A Night Divided
by Jennifer A. Nielsen

• Grade Level
• Genre
• Topics
• Themes
• Awards

<

>

This book is recommended for students in Grades 6-8 and up

Historical Fiction

• WWII; Nazis in East Germany; The Berlin Wall
  
• Free Speech
  

• Determination
• Courage
• Resisting Injustice

• 2015 Whitney Award - Best Overall Youth Novel and Best Middle Grade Book
  
• 2016 ILA - CBC Children's Choices List
  

A Night Divided

Grades 6-8  and up

Book Summary:
Gerta is only twelve, but World War II is front and center in her life. When her father and middle brother travel to West Berlin for a week, they have no idea that the Berlin Wall will rise and divide them from Gerta, her mother, and her older brother, Fritz. Armed soldiers patrol the wall, so when Gerta thinks she's glimpsed her family on the other side, it's difficult for her to be sure, much less to communicate with them. People who try to cross into West Berlin are disappearing, and no one in East Berlin is free to say or write what they believe. As Fritz's military registration deadline looms, Gerta and her brother plan to tunnel under the wall, against their mother's wishes.

Book Review:
This book is filled with tension that will keep readers turning pages, and it remains a character-driven story at heart. Some readers may find the danger in the plot disturbing - use discretion with advanced readers below fourth grade.