BoTW: The Traitor's Gate

Do you like a good mystery? Do you like historical fiction? If you do, you'll enjoy The Traitor's Gate by Avi. The story begins with a mysterious meeting between two shadowy men. Are they trading in government secrets? Yes! John Hoffman's father works for the navy and has access to a new rifle design that promises to revolutionize firearms in the 19th century. John himself gets sucked into the intrigue when his father gets thrown into debtor's jail. John must play the role of adolescent detective to save his family from shame and bankruptcy.

The best part of this book is the setting: 19th century London, inspired by the writing of Charles Dickens. In fact, Avi mentions Dickens often throughout his book, most often the novel David Copperfield.