A pretty cliche premise with some heavy-handed messages (what if we lost WW2?? Racism would be way worse!! Propaganda would be out of control!!), but nonetheless an entertaining read. ( )

children's middlegrade alternate history/fiction - standalone companion to The Only Thing to Fear (you don't have to read them in order, but if that kind of thing matters to you, read the other one first).
I read the first couple chapters (p.17) and so far it's pretty good--skillful world-building and an interesting premise (I love the use of diversity--Ren is half white, half Chinese-American and the Japanese empire is in control of the US West coast), I just am not in the mood for fascism and racial supremacy right now. From what I've read though, I've every reason to believe this book is a solid dystopian adventure. ( )

This re-written history novel is a 2020 Lone Star selection, and it will stress you out!

World War II was won by the Japanese and Nazis, so they basically control much of the world. Ren lives in the Western American Territories (WAT), strictly controlled by the Japanese. They have curfews and public executions; there are no freedoms. The Eastern American Territories (EAT) are in open rebellion and fighting for their freedoms. Ren follows in his mother's footsteps and writes propaganda extolling the original virtues and hopes of the United States of America: freedome, equality, and the pursuit of happiness. Japan doesn't want the WAT to rebel like the EAT, so they reinstate their strict measures. The rebels need help to infiltrate the Japanese royalty in order to instigate a plan that would knock Japan down and start the rebellion in full swing.

Due to an accident, Ren is asked to go to the home of the Japanese royalty to help with the rebellion. In this job, Ren has to find his co-conspirators, figure out a plan, and survive without being captured. There are quite a few surprises. You will be stressed out while reading because it's a dark book with much violence. Think North Korea-type living. You should also know this is a companion novel to The Only Thing to Fear, written in 2014. The main character in that novel will make a couple of brief appearances in this novel. I would assume another book is in the making because the story doesn't end. There is not a cliffhanger, as I was expecting, but it would be nice to have a resolution. I think this book will be very popular. ( )

Grade Range: 7-10
Literary Merit: Okay
Characterization: Okay
Optional Purchase

In Live in Infamy, Richardson imagines a world in which the Allies were defeated in World War II and the United States has been overtaken by the Axis Powers. Ren Cabot has grown up in the Western American Territories which is under Japanese control. Ren’s mother was executed as a traitor when she was caught publishing an illegal newspaper in support of the Resistance. Since then Ren’s father has tried to protect himself and his son by keeping his heads down and following the rules, but Ren has a secret. Unbeknownst to Mr. Cabot and the rest of the world, Ren is following in his mother’s footsteps writing essays critical of the government under the pseudonym The Viper. Ren isn’t the only one keeping secrets, his father has been pulled into a Resistance plot in which he will infiltrate Fort Tomogashima by using his skills as a tailor to get a job there. At the last minute Mr. Cabot is injured and it is up to Ren to take his place.

It’s just so hard to buy into a world in which the United States is the underdog, conquered and subjugated by other countries, the bullied instead of the bully. Do Italians really want to take possession of North Dakota? It seems like a stretch. The world building wasn’t strong enough to for me to accept the premise. Also thrown into the mix of this alternate America are the superhuman Ronin Elite who have a variety of X-Men like powers like flying or mind control or making someone’s blood boil with the touch of a finger.

Ren’s entry into the Resistance through his cousin Marty begins with a giant info dump and ends with Ren agreeing to be an important player in a plot to kidnap the Japanese princess and free Resistance members who have been imprisoned in Alcatraz. (Oh, and by the way, Ren’s mom might be one of them. It’s possible she didn’t die when she was executed). It all just happens way too quickly to be realistic. I did not find Ren to be likable or sympathetic. Even though Ren is new to the mission, he still always thinks he knows best, which got really annoying throughout the course of the book. The reader is told that Ren aka The Viper is an amazing writer following in his mom’s footsteps, but I was not that wowed by his writing. To be fair, this is not surprising since formal education ends at 5th grade. Overall, the world building was underwhelming and the characterization was weak. Optional purchase for large collections with high demand for alternate history. ( )