Faceless
Recommended Ages 8-12 (However, I would recommend 13+)
There is profanity in this book, so please take a moment to look over the references below.
Faceless by Kathryn Lasky is a World War II novel centered on espionage and a family of spies. The backdrop of the story is a family of Rasa (people whose facial features make them unmemorable). These people are perfect for espionage as they are often not recognized or remembered by those who know them without context. The story opens with Alice’s sister Louise having facial surgery to make herself more memorable as she plans to leave the spy life behind. Alice is having difficulty with this physical change with Louise, but it also stirs Alice to question what makes her “her” and her relationship with her sister. Meanwhile, Alice is given her first Level A mission in Berlin, Germany. Her mission is to infiltrate Hitler’s inner circle and to report back important intelligence on his mental bearings.
Overall, the story is a good tale, but there are a lot of different elements and information weaved throughout that some young readers may not be ready for. This book is listed for ages 8-12 years old; however, depending on your child and their exposure to certain things in the world, I would hesitate to give this book to that age level. Personally, I would be more comfortable with 13-15 as the main character, Alice, is 13-years-old.
In the midst of Alice’s secret mission, she befriends a 10-year-old Jewish boy named David. David is living and hiding near the trash cans in a wealthy neighborhood that used to be his home. On page 109, David retells the events of his family’s deportation and his father’s attempt to save his life. David’s jacket was turned inside out by his father, and he was given money. He was then ushered quickly to a local butcher to buy pork sausage. As a result, no one suspected him of being Jewish and he was saved from the trains; however, he was left an orphan at the age of eight. “’Oh, I tried not to eat the sausage...But then I decided God wouldn’t care.’ He paused a moment. ‘No, actually that’s not quite right. God would care. That’s why we were created. God means for us to live.’ He paused. ‘And you know something? If he thought it would save one child, God would eat a pig.’” The friendship between Alice and David is central for a lot of the story as she brings him food, blankets, clothing, and medicine. However, as a result of starvation and living in the elements, David does eventually die. Depending on your child’s sensitivity, this may be an element of caution for you.
Alice also wrestles with the evil that she experiences in school and the ideology of the girls she has as “friends” at school. A few particular encounters offer opportunities for conversation and thought.
“But they really aren’t idiots, are they?
The questions danced through her mind. They were products of this insane culture. They had been brainwashed. How did a person wake herself up from such a brainwashing? How could one hand one’s brains out to dry in fresh air? Watch it, Alice, she counseled herself. The last thing a spy needed to do was empathize. If she did it would be her undoing, and in a very short time she would be dead” (68).
“But once upon a time, Alice thought, all of them must have started out in some way innocent. Babies were born innocent. That’s all babies were—just little packages of innocence. You could not be born a Nazi. You had to be taught and cultivated, like some rare seedling that would grow and bloom into a horrid flower. Alice pictured a rose, its blossoms opening. Then the rounded petals suddenly transforming into spikes” (226).
Mentionable items for families:
In reference to the doctor who completed the facial surgery, Alice thinks “Paternalistic bastard” (9).
On page 66, 95, 181 and in other instances in the novel, there are references to pregnancy outside of marriage. This is in reference to the Lebensborn Program in Germany that was created by Nazi authorities to increase Germany’s population of racially valuable people.
On page 70, Alice talks of faith and religion. In the opening assembly at school, Alice and the others must recite the morning prayer, which you will notice is a perversion of the Lord’s Prayer.
“Fuhrer, my Fuhrer, given me by God,
Protect and preserve my life for long.
You rescued Germany from its deepest need.
I thank you for my daily bread.
Stay for a long time with me, leave me not.
Fuhrer, my Fuhrer, my faith, my light,
Hail by Fuhrer.
That was the Church of Adolf Hitler. And it frightened Alice to her core.”
On page 103 and 169, there is a reference to the death of Jews, Roma, and homosexuals.
On page 115, the words “shit and piss” appear in reference to the job of groom of the stool for Henry VIII.
Another central component of the story is the Norse mythology of Odin and the Valkyrie. Odin is the code name for Alice’s contact. Hitler’s favorite is Wagner’s Ring cycle opera. The opera series retells versions of Norse mythology and the Valkyrie who take the slain heroes to Valhalla. Alice has to participate in these opera performances for Hitler, and she makes many connections between the myths and the events taking place. Your reader may have questions about these myths or it may offer an opportunity for conversations in your family.
On page 132, there is a reference to Hitler needing to “move his bowels” and then Alice responding “He has to move his tanks, Mum, before his crap.”
On page 143, Alice overhears someone saying “propaganda shit.”
On page 152-153, Alice has an uncomfortable encounter with a Chauffeur who brings up a man with ten children and then responds “’But how did Hermann Goring, who is very very fat, who weighs three hundred and fifty pounds, how did he even manage to have a child? It’s a mystery. Poor woman.’” Alice is terrified at his remark and realizes that she is in potential danger of being taken advantage of by this man. Keep in mind that Alice is 13. As part of her quick thinking, she responds “’Herr Chauffeur, you tough one hair on my head, and I will report you to the secret police. Do you know what the punishment is for sexually molesting an RP girl?’ She paused for a fraction of a second. ‘Castration.’ He turned pale and put his hand back on the wheel.”
On page 160, Alice is recalling Rasa training she had in the past. She is discussing the ability for people to project onto the Rasa what they wish to see. In the story, a Rasa man is able to have a target project onto him the image of an actress. “By wearing the scarf, Alfred had manipulated the sapper’s mind until the movie star image came to the surface and he projected it onto Alfred’s face.” “’Did Alfred promise to kiss the fellow?’ one kid asked. ‘Ooooh!’ The campers squirmed. ‘Who knows? Maybe.’”
On page 219, a man is killed with a ten-man firing squad for his attempt to assassinate Hitler.
On page 227, there is a mention of two characters “necking.” It is then revealed that the girl involved is Louise, Alice’s sister.
Ultimately, Faceless is a good spy novel that preteen to early teen readers would enjoy while offering opportunities for discussions around compassion and empathy.
