Throwback: The Chaos Loop

Gr 4-7–In the second "Throwback" book, 13-year-old Corey uses his time- and space-traveling abilities with his friend Leila in tow, this time in an attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler—first in 1939 Munich, then in 1908 Vienna when the future Führer was still an art student. The danger of time travel–induced transmogrification becomes more pressing as Corey starts to feel some physical effects. Lerangis keeps his protagonist, and the pace, constantly pushing forward with lots of action. Some may cringe at the attempt to humanize and turn Hitler into a character, albeit with inescapable references to his malevolence and bigotry (e.g. poor hygiene, “cold, bloodshot” eyes, outbursts of anti-Semitic rhetoric). As an ostensibly Jewish character, who also identifies as Puerto Rican and Greek American, Corey’s own lack of Jewish generational trauma seems questionable; he “freezes” and “gulps” but seems to feel little personal terror or hatred for the figure, upset only at the larger situation. Dialogue is stilted, with German phrases awkwardly and too liberally poured into conversations, (Leila just happens to be fluent in German), and characters are shallow throughout. The plot ends on a cliffhanger, anticipating the next volume.