Max in the Land of Lies by Adam Gidwitz

Max in the Land of Lies completes Adam Gidwitz’s “Operation Kinderspion” duo with a tale both thrilling and thought-provoking.

Max in the Land of Lies by Adam Gidwitz. Dutton Children’s Books (PRH), 2025, 322 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 12-18

When we left Max Bretzfeld (Max in the House of Spies), he had just made a parachute jump into Germany, the first step of a daring spy mission. On page one of Max in the Land of Lies, he hits the ground. His stated mission from British Intelligence is to infiltrate the Funkhaus, the German propaganda network. His secret mission, known only to himself, is to locate his parents, who have gone missing since they sent him—over his strenuous protests—to a host family in England.

For a 13-year-old spy to succeed in the heart of Nazi Germany seems both far-fetched and farcical, but Max has linguistic and mechanical skills, as well as fierce determination. Also the help, if we can call it that, of Berg and Stein, two wisecracking characters of German/Jewish mythology who have literally attached themselves to him. Nevertheless, even Max can barely believe his luck at working his way into the radio shop which happens to serve prominent broadcaster Han Fritzsche who happens to have a son Max’s age who desperately needs a friend. Fritzsche moves in a privileged circle including minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels, and in time Max will come face to face with Der Fuehrer himself. Each coincidental connection brings him one step closer to his official goal. But what of his parents?

Strands of his two missions will eventually come together in a way both shocking and poignant. But beyond emotional resonance, Gidwitz takes on deep and penetrating questions about good and evil. During one conversation Fritzsche admits the cruelty of the Third Reich but insists Britain’s atrocities are no better, leading Max to wonder about moral equivalence. Berg carefully lays out the differences before Stein cuts to the chase: “How do you compare evil? . . . The Boss [meaning God] didn’t explain how to compare two evils at the beginning of time,” but it’s implied that He left us enough moral sense to make reasonable judgments.

Max encounters several Germans, even high-ranking officers, who can’t support the Nazi cause but play along for reasons of their own. “I suppose there are thoughts we all avoid,” says one. “Feelings that we can’t afford to have.” Some are Christians, trying to act on their faith and stay alive. Christians come in for particular scorn from Hitler, who scoffs, “That tale is finished. They will betray their God to us. They will betray anything for the sake of their miserable little jobs and incomes.” (As, historically, many of them did.) But Max’s most significant discovery is within himself: a propensity for violence that shakes his image as one of the good guys and makes him more sympathetic to others who have hard choices to make.

How could Germany, that most cultured and intellectual country, fall for Nazi mythology? The question requires a deep psychological and spiritual dive into human nature beyond the scope of a single novel. Max in the House of Spies provides a place to start for mature middle-grade readers and older (note considerations).  

Considerations:

• Language: Several d- words, as well as two misuses of God’s name.
• Some crude references among the Hitler Youth, particularly in regard to circumcision.
• One supporting character is revealed as gay, though the implication is subtle and some readers may not catch it.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Review: Adam Gidwitz’s The Inquisitor’s Tale also raises some interesting questions.
• Review: Kids who aspire to espionage would enjoy The Big Book of Spy Stuff.
• Reflection: Goebbels brags to his circle that the Nazis were able to take over Germany by telling convincing stories—i.e., propaganda. When Is a Story More Than a Story? contemplates the limits—and possibly misuses–of storytelling.

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