Review By: Rose Palmisano
Published: 2025
Genre(s): Historical Fiction, Friendship, Suspense, Survival, WWII
Audience: Grades 6–8
Content Warnings: Holocaust, Nazis, swastikas, persecution for being gay or Jewish
Goodreads Link: War Games
Summary:
All that glitters is not gold…Evie can’t believe she’s made it to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. After fleeing the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, Evie’s family is still poor and reeling from devastating losses. She could have never guessed that the sport she took up to escape her reality would lead to this.
Now, she’s competing in gymnastics on Team USA, with some of the greatest athletes in the world like track and field star Jesse Owens. But all is not as it seems in Berlin, a city now ruled by the Nazis and their tyrannical leader, Adolf Hitler.
And Evie has secrets of her own. With two other Olympic athletes, who each have their own reasons for despising the Nazis, Evie has been recruited for the biggest heist of the century by a mysterious criminal mastermind, who intends on robbing the Nazis right under their noses.
But Evie didn’t count on being stuck with an inquisitive Youth Services Host, Heinz, who is determined to follow her every step while concealing his own deadly secret. And she didn’t count on discovering the truth behind all of the glittering fanfare of the the Nazis are harshly persecuting Jewish people and preparing for a devastating war.
When the time comes, Evie is forced to face the reality around her, and the horrors that the Nazis can’t quite hide. She must learn how to see the truth beneath the mirage and choose between what’s right — and what might cost her everything.
Review:
Evie has been through a lot as a 13-year-old girl living in 1930s America. She’s barely survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. Her ticket out of this hardship is the 1936 Olympics, where she will compete on the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team. If she wins the gold medal, she can lift her family out of poverty. There’s just one problem: the Olympic Games are in Berlin, Germany, and Adolf Hitler is in charge.
Evie begins to realize that beneath the organized and impressive Nazi surface, there is fear, persecution, and hatred. She’s presented with an opportunity to help the Jewish people by stealing from a Nazi bank using her gymnast skills. Readers will be left wondering—will she help herself or others?
Alan Gratz has done it again! Readers who have appreciated his other WWII novels will love this one as well. It sheds light on the 1936 Olympic Games and draws connections between historical injustices and today’s moral choices. Evie’s internal conflict—whether to help herself or stand up for others—will resonate with young readers.
Fast-paced and thought-provoking, War Games blends action with meaningful historical insight. This would be an excellent novel for 8th-grade Social Studies and ELA teachers to pair across disciplines. I highly recommend this important read to educators and young readers alike.
In War Games, Alan Gratz delivers another masterful blend of history and heart. Set against the 1936 Berlin Olympics, this story of courage and conviction reminds readers that doing what is right often requires great personal sacrifice. A fast-paced and powerful read that connects history’s lessons to the challenges of today.
