A Night Divided is a historical fiction book based on the event of the Berlin Wall, and is about a girl name Gerta. Who one day gets separated from her father and brother by the wall. Gerta has grown to dislike the East and instead think of it like a prison. One day as she was heading towards school, she see’s her dad preforming a dance and takes it as a sign to escape. So her and her other brother Fritz work on digging a secret tunnel. I just finished reading a night divided and I must say it was an amazing story to follow along to. It contains, a a heart warming lesson, along with an action plot story line.

This book showed a new perspective of how much the effect of war ending can still effect the people. Not only do we experience new insight we learn more about East Germany and its laws and restrictions. I especially loved how divers the characters personality’s were and that they weren’t just side characters but also had their own life’s and troubles. I enjoyed the organization and flow of the story. It wasn’t predictable, and had intertwining events that showed the characters thoughts.

Overall, this is a enjoyable yet deep and meaningful book, containing facts about the event of the Berlin wall and East Germany. The story is filled with an exciting and suspenseful journey. The characters are well written and memorable, with a fun story line that is easy to follow. I liked how all the characters and elements came together to form a likable book. This book has definitely become one of my favorites and I recommend this to anyone who is interested in this genre.

-Caitlyn Y.

A Night Divided By Jennifer Nielsen is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.