Schroder, Monika. My Brother’s Shadow.

Schroder, Monika.   My Brother’s Shadow.  Farrar Strauss see Macmillan Children's Publishing Group,   2011. 217p. $17.99  ISbn 978-0-374-35122-9  ms/hs VG-BN Historical Fiction

      In the fall of 1918, young Moritz is working as a printer and living with his mother, a political activist, his sister, and grandmother, while his older brother is away at the front.  This gripping story of a young German man’s experiences during the last year of World War I focuses on his developing political sense as he watches his politically active mother and sister get arrested for their beliefs and his brother turn into a Jew-hating reactionary as a result of having served in the Kaiser’s army.  The character of Moritz reflects the dichotomy of the society around him, which is changing as the regime falls apart and activists fight for democratic reforms.  The characters are drawn sympathetically and sensitively, particularly that of his older brother, who becomes an embittered, broken, and dangerous man as a result of his experiences as a soldier.  The historical aspect of the story is fascinating, although a chronology and further explanation of the time and place would have been welcome.  There is a brief historical note at the end, but it should have been more detailed, as most American youngsters do not know much about this period.                      

Carol Kennedy