The Book of Uriel by Elyse Hoffman

My name is Uwe, and I hate my role as an interpreter for the German Order Police. I've witnessed the torture of prisoners and the murder of Jewish women and children at the direction of Major Brandt. I know the major is getting angry with me, since I've spoken against these atrocities right in front of his soldiers. I don't want to be a part of this war, but I'd like to help the Jews and Poles hiding in this area. It would help if the two groups could work together, but the Poles hate the Jews almost as much as the Germans do. I fear Major Brandt will discover the mute Jewish boy named Uriel hiding in his house, but I'll do all I can to protect him. Not that Uriel needs much help, since he's always sneaking into the woods in search of something. It's like he's invisible to the guards outside the house, but I still wonder what he's looking for. 

This book is due to be released in early 2021, and there was much more to it than I anticipated. It had the most religious focus that I've seen in a middle grade book, and many of the topics were pretty mature and intense. Uriel wrote a collection of stories that often sounded like they came from a holy book, and his main conflict was trying to free Michael, the Jewish guardian angel, from the Angel of Death. He could only accomplish this quest by completing five challenges put forth by the former Arch Angel, so these tasks took up most of his pages. Uwe's efforts seemed to be on a separate path, and he was totally unaware of what Uriel was up to. He questioned his own job with the German army and reinforced the notion that not all Germans totally supported Hitler's philosophies. However, people like Uwe were considered traitors if they spoke up. Uwe and Uriel's stories converged in the end, and Uriel had some divine assistance. The climax and resolution were unexpected but still brought the book to a satisfying conclusion. This book will appeal to lovers of historical fiction, the Jewish faith, and fantasy. I'm not used to reading a book so based in a real-life religion, so that's a primary reason for my three-star rating. It didn't grab me. The book was well-written and interesting, so I recommend you give it a shot.