The Case Against My Brother

by Libby Sternberg

Book Overview

"Orphaned and penniless in 1922 Baltimore, Maryland, 15-year-old Carl and 17-year-old Adam Matuski are forced to move across the continent to live with their Uncle Pete in Portland, Oregon.Almost from the beginning, homesick Carl desperately wants to return east with his brother, but his plans fall apart when Adam is sought by police for the theft of expensive jewels from his girlfriend's wealthy home.Carl is convinced that Adam is being fingered...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1890862517
• ISBN13: 9781890862510
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Bancroft Press
• Length: 205 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.1"
• Age Range: 14 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 9 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

superb young adult historical mystery

In 1922 recently orphaned Polish Catholics teen brothers Carl and Adam Matuski move from Baltimore to live with their impoverished uncle in Portland, Oregon. Still grieving the death of their mother, the boys worry about the anti-immigrant campaign to push the Oregon School Law that would outlaw Catholic schools. The affluent parents of Adam's girlfriend accuse him of stealing jewelry from them. Carl believes his older brother is innocent and recommends he hides rather than go to jail while Carl, whose plate is full with school and two jobs, investigates. The neighborhood police officer Miller thinks Catholics but especially Polish Catholics are thieves. He tries to trip up Carl as to the whereabouts of Adam, whose behavior worries his younger brother. Carl's inquiries lead to his witnessing a murder with the killer wanting the teen dead too. This is a superb young adult historical mystery that brings to life an interesting era in which local prejudice using de jure discrimination attacks a particular religion especially those worshippers from a specific nationality. Miller has ethically profiled Catholic Polish-Americans deep in his brain so he also represents a de facto form of discrimination. However, the insightful exciting story line is owned by the fifteen year old hero who tries to prove his older brother's innocence, but as Carl crashes up against bias, he also begins to wonder if Adam stole the jewels. Libby Sternberg writes a terrific tale that hopefully will lead to sequels. Harriet Klausner

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

THE CASE AGAINST MY BROTHER is a very well-written mystery with wonderful characters and a suspenseful plot featuring a backdrop of intolerance and bigotry in a little known dark corner of American history. Fifteen-year-old Carl Matuski and his older brother, Adam, live in Portland, Oregon with an uncle since their mother passed away from lung disease. The boys are Polish Catholics and Portland is in the midst of the anti-immigrant campaign for the 1922 Oregon School Law, which sought to make Catholic schools in the state illegal. Now Adam has been accused of stealing jewelry from the wealthy family of his girlfriend, and Carl knows that his brother is innocent. He insists that Adam hide out until he can clear him of the charges. The neighborhood police officer is very anti-Catholic and harbors prejudice against Polish immigrants, as well. He seems to be on the street nearly every time Carl ventures out, and corners him to ask questions concerning the whereabouts of Adam. Carl is frustrated by Adam's failure to hide out, and the fact that he always seems to want more money. Carl attends school and is working two part-time jobs to earn money to help Adam and to try to help out at home, too. The boys' uncle is a poor man who tries his best to do right by these nephews that he has inherited, but times are hard, and the current political situation makes life even more difficult. Somehow, Adam has changed, and Carl isn't sure what to do about that. He begins working extra hard to solve the mystery of the jewel robbery. Carl makes friends with a newspaper reporter, and chases down clues about the robbery for the reporter to write about. He just wants to clear his brother's name so that they can both go back to Baltimore, but when Carl ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time and witnesses a murder, the action and the suspense shift into high gear, and the suspense builds to an exciting, unexpected conclusion. Libby Sternberg is a master at characterization and plotting and this story will keep you reading straight through to the end. I would love to see more stories about Carl Matuski...what an exciting new character! Reviewed by: Grandma Bev