A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Scholastic Gold line

A few months ago, a friend posted that her middle-grade-aged son had read A Night Divided and said it was one of the best books he’d ever read.  That got my interest and I finally got around to reading this great book.

I highly recommend this book to all middle-grade readers and even young adult readers.

The main character, Gerta, is only eight years old at the beginning of the book but during the majority of the book, she is twelve. Her older brother is eighteen.

The blurb below will tell you what A Night Divided is about.

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, yet she can’t help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.

But one day on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Gerta concludes that her father wants her and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?

 I remember watching on television as the Berlin Wall was torn down by the citizens of East Berlin. The entire world was excited that these people would finally have a chance at freedom and a better life.

This book takes place long before the wall comes down and it lets the reader see what daily life in a communist country is like.

This book is even more important considering today’s happenings between Russia and Ukraine.

Everyone should read this and appreciate our freedom.

There is no objectionable content in this book. No romance and violence is only referred to.

This book is acceptable for all ages and highly recommended.