A Night Divided
Gerta is twelve when the Berlin Wall emerges overnight, dividing the city of Berlin into East and West sectors. The division is unthinkable and tragic when both her father and middle brother are in West Berlin seeking work. They are not allowed to return home. Gerta’s mother believes that the wall is only temporary, but soon succumbs to the sobering truth that the wall is not coming down and there is little chance they will ever see the father and brother again.
The family now comprises Gerta, her mother, and older brother Fritz. As the East Berliners try to cope with the devastating occurrence of the wall, neighbors soon turn against one another in an attempt to gain favor with the East German soldiers. Gerta’s best friend, Anna, becomes distant after Anna’s brother is discovered to be fleeing, and is shot. Anna’s family suspects that Gerta’s family is to blame.
As weeks turn into months Gerta walks by the wall on her way to school and one day sees her father on a viewing platform on the Western side. He is pantomiming a message to Gerta. He wants her to go to an abandoned building next to the wall. She believes he wants her to dig a tunnel and escape to the West. At first, Gerta only tells her brother Fritz, because she is too afraid of involving their mother. But when a nosy neighbor asks too many questions, Gerta, Fritz, and their mother realize that they are almost out of time. They must dig.
This is a wonderfully written story about life behind the Berlin Wall. Middle school audiences will devour this fast-paced thriller about a horrific time in German history.
