Into the Fire (Westfallen 2) by Ann and Ben Brashares

What worked:

This series offers an innovative twist on time travel books. Characters don’t move to different time periods, but kids living in 2023 can communicate with characters living in 1944. Westfallen is the name used instead of the United States after the Nazis win World War II in an alternate timeline. Henry, Frances, and Lukas live in Westfallen, and they’re the only characters in 2023 who know history has been altered. Their mission is to discover what happened 79 years ago that changed the outcome of the war. Then, they must send the information via “magic” radio to Alice, Lawrence, and Artie in 1944 and hope they can fix the historical timeline. To complicate matters, Henry, Francis, and Lukas are living in the bodies of their Westfallen personas, but they don’t know the history of those versions of themselves. Also, Lawrence is black, and Lukas is Jewish, so they have additional struggles in the Nazi society.

The most entertaining aspect of the story is its similarity to a mystery. The kids in 2023 are the detectives, as they try to figure out the time-changing event that happened in 1944. It’s a challenge to locate clues in the present that affected events 79 years ago. Henry thinks he finds a witness in a retirement home, but the man is reluctant/terrified/angry when Henry repeatedly tries to talk to him. Henry and Francis think an accident may be the critical event, but they don’t know why. How can three kids stop the event from happening when the clues aren’t clear? The climax reveals they may not have all of the necessary information, and things don’t go as planned.

The plot offers an innovative twist on a familiar science fiction topic, as the characters communicate across time without needing to travel. In most books, characters are careful not to change events due to unforeseen consequences, but this time, characters do it intentionally. However, they’re still not sure what will happen, and this uncertainty fuels the series. The author introduces things later in the story that once seemed impossible, and the plot’s resolution opens a significant new chapter to the conflict.

What didn’t work as well:

There are six main characters in the two time periods, plus many additional minor characters. The present and the past have several subplots, too. Overall, readers will need to be mentally engaged to keep everything organized in their minds. However, the effort is worth it!

The final verdict:

Readers should start with the first book, Westfallen, or they won’t fully understand what’s happening. The story addresses the question, “What if Germany had won World War II?”, and uses unique ideas to develop compelling alternate realities. I recommend you give the series a shot.