Fantasy author Adam Gidwitz visited the Middle Schoolers of Poly Prep on April 11 to talk about his most recent book, “Max In The House Of Spies.” During club block, he shared his inspirations for the fantasy novel and some perspective on the happenings of World War II. He concluded the session by inviting questions from the audience. 

“Max in the House of Spies” is the story of a refugee, Max, who had to flee Germany, without his parents, to stay safe from the Nazis. Later on in the book, he becomes a spy. Gidwitz shared facts about this intriguing tale with exciting puzzles and riveting new knowledge about what was happening in Germany at the time. 

Gidwitz captivated the audience in a spy-like activity, engaging Middle School students and faculty in a fun Morse code challenge where the students were given numbers and were assigned to crack his code. Once it was broken, eventually the sentence was revealed to state, “Between justice and my mother I choose,” a quote by French writer and philosopher Albert Camus. Gidwitz provided more context for the quote: In 1933, Germany had fallen apart. Adolf Hitler gave the citizens the option to choose between what was right —refusing him as president, and finding a better solution — or their motherland, which would mean permitting him to help the economy while killing various groups of people for no just reason. Max, the novel’s main character, had to deal with this choice throughout the book: his loved ones or what’s right. 

Overall, the book signing and author meet-and-greet were educational and compelled the audience because they learned a little about being a spy, how books are made, and World War II. Gidwitz eloquently shared his stories and inspired the crowd. This experience wasn’t just fun and relaxing, but also enlightening.