A Night Divided excels in every regard.” – The Times Herald “A marvelously crafted historical novel about courage, perseverance, and the will to survive. “I highly, highly recommend this book for all readers, full stop.” – Reading Nook Reviews “History buffs will drool over the magnificently told tale, but even reluctant readers will become interested in the tension-filled exploits.” – Voya “As the architect of her family’s freedom, Gerta memorably demonstrates that survival is possible even in the bleakest of circumstances.” - Publisher’s Weekly

“As Gerta, her other brother, Fritz, and eventually their mother dig the tunnel, enduring hunger, exhaustion, and risking detection, readers will root for them with every shovelful.” - Kirkus “This novel’s strong setting and tense climax will keep readers engrossed and holding their breath until the last page.” - School Library Journal School Library Journal, starred review (audio) “This excellent work of historical fiction is suspenseful, realistic, and enthralling.” Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom? However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. 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. 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.īut one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can’t help herself. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets.

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family divided overnight.

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen