A Night Divided

by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Lexile:  810
Genre:  Historical Fiction

Gerta and her family are living in Germany after the end of WWII.  There is talk that the Russians are going to cut off all ties with the west in order to protect their communist way of life.  Gerta's parents are divided on what to do.  Her father wants to move their family to West Berlin where they would have more of a chance of building a life filled with freedom.  Gerta's mother thinks they should stay where they are in the East as that is where they have jobs and friends and family.  Gerta's mother finally agrees to let her husband and son Dominic go to the west to see about jobs and a place to live. But overnight, a wall is erected and the family is separated.  Gerta, Fritz, and their mother fear that they will never see the rest of their family again.  As life becomes more unbearable, and Fritz is recruited for the military, Greta realizes that it might be up to her to get her family back together. There is one chance...and it could cost her her life.