Writing About Nazis…for Children?! A Discussion of “Max in the House of Spies,” With Author Adam Gidwitz, Professor Steven Remy, and Provost April Bedford

Books for children can be simple and sweet. But they shouldn’t be. At least, so argues Newbery Honor–winning and New York Times bestselling author Adam Gidwitz, whose new middle-grade novel, Max in the House of Spies, takes on questions that challenge even adults: Why did the Nazis do what they did? If your parents were in Nazi Germany, what would you do? Between the truth and your mother, which do you choose? A conversation with the author, History Professor Steven Remy (who advised Gidwitz in the creation of this book), and Provost April Bedford, an expert in children’s literature, will explore these questions for ourselves and for historians—and whether, and how, we should pose them to children.