fictional character, I’m sure there were people like him during World War 2. If there was not, there would have been many more lives lost,.

What are three life lessons that can be learned from this book – how does each apply to your life?

Three life lessons prevalent in this book are that perseverance is a journey, focusing your energy in the right things can pay off, and you can use your talents to succeed. Perseverance is seen when Sarah continues to move on and survive after her mother was killed. Instead of giving up, Sarah acts her way through Germany as if she wasn’t a Jew. Perseverance was also seen when Sarah continued to attend the German boarding school, even though the kids there were cruel to her at first. This applies to my life because I strive to have the perseverance that Sarah had. She really pulled it all together after the tragedy of her mother’s death and even when kids were bullying her at school. I see perseverance in my life when a hard family event takes place. Recovering is something that definitely takes perseverance. I saw how focusing your energy on the right things can pay off when Sarah is at Hans Schäfer’s place. She didn’t freak out when things got tense or really dangerous, and she instead focused on how to complete the mission. This life lesson can be applied to my life when I’m in intense situations. Instead of freaking out and breaking down, I can focus my energy on coming up with a solution. Sarah uses her talents to succeed in the mission that she is on for Captain Jeremy Floyd. This can be applied to my life in the way I use my talents and what I use them for.

If you were to give this book an alternate title, what would it be?  Explain why.

An alternate title I would give this book is Undercover Nazi, or something like that to show what the book is about and how it relates to World War 2. I think it would give people a better idea of what the book is actually about. I also think that the title, Undercover Nazi, shows the perspective of the book.

Explain in about 50 words why you would or would not recommend this book to your classmates.

I would recommend this book to my peers especially if they are interested in World War 2. Orphan Monster Spy shows an interesting perspective from Sarah, a Jewish girl who goes undercover as a German, and gives you sense of what it would’ve been like in Germany during this time period. I also think it does a good job of showing what it would’ve been like for German girls at schools. Overall the book was a good read.

Cite any sources beyond the book that you used to complete this project.

F, Taylor. “Orphan Monster Spy Review.” Teenreads, 28 Mar. 2018, www.teenreads.com/reviews/orphan-monster-spy.