Orphan Monster Spy

Written by Matt Killeen

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Her name is Sarah. She's blonde, blue-eyed, and Jewish in 1939 Germany. And her act of resistance is about to change the world.

After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, fifteen-year-old Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He's part of the secret resistance against the Third Reich, and he needs Sarah to hide in plain sight at a school for the daughters of top Nazi brass, posing as one of them. If she can befriend the daughter of a key scientist and get invited to her house, she might be able to steal the blueprints to a bomb that could destroy the cities of Western Europe. Nothing could prepare Sarah for her cutthroat schoolmates, and soon she finds herself in a battle for survival unlike any she'd ever imagined. But anyone who underestimates this innocent-seeming girl does so at their peril. She may look sweet, but she's the Nazis' worst nightmare.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Release date: Mar 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9780525589761

Matt Killeen

Matt Killeen es licenciado en Escritura Creativa Juvenil por la Universidad Metropolitana de Mánchester. Ha trabajado durante décadas como creativo publicitario, periodista deportivo y musical, y en la actualidad es escritor para LEGO® Company, donde ha creado novelas gráficas, historias, revistas y contenido online. Actualmente vive en Surrey, en el sur de Londres. @by_Matt_Killeen

Reviews for Orphan Monster Spy

[rena613 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My teen daughter thought this was great. She's not much of a fan of historical fiction, but she liked this story a lot.

[patxi77 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

11/17/23
Joint reading of the group, in historical context.
At first, I know it is fiction, but it could seemingly have happened for real, as there are so many stories we are unaware of and will never know what happened, each of which would make for a good read.
The story is very well done, interesting, and it tells two parts: one about education in the Reich, and another about the escape at a time when there was still no war, but the Jews were already being held accountable.
The characters are very well portrayed, both the captain and the girl, especially the girl for having more development.
I liked it and enjoyed it quite a bit; the theme is complex and many stories can be drawn from it. Moreover, I will never tire of reading about this subject. Recommended, good story. Thank you very much. (Translated from Spanish)

[acargile-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book in two days; it was very hard to put down because there's always something happening that's dangerous.

Sarah, a Jew, tries to escape with her mother, but a roadblock causes a car crash and only Sarah survives. On her own, Sarah needs to escape the Nazis. Thankfully, she doesn't look Jewish. Also, her mother taught her how to be an actress; she knows how to fully commit to the role she must play. She's also a survivor, having taken care of her mother as their rights were one by one removed.

In her flight, she sees a man whom she later rescues from a probably arrest, and her whole life changes. This man is a spy and Sarah is perfect. He needs to see what a corrupt scientist is up to, but our spy can't gain access. He asks Sarah to attend school with the scientist's daughter to get in. Sarah agrees. This time in the Nazi school is super dangerous.

That's all I'm saying--it's a page-turner, I promise! The girls are terrible! I mean, they are Nazis. Yes, you will have to suspend your disbelief because I'm not sure a 13-year old is this adept at surviving. I recommend this fun, cruel, and fast-paced novel.

[mumoftheanimals · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing plot line which although written for young adults can be enjoyed by all.

[Richaro · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A story set in World War II, from the perspective of a girl who will work as a spy by infiltrating a school to gather information about the father of a girl whose job is to create a bomb. The writing is not heavy, it's engaging; although the plot may be cliché, it is executed well. (Translated from Spanish)

[NatGalVa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of Sarah and the British spy gradually captivates you. There is a strong friendship between them, which is forged more and more as the story progresses. Not only is there the friendship with the British spy but also with one of her schoolmates, who was not considered the most popular during their stay. There are lies, secrets, and stories. Not only stories from the time of Hitler, such as Kristallnacht, or the Night of the Long Knives, or the education women received at that time, but also personal stories of each character, which make the reader either love or hate them (that depends on each individual). I don't give it five stars because while the story is very good, the epilogue is weak compared to what the writer has previously narrated. (Translated from Spanish)

[karilibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, fifteen-year-old Sarah finds herself on the run from the Nazis in Third Reich-ruled Germany. While trying to escape, Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He's part of the secret resistance against the Reich, and he needs her help. - pub description

[rakelest · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The plot seemed very good to me, but the book has bored me quite a bit; it didn't grab my attention at any moment and it's hard to follow. (Translated from Spanish)

[Adrianasales · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good book, with a theme that I really like, World War II. But I think that the same reason I like this book so much is why it didn't completely grab me. It reads very quickly; it's a very light book, but it falls short on the topic. (Translated from Spanish)

[dahiana.books · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The stories that unfold during World War II are numerous, and honestly, I have only read one, "The Book Thief," which destroyed me like no book ever had before, and then I came across this one.

Sarah is an orphaned Jewish girl who looks German or "Nazi," which gives her a certain advantage when trying to escape. However, just as she is about to do so, she encounters a British captain who is also a spy. Most of the story revolves around how this captain recruits Sarah to help him investigate a possible nuclear bomb, for which he sends her to a Nazi boarding school.

I was a bit disappointed with the story because, as I mentioned before, the little experience I have had with books from this era has been very emotional and all that, but in this one, I felt nothing (except sometimes fear of being discovered). But it owed me a lot because it never shows us the situation of a Jewish person in Nazi Germany; rather, it depicts the bullying that a girl suffers when arriving at a boarding school from the typical group of strong and overrated girls.

Regarding the characters, we get a little of Sarah's past and some rare flashbacks about him, and absolutely nothing about the Captain—just what is necessary to interact with Sarah; besides that, we know nothing of his past or his story.

The reading is very light and never boring; it can be read quite quickly and could serve as a good interlude between readings, but that's it. It is neither the best nor the worst story I have read. (Translated from Spanish)

[Porch · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Orphan Monster Spy is not your typical book about World War II. As the title suggests, it is about a Jewish orphan girl who becomes a spy after a series of events and has to carry out a very important task that will cost her many things. The truth is that I enjoyed the book quite a lot; the plot is quite entertaining, everything moves at a perfect pace, and honestly, I thought it was a very good book that is worth reading. It made me feel many things, and I was able to sympathize quite a bit with the characters. The only thing I was left with was a bunch of questions regarding things that happened, but apart from that, everything was very good. (Translated from Spanish)

[Lectora Nocturna · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

In my opinion, I see it as more youthful. The protagonist is 15 years old but looks younger and knows how to act, speaks several languages, and can pick locks... She encounters a stranger, and they decide to help each other by infiltrating a Nazi academy. Although the synopsis is appealing, the reality is that it’s quite boring; I didn't even bother to read the ending. (Translated from Spanish)

[heatherlinc · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"Orphan Monster Spy" is getting great reviews on Goodreads, so I was eager to read it as I am a huge fan of historical fiction, especially those novels set during WWII. However, from the start I struggled with this one. Whilst I admired Sarah's courage and intelligence, I wasn't invested in her at all, despite the life and death choices she had to make. I found the voices in her head, her own and her mother's, very distracting and they quickly grated on my nerves.

Despite being dark, intense and brutal at times, "Orphan Monster Spy" lacked emotion. I wasn't moved by the horrors and I found that the plot dragged for most of the book. The last quarter was, by far, the most suspenseful but the ending came too abruptly. Overall, a disappointing read.

[kimpiddington · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Unique POV for a holocaust novel

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read a lot of WWII/Holocaust YA novels, and this one is different in so many ways. It is a great work of historical fiction and a great spy novel.

[shellypya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, fifteen-year-old Sarah meets a mysterious man with an ambiguous accent, a suspiciously bare apartment, and a lockbox full of weapons. He's part of the secret resistance against the Third Reich, and he needs Sarah to hide in plain sight at a school for the daughters of top Nazi brass, posing as one of them. If she can befriend the daughter of a key scientist and get invited to her house, she might be able to steal the blueprints to a bomb that could destroy the cities of Western Europe. Nothing could prepare Sarah for her cutthroat schoolmates, and soon she finds herself in a battle for survival unlike any she'd ever imagined. But anyone who underestimates this innocent-seeming girl does so at their peril. She may look sweet, but she's the Nazis' worst nightmare.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As it says on the cover; deeply disturbing and chillingly good. Can’t recommend it for middle school as it’s much too violent and Elsa’s father is a very sick man but I’m sure there are high school students who would enjoy this story. A Jewish orphan becomes a spy because she really has no where else to go and ends up working for a man about whom she knows very little.

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book about WWII has a fierce main character who wants to do what she can to defeat the Germans. After her Mom is killed at a check point as they try to escape from Germany, she is rescued by a spy and after observing her, he asks for her help.

Sarah is a blonde, blue eyed Jewish girl of 15. She was raised by her mom, an actress, who taught her how to take on different personas including accents. She's asked to enroll into an exclusive girl's school in Berlin to try to get information on another girl's family. Talk about a mean bunch of girls - this group is vile! As she tries to keep her secrets about her past she attempts to ingratiate herself with the meanest girls in the school to fulfill her mission.

This was a well written novel with lots of research to back it up. Though it's listed as YA, there were some scenes that I think would be difficult for a very young reader. For anyone who enjoys a good book with a strong female main character, this is the book to read.

Thanks to First to Read for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[jfe16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review of Advance Readers’ Edition

Blonde, blue-eyed Sarah has survived much in 1939 Germany: Kristallnacht, the police, the murder of her mother. Small for her age, quick, smart, and resourceful, she finds refuge with Captain Jeremy Floyd, an enigmatic Englishman who is in actuality a spy seeking to gather information on a German scientist and the bomb he is developing.

Sarah joins forces with Floyd in a plan to gain access to the fortressed home of the Hans Schafer, the scientist building the bomb, through Sarah’s soon-to-be-developed friendship with his daughter, Elsa, who attends Rothenstadt academy. But what Sarah, now calling herself Ursula Haller, finds at the school gives new meaning to the term “mean girls” and leaves her wondering if she will be able to help Floyd, after all. What will happen to this young Jewish girl as she seeks to help stop the unrelenting Nazi advance?

The historical context woven into the fictional story of a young Jewish girl becoming a spy gives the narrative a sharp edge and the intriguing plot has just enough twists and turns to keep readers guessing.
Sarah is a well-defined character, honest, gutsy, fierce, easily relatable for Young Adult readers. The intense narrative is interspersed with flashbacks of Sarah’s earlier life with her mother, giving a realistic depth to the character. Although the circumstances in which she finds herself often make her angry, Sarah’s determination keeps her going as she tries to find a way to complete the job she’s been given. The compelling plot takes unexpected turns; the suspense builds with each page.

The descriptions of Nazi occupation and Nazi atrocities are chilling, as is the brutality Sarah faces at the hands of the older girls in the school. As the story unfolds, it draws readers into Sarah’s world where they are certain to find themselves rooting for her success. A powerful narrative certain to remain with readers long after turning the final page, readers should add this book to their must-read lists.

Recommended, but definitely not a good choice for younger teen readers.

[kamoorephoto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was such an exhilarating read and a book that really is so different from anything else in the YA genre right now; I read this in its entirety during one day of the '24in48' Readathon this weekend, I absolutely couldn't put it down.
Set at the dawn of World War 2, Sarah has just witnessed her mother's murder, after fleeing their home because of Jewish round-ups, and somehow lands in the care of a British spy, Captain Floyd. He takes her under his wing, who realizes that her long blond hair, pale skin, and blue eyes, make her look less like the Jew that she is, and more like the Aryan Elite that makes her a perfect infiltrate at the Rothenstadt boarding school, an academy for Nazi general's daughters. Now under a new identity as Ursula Haller, Sarah is suddenly on a mission to gather secrets from within, and she is thrown among the wolves where some of the nastiest discipline happens in the name of the Fuhrer.
Every day, it feels like there's a danger of her identity being discovered, and even her recurrent nightmares threaten to give her away; throughout the book she has them, and she also continuously 'speaks' to her 'Mutti' for strength, although she has passed away. You constantly get the feeling it's very difficult knowing how hard it is to get through each day without a person to confide in, with no one to trust.
The entire book is built around the character Sarah/Ursula, and author Matt Killeen depicts a young teen who has to be very strong, makes hard decisions, has to be very brave, and at times, wishes she could just break down, and in many ways, is still so so immature. I would imagine this to be the way it was for many children forced to grow up in war time (regardless of circumstance).
While I don't know how many readers will go into this with extreme detail of World War 2 (being from Britain, having a WW2-obsessed dad I know plenty, believe me), I had SO much anxiety for Sarah throughout the book. I couldn't trust a single, sodding character! I fully realize that this is YA, and Killeen wasn't about to turn this any scarier, but it did get me wondering how much worse things could have turned... There's a lot more war left, after the point the book ended too! More adventures for this spy?
I'm going to say immediately that it will be definitely be in contention for a top ten spot for me this year. Any book that sucks me back into a time period where you think about how your very existence could be always in questionable danger, makes such a mark on me, and I hope others reading really felt that too. It made such a change to read a novel about this era for this age group. Put it on your TBR, everyone!!!

[lilibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of an orphaned Jewish girl who is positioned as a spy inside a Nazi school for girls, a dangerous environment where she must keep her true identity and mission a secret while befriending the daughter of an important Jewish scientist.