JULY 2014 - AudioFile
It’s rare for a story to hold equal appeal and emotional resonance for listeners of all ages, but Blankman’s story, combined with Heather Wilds's intense narration, does so in dramatic fashion. Growing up in 1930s Munich, Gretchen Muller clings to the teachings of her honorary Uncle Adolf, whose power has always protected her family. Then, a chance encounter with a Jewish reporter makes her question everything she believes and forces her on a quest for the truth. Wilds’s German accents, adopted for the story’s dialogue, are distracting amid the British-accented narrative. But she excels at differentiating characters of different ages, genders, and backgrounds. B.E.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
★ 02/03/2014
Gretchen Müller has grown up in 1920s Germany believing her father sacrificed his life to shield “Uncle Dolf” from a fusillade of police bullets during Hitler’s failed 1923 attempt to overthrow the government. Because of her father’s martyrdom, Gretchen’s family has enjoyed favored status among the Nazis; she is now Hitler’s “favorite pet,” and her (terrifying) older brother works as one of his thuggish Brownshirts. Then Gretchen meets Daniel Cohen, a young reporter who has evidence that her father was not a Nazi hero, but a murder victim. Gretchen refuses to believe it, but as she undertakes her own investigation, she realizes that many things she had accepted as truth are lies. Debut novelist Blankman’s account of life in Munich prior to Hitler’s 1933 elevation to the chancellorship is completely engrossing. In an afterword, she separates fact from the fictional characters she created; a three-page bibliography is appended. Concocting a murder mystery featuring one of history’s most well-known figures is risky, and some scenes test the limits of plausibility. But Blankman creates riveting tension for her heroine and pulls readers through with an irresistible subplot featuring forbidden love. Ages 13–up. Agent: Tracey Adams, Adams Literary. (Apr.)
From the Publisher
I’m in awed envy of the daring with which Anne Blankman plunges into her difficult and sensitive subject matter. It’s terrifying and incredible to think how much of this story is true.” — Elizabeth Wein, award-winning author of CODE NAME VERITY
“PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG seamlessly blends the fascinating, terrifying facts of Hitler’s rise to power with a gripping murder mystery. Gretchen is a brave and believable protagonist, and readers will become engrossed in her struggle to uncover the truth. I can’t wait for the sequel.” — Michelle Cooper, award-winning author of the Montmaray Journals series
“A nail-biting visit to Adolf Hitler’s inner circle in the early days of the Nazi party’s rise to power.” — Jennifer Armstrong, author of In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer (with Irene Gut Opdyke)
“Completely engrossing” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“An interesting perspective on a well-trod era.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Haunting and captivating” — School Library Journal
“A winning gamble” — Booklist
Elizabeth Wein
I’m in awed envy of the daring with which Anne Blankman plunges into her difficult and sensitive subject matter. It’s terrifying and incredible to think how much of this story is true.
Jennifer Armstrong
A nail-biting visit to Adolf Hitler’s inner circle in the early days of the Nazi party’s rise to power.
Booklist
A winning gamble
Michelle Cooper
PRISONER OF NIGHT AND FOG seamlessly blends the fascinating, terrifying facts of Hitler’s rise to power with a gripping murder mystery. Gretchen is a brave and believable protagonist, and readers will become engrossed in her struggle to uncover the truth. I can’t wait for the sequel.
Booklist
A winning gamble
JULY 2014 - AudioFile
It’s rare for a story to hold equal appeal and emotional resonance for listeners of all ages, but Blankman’s story, combined with Heather Wilds's intense narration, does so in dramatic fashion. Growing up in 1930s Munich, Gretchen Muller clings to the teachings of her honorary Uncle Adolf, whose power has always protected her family. Then, a chance encounter with a Jewish reporter makes her question everything she believes and forces her on a quest for the truth. Wilds’s German accents, adopted for the story’s dialogue, are distracting amid the British-accented narrative. But she excels at differentiating characters of different ages, genders, and backgrounds. B.E.K. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2014-03-03
In 1930s Munich, a young German girl learns to question her learned hatred for Jewish people. Seventeen-year-old Gretchen Müller has grown up knowing Adolf Hitler as "Uncle Dolf," the great National Socialist leader whose life her father had died saving in 1923. This bedrock truth is challenged when a Jewish reporter named Daniel Cohen reaches out to her suggesting that her father actually had been murdered by a fellow National Socialist party member. Together, they work to unravel the mystery of why her father was killed. Gretchen finds herself doubting everything she has been taught to hate and fear about Jews and ultimately must decide where her honor and loyalty lie. In her debut, Blankman weaves into Gretchen's story the details of Hitler's historically documented rise to power (and psychopathic nature), and her fictional characters talk and live among some of Nazi Germany's most notorious figures. At times, the dialogue is unwieldy, and the historical details consume the narrative, which may cause some readers to become bored by slower sections of the story (though a sexually charged scene with Hitler himself will open their eyes wide). Here's hoping the author will find a better balance between description and action in the proposed sequel, as the relationship between Gretchen and Daniel is what sets this apart. An interesting perspective on a well-trod era. (author's note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 13-17)
