Faceless

by Kathryn Lasky Narrated by Jennifer Jill Araya

Overview

Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky, author of the Guardians of Ga'hoole series, delivers a riveting adventure about young British spies on a secret mission in Germany in WWII.

“Fascinating and riveting, especially for history buffs and spy aficionados.” -Kirkus

“A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.” -Booklist

“With a well-detailed historical backdrop and a puzzling familial mystery, this novel delivers intrigue.” -Publishers Weekly

Over the centuries, a small clan of spies called the Tabula Rasa has worked ceaselessly to fight oppression. They can pass unseen through enemy lines and “become” other people without being recognized. They are, essentially, faceless.

Alice and Louise Winfield are sisters and spies in the Tabula Rasa. They're growing up in wartime England, where the threat of Nazi occupation is ever near. But Louise wants to live an ordinary life and leaves the agency. Now, as Alice faces her most dangerous assignment yet, she fears discovery, but, most of all, she fears losing her own sister.

This upper middle grade novel is a mix of espionage and historical adventure and will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Wein and Ruta Sepetys. Lasky masterfully spins a tale filled with mystery, suspense, and intrigue that will have readers hooked.

Faceless is also a springboard for the study of Word War II, with special interest to classrooms that would like to teach subjects such as Hitler, the Nazi regime, and anti-Nazi resistance.

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates this intriguing adventure set during the Allied invasion of Nazi Germany. Thirteen-year-old Alice; her sister, Louise; and their parents belong to an organization called Rasa, which is part of the British Secret Service. Rasa agents are unique for their unremarkable faces, which make them ideal spies. Alice is prepared to receive her first top-level assignment—to infiltrate the innermost circle of Hitler’s Berlin—when Louise unexpectedly decides to quit. Feeling abandoned, Alice is determined to carry on with her mission despite her growing fear of discovery. Araya captures Alice’s youthful exuberance and compassion in a bright tone and refined British accent. She voices additional characters with English accents of various intonations and skillfully handles the occasional German words and phrases. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

09/06/2021

Set during WWII, Newbery Honoree Lasky’s intense historical drama follows a white family of spies whose tradition of serving Great Britain dates back to Henry VIII. Thirteen-year-old Alice Winfield has for years trained for her first A-level mission, and her celebrated older sister, Louise, once promised to be her guide. But when Louise opts out of the family business, only Alice and her mother join the teens’ undercover father on a secret mission in Berlin: taking down Hitler. Upon arrival, Alice becomes Ute, a German girl “certified to be... Aryan, with no contamination of foreign blood.” As Alice works to achieve high marks in school and remain as unnoticeable and unmemorable as the “tabula rasas” from which she is descended, she finds herself dangerously drawn to an unhoused boy. With a well-detailed historical backdrop and a puzzling familial mystery, this novel delivers intrigue via tense scenes involving Hitler himself. Albeit fictional, this up-close glimpse at the historical figure’s inner circle and last days centers an unnervingly calm protagonist maintaining an elaborate ruse while navigating the increasingly dangerous streets of Berlin, where knowing who is friend and foe determines survival. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, the Book Group. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

"This up-close glimpse at the historical figure’s inner circle and last days centers an unnervingly calm protagonist maintaining an elaborate ruse while navigating the increasingly dangerous streets of Berlin, where knowing who is friend and foe determines survival." — Publishers Weekly

“Fascinating and riveting, especially for history buffs and spy aficionados.” — Kirkus Reviews

“A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.” — Booklist

“Middle school historical fiction enthusiasts…should find this intriguing.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

“Give to historical fiction lovers and purchase where WWII stories are popular.”  — School Library Journal

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Middle school historical fiction enthusiasts…should find this intriguing.

Booklist

A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.

Booklist

A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.

School Library Journal

10/08/2021

Gr 5 Up—Spies during World War II are front and center in Lasky's fourth story on this period. It's 1944 and Europe is struggling through the war. Thirteen-year-old Alice Winfield comes from a long line of spies, a special group of people called the Tabula Rasa who are skilled in many areas—but their distinctive feature is that they have faces one can't remember. Alice and her family fly from their native England to Nazi Germany, where she and her parents all have different intelligence assignments. Alice's older sister Louise has been left behind, as she retired from the family business and has undergone facial cosmetic surgery. Our main heroine performs her role impeccably, and she manages to get closer and closer to Hitler for her mission. After years of training, does she have what it takes to succeed and bring down Germany's most powerful and dangerous man? The storyline is very promising, but the text is difficult at times, with period words that are not often understood in context, plus a lot of German that readers might struggle with. The intended audience is middle grade, but at times the slow pace of the book and overall plot might be a hard sell for children in this age bracket. There are a few instances of body- and fat-shaming that are very off-putting, so readers should be forewarned. VERDICT Give to historical fiction lovers and purchase where WWII stories are popular.—Carol Youssif, Taipei American Sch., Taiwan

DECEMBER 2021 - AudioFile

Jennifer Jill Araya narrates this intriguing adventure set during the Allied invasion of Nazi Germany. Thirteen-year-old Alice; her sister, Louise; and their parents belong to an organization called Rasa, which is part of the British Secret Service. Rasa agents are unique for their unremarkable faces, which make them ideal spies. Alice is prepared to receive her first top-level assignment—to infiltrate the innermost circle of Hitler’s Berlin—when Louise unexpectedly decides to quit. Feeling abandoned, Alice is determined to carry on with her mission despite her growing fear of discovery. Araya captures Alice’s youthful exuberance and compassion in a bright tone and refined British accent. She voices additional characters with English accents of various intonations and skillfully handles the occasional German words and phrases. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-09-01
Spying for the British in the final years of World War II, 13-year-old English girl Alice Winfield embarks on a dangerous mission to Berlin.

Involved in British spying for centuries, the Winfields are Rasas, or agents with perfectly proportioned, forgettable faces, ideal for espionage. Alice’s mother is a veteran Rasa spy for MI6, her father’s an operative stationed in Berlin, and her 19-year-old sister, Louise, has been trusted with complex missions. When Louise suddenly resigns and has plastic surgery to alter her face, Alice feels lost. Parachuting into Germany with her mother to join her father in Berlin on her first top-level mission, Alice poses as a schoolgirl. Winning a coveted Reich Praktikum, or student internship, in Hitler’s household, she goes everywhere the Führer goes, observing and reporting back about his mental state as part of an assassination plot. With the Allies approaching, clever Alice tries to fulfill her mission, secretly help a homeless Jewish boy, uncover the mystery of Louise’s sudden appearance in Germany, and remain inconspicuous while surrounded by enemies. Alice’s behind-the-scenes position within the epicenter of Nazi power during the final days of the war provides an intriguing perspective on Nazi luminaries, 1940s German student life, wartime deprivations in Berlin, Nazi xenophobia and racial theory, and the excitement and danger of being a wartime spy. Repeated themes of identity and references to Wagner’s Ring cycle prove effective. Characters read as White.

Fascinating and riveting, especially for history buffs and spy aficionados. (historical notes) (Historical fiction. 9-13)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172989346
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/19/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

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