The Other Side

Liam is twelve-years-old and soccer is his whole life. He and his Opa (grandfather) are watching the lead up to the 2014 World Cup soccer games, a bond the two of them share. But Opa is dying. When Liam finds the dead body of a high school girl along the shore near his grandfather’s house, his life is thrown into further turmoil. Was it an accident or was it murder? Liam is overwhelmed and haunted by the sight of a dead body. Opa has also chosen this time to disclose to Liam stories about his experience as a German World War II veteran, fighting on the side of the Nazis. Liam tries to solve what he believes is a murder so he can make sense of his world again.

The Other Side by Heather Camlot is both an intriguing mystery set in contemporary Canada, and a poignant story about a loving family coming to terms with the past. Camlot expertly navigates the themes of death, Jewish identity, and inter-generational relationships. Its dark themes and noir-esque style may skew the readership to upper middle grade.