Book Review of Don’t Let Me Down
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The Children’s Book Review
Written by Kate Stollenwerck
Ages 13+ | 344 Pages
Publisher: Ice Blink Books (2024) | ISBN: 9798991076203
What to Expect: Family, history, Nazism, relationships, and trauma
Don’t Let Me Down, a stand-alone companion to Hello, Goodbye, delivers a powerful story about family history and the struggles of growing up.
Hailey and her boyfriend Blake, now known worldwide, stumbled upon a family secret that shook them to their core. The revelation that Hailey’s great-grandmother was a concentration camp survivor, and her great-grandfather Jack was privy to the location of a significant stash of artwork stolen by the Nazis, sent shockwaves through their lives. Their quest to recover the art led them to Hailey’s long-lost family and made international headlines. Now in Israel, they share their story with an appreciative Israeli public, but the impact of the family secret continues to reverberate, keeping readers intrigued and invested.
However, it seems the secrets are not yet all uncovered because they’ve barely been in Israel for a day when Hailey receives an anonymous letter purporting that Jack was not working alone and stamped with the tree of life symbol that only her family members know about. But what was Jack not working alone on? What does the letter mean? Finding the answer will mean breaking up their family trip and setting off once again in search of the terrifying secrets of the past.
Hailey is a determined, conscientious, and adventurous heroine whose frank first-person narrative is easy to warm to. Readers are sure to empathize with her soul-searching moments, from her worries about why she doesn’t feel ready to sleep with her boyfriend to her agonized realization that she might not want to discover some things about Jack’s past. As well as being a gripping story, the novel is also full of historical detail, meaning readers will finish the book with a deep understanding of how Nazism continued to impact lives and families long after the fall of Hitler. The emotional journey of the characters is a key aspect of the novel, making it a compelling read for those interested in family drama and coming-of-age stories.
Don’t Let Me Down is a complex, captivating novel with essential messages for readers about how we face our families’ pasts.
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About the Author
Kate Stollenwerck is an attorney turned award-winning author. Kate graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. A fifth-generation Texan, she now lives in Florida with her husband and three children. She is the recipient of the Florida Book Awards Gold Medal for Young Adult Fiction and the Writers’ League of Texas Discovery Prize for Young Adult/Middle Grade Fiction. Don’t Let Me Down is the stand-alone sequel to her debut novel, Hello, Goodbye.
For more information, visit www.katestollenwerck.com.
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