★ “Sharenow delivers a masterful historical novel.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
★ “A story with well-drawn, complex characters, gripping history, and intense emotion.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
★ “A fine one-two punch with the author’s previous powerful work, My Mother the Cheerleader.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Readers will be drawn [in] by the sports detail and by the close-up narrative of the daily oppression.” — ALA Booklist
“A meaty, readable account of the perils and pitfalls of daily life in Nazi Germany.” — The Horn Book
“This beautifully written coming-of-age story puts a human face on both the victims and the tormentors during the holocaust while revealing on a national level the political importance and implications of the historic match between black boxer Joe Louis and German hero Max Schmeling.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“I held my breath as Karl Stern, fierce and thoughtful, fought his way through the Nazi Wolf Pack and his own insecurities to save his family and become a boxer and an artist.” — Robert Lipsyte, author of THE CONTENDER and CENTER FIELD
“Set in Berlin just after Kristallnacht, this isn’t just a story about the terrible events in Nazi Germany, it’s also a story about identity, family, and growing up” (in the article “11 Children’s and YA Books to Help Remember the Holocaust’). — Brightly