A Night Divided

A Night Divided

By Jennifer A. Nielsen

22 ratings 20 reviews 31 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 4 - 8Grade 6n/a5.471508
From NYT bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen comes a stunning thriller about a girl who must escape to freedom after the Berlin Wall divides her family between east and west.

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old 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, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, 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, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta 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?
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
ISBN-13: 9780545682442
ISBN-10: 0545682444
Published on 3/27/2018
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 336

Book Reviews (21)

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I think this book is good because it talks about Germany's history. This book is about a family that gets separated and they want to rejoin but to rejoin might take their lives.

This is one of my favorite books out there. Full of passion and struggle

I really recommend this book. It is SOO good!

Gerta's family is split. Gerta, Gerta's mom, and one of Gerta's brothers are on the east side, and Gerta's dad and Gerta's other brother are on the west side. The wall divides them. Earlier that week, Gerta's brother and dad went over to the west side to look for work, but the wall went up before they could get back, dividing their family. People try to escape from the west, but the soldiers are not afraid to kill. Even after its been up for a year, Gerta still finds herself staring at the wall, wishing she was on the other side. One day when she was walking to school, Gerta sees her brother and dad for the first time since the wall went up. Her dad does a silly dance they used to do together, but he keeps emphasizing on the "dig" part. After other clues come, Gerta concludes that her dad wants her to tunnel across to the west side, along with her mom and brother. But the bloodthirsty soldiers could very well end Gerta's life, so the risk is huge. But since this is her only chance to get across. Gerta and her brother Fritz try to tunnel their way to freedom, with many challenges and consequences along the way. This page turning book will keep your heart beating, and you can really feel Gerta's emotions. I love this book SO MUCH, and I know you will too. I recommend this book to boys and girls ages 9+.

does she make it across???

This book has so many awesome moments when u hold ur breath, and dont even realize it (lol), I recommend this book to all pplz :3

A night divided A night divided

I am in 6th grade and I just started reading this and it is awsome

it look like a good book

This was an amazing book! It's almost like you can feel Gerta's thoughts breaking through the horrible fence. I always sense that family's are what they are trying to make stand out in this book.

I love this book so far. I'm only on pg. 110. đź’•

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