(2) YA In this ambitious work, Bray alternates three seemingly disparate stories, briefly braiding them into one near the novel's end. In 1940s Germany, Sophie and Hanna are devotees of the Bridegroom's Oak, a hollow tree famed as a post box for exchanging love letters. As the Nazi regime becomes increasingly brutal and the girls work for the resistance, what better use for it than as a drop for forged documents? In the 1980s, overprotected Texan teen Jenny, who has moved with her family to West Berlin, takes on a new, rebellious life when she falls in love with punk band founder Lena, who is determined to pull off a dangerous rescue in East Berlin. And in 2020s Brooklyn, under COVID-19 lockdown, Miles and Chloe use their Zoom meetings to translate clippings and letters belonging to Chloe's German grandmother. The novel's strength lies in Bray's careful characterization of Sophie and Hanna and in the suspenseful life-or-death stakes of their story, generating momentum for the three-strand plot: how are the girls connected to characters in Berlin and Brooklyn? Thematic connections among the three milieux are patent, from fascist "making Germany great again" to perilously restrictive communist East Germany to the murder of George Floyd. Occasional peculiarities of expression ("one day, that fish who had been a boy would grow into a great whale") appear in writing that is generally sharply effective. Throughout, Bray stresses the value of resistance to "our flawed world's inhumanity, intolerance, and authoritarianism" by means of "acts both large and small."

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2025

(1) 4-6 Operation Kinderspion series. From the moment eleven-year-old Max Bretzfeld arrives in England as a Jewish evacuee from WWII Germany (accompanied by two immortal, opinionated, and invisible-to-others creatures, a kobold and a dybbuk), his overriding desire is to return to Berlin. The preternaturally clever, resourceful Max has always protected his gentle parents, practiced as he is at anticipating the actions of bullies and staying ahead of their next moves. Who now will protect his parents from the Nazis? When he realizes that one of the men in his Jewish foster family works for British Naval Intelligence, he resolves to find a way to use that connection to be accepted as an undercover agent and sent back to Germany. Clearly, Gidwitz's (The Inquisitor's Tale, rev. 11/16) story calls for a great deal of suspension of disbelief, but the unlikely and fantastical elements are balanced by a rich and realistic depiction of WWII London, from the snobbery of life at an elite boys' school (including entrenched antisemitism) to the Blitz. Max's training as a spy is described in riveting detail, with readers rooting for the determined boy even as we know the dangers awaiting him if he passes the test. A cliffhanger ending (a sequel is promised) adds even more tension. An author's note gives more background on the historical and folkloric figures, settings, and events of the novel; an annotated bibliography is appended.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(2) YA In this novel in verse set in 1989, sixteen-year-old Helena lives in Leipzig, East Germany, during a period of oppression when citizens inform on their neighbors. But times are changing, and peaceful protests against the government are gaining momentum. Helena finds solace in music and begins to fall in love with a fellow piano student, but she's pressured to spy on him and reluctantly reveals his plans to escape. As weekly peace prayers at the Saint Nicholas Church turn into a massive march, Helena chooses to confront her betrayal and her fears, and act: "There comes a time / when every voice / must cry out, a time // when every person must lean / into their fear, spread their wings / and rise up. // That time / is now." Green conveys Helena's anxieties and hopes in equal measure in lyrical free-verse passages that flow together like a musical composition. She balances discussion of the political upheaval of the time just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall with a sensitive exploration of Helena's personal struggles and emotional growth. An author's note with historical background, a glossary, and selected sources are appended.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2024

(1) YA An engrossing look at the emerging new world order after World War II, told through the experiences of one fractured German family living in 1961 Berlin. Stamper begins with a flashback to 1945, with teenage couple Rudolf and Ilse, numb from the soul-crushing brutality of war, learning they are expecting twins. Anxious about their future in the newly partitioned country, they settle in the Soviet sector and scramble to support their family. Their fraternal twin boys grow up in the fledgling Soviet-controlled German Democratic Republic, which touts itself as pro-worker and anti-fascist. Rudi is dutiful and well behaved, with the inquisitive eye of a photographer and a tendency to brood; Peter is the golden boy--smart, talented, a committed optimist--who longs to be an actor. Things come to a head in the summer of 1961 when their parents suddenly split up and the fifteen-year-olds find themselves living in different sectors and reassessing everything they've been taught to believe. The overnight erection of a wall around the entire Western part of the city halts the ability of citizens to move freely throughout the area. Stamper (What the Night Sings, rev. 5/18) explains the complex geopolitical and ideological landscapes in a teen-friendly manner and helps readers gain perspective via the boys' alternating chapters as they come of age and gain individual agency. Vivid descriptions bring the city to life and are enhanced by the author's haunting, multilayered grayscale paintings. There are powerful messages here about postwar trauma and the generational consequences of burying the past. An excellent, nuanced piece of historical fiction.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) YA In 1932 Berlin, orphaned eighteen-year-old Hilde is seeking work and a purpose. She finds both (perhaps with implausible ease) at Café Lila, a gay nightclub reminiscent of Cabaret's Kit Kat Club. There she is adopted into a family of queer underground entertainers; falls in love with sweet, sultry chanteuse Rosa; and finds her footing as a singer and songwriter. But even as she enjoys her newfound acceptance, Hilde can't escape the political tensions that increasingly intrude on her happiness. As the Nazis gather power, Hilde must decide if she can afford to stay loyal to her beloved Berlin or if it is time for her and Rosa, who is Jewish, to flee. Wilson's (White Rose, rev. 7/19) fluid free-verse novel aptly conveys the liberation and artistry of the time and place (Weimar Republic–era Berlin, in all its gritty, smoky glory), while also making the pages fly. Fans of Lo's Last Night at the Telegraph Club (rev. 3/21) will enjoy this similarly themed work. Back matter includes an author's note, selected sources, and a German glossary.

Reviewer: Jennifer Hubert Swan | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. The titular dwelling was the weekend home of Harding's great-grandparents in Germany, built by his great-grandfather nearly a century ago. Readers experience the peace and idyll of the place, inhabited by "a kind doctor and his cheery wife" and their four children; several spreads of lyrical text and serene illustrations depict a warm-hearted, carefree, sun-dappled setting. It's not long, however, before the Nazis descend, forcing the family from their home. A new family arrives, "carrying suitcases and musical instruments and love," but the war soon means that they, too, must leave rather than fight for the Nazis. The house is once again empty--then it's temporarily used as a shelter for those fleeing persecution; then it's witness to the Berlin Wall's rise and fall (and inhabited by a man who informed on his neighbors); then it falls into disrepair. And then the author arrives and fixes it up "until it shone like new...Once again the house by the lake was happy." An appended author's note very helpfully fills in the blanks of the occasionally vague main text. We learn more about the real people who moved in and out of the dwelling (it is here that we learn Harding's family was Jewish; and more about that spying inhabitant), and find out that it now serves as a "center for education and reconciliation." Teckentrup's evocative textured and layered mixed-media illustrations beautifully reflect the bucolic setting in times of both familial repose and, chillingly, unthinkable evil.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

(3) K-3 Illustrated by David C. Gardner. In 1893, a fearful five-year-old Russian-Jewish boy named Israel arrives on Ellis Island. Renamed Irving Berlin, his life story and contributions to American music as a composer are simply and engagingly told. Lighthearted watercolor illustrations underscore the story's action and musicality; a final picture shows Berlin gazing once again at the Statue of Liberty at age 101. An author's note and suggested songs are appended. Reading list.

Reviewer:

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Rob Polivka. Russian-Jewish composer Irving Berlin immigrated to New York as a child and had a successful songwriting career, including penning the patriotic "God Bless America." This free-verse biography outlines Berlin's life but unfortunately reserves most details for a lengthy author's note. Nuchi cleverly incorporates sounds to express emotions and actions ("a boom-rah-rah song"), while Polivka's detailed illustrations capture early-to-mid-twentieth-century American scenes. Timeline, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) YA Alternating accounts convey odd-couple best friends Abby's and Riya's contrasting perspectives on an epic European trip, planned as a way to reconnect after Riya moved to Berlin and Abby remained in California. The breezy travel narratives slowly reveal a layered, complex relationship struggling to survive secrets and individual change; nuanced characterizations make the evolving friendship feel both relatable and believable.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(4) YA Three teens' stories intersect in this convoluted mystery with an intriguing premise set alternately in 1980s Berlin and modern-day California. In the present, Molly Mavity can't escape the reputation of her arsonist father, while Pepper Al-Yusef struggles to graduate from high school. Together, they unravel the secrets behind the life and death of Ava Dreyman, an East German teen whose diary was published posthumously.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(3) 4-6 Thirteen-year-old Irish boy Michael and his family are Allied spies in 1943 Nazi Germany, where Michael is posing as a member of the Hitler Youth. He becomes involved in a plot to uncover Projekt 1065, Germany's development of a new, faster plane without propellers. Based on true events and documented facts, this historical thriller and coming-of-age novel will keep readers highly engaged.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(1) 4-6 In 1989, Noah's parents whisk him from Virginia to East Berlin, where they change his name and impose rules, especially "They will always be listening." As the novel unfolds, there's growing evidence that Noah's mother isn't what he thinks she is (The Americans, anyone?). Nesbet's atmospheric page-turner is edgy, emotionally rich historical fiction; sidebars include information about East Germany and the Cold War.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2016

(4) 4-6 Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine series. Thirteen-year-old cousins Nate and Rachel discover that their grandfather's old Sports Illustrated magazines can transport them to famous moments in Olympic history, where they learn lessons about self-confidence and teamwork. While the heroes' awareness of the ultimate outcomes dampens the impact, sports fans should enjoy the front-row seats to spectacular Olympic triumphs. Dull black-and-white illustrations and appended facts are included. Glos. Review covers the following Sports Illustrated Kids: Time Machine Magazine titles: Grit and Gold, Harmony and Hoops, Pluck and Perfection, and Valor and Victory.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(3) YA Teen Pagan, a 1960s Hollywood star, is given a second chance by her movie studio after she kills her family in a drunk driving accident. She's taken to the divided city of Berlin, where she finds herself in a situation more sinister than the typical film shoot. This historical spy thriller combines Cold War politics with a sixties ambiance.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 The sudden construction of the Berlin Wall stranded her father and middle brother in West Berlin, while Gerta, her mother, and her older brother Fritz were stuck in Communist East Berlin. When life gets unbearable, Gerta, now twelve, and Fritz try to tunnel their way to the West. Rich with period detail and tense, nail-biting action, Nielsen's historical thriller holds wide appeal.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) K-3 When a wall divides their city, a boy searches for a way to reunite his now-separated family members. Although the jacket calls it a story about the Berlin Wall, the book proper does not provide any such identification (probably wise, given its ahistorical conclusion). Digital illustrations reinforce the story's fabular nature, with tenderly cartooned characters set against ominous silhouettes and the monumental wall.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(4) 4-6 In a companion novel to Shadows on the Sea, fifteen-year old American Wendy Dekker struggles to adjust to life in Nazi Germany, where she's brought by her Nazi-spy mother. Navigating her way through a tense Berlin, Wendy struggles to come to terms with injustices around her. Despite some awkward plot points and over-explanatory sections, Wendy's earnest voice is compelling. Historical afterword appended.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(2) YA Translated by Tim Mohr. Berlin teens Mike and Tschick abandon their lackluster lives and embark on an increasingly weird road trip. Mike's narration is an anxious stream of wry humor and linked anecdotes, but the moments when his façade slips are startling windows into the aching loneliness of being fourteen. A sharp coming-of-age journey, hilarious and heartrending in equal measure.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2014

(3) YA In a present-tense narration alternating between Ada's first-person and Stefan's second-person, the young lovers on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall in 1983 plan for Stefan's escape to the West. Kephart works romantic chemistry into a danger-packed plot with moving results. This captivating glimpse into an underrepresented era will appeal to older readers with a taste for literary historical fiction.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt

(2) YA Thirteen-year-old Polish orphan Piotr (renamed Peter) is fostered by a family in Berlin. Rather than embracing their Nazi ideology, he and his friends engage in rebellious behavior, including hiding Jews. In Dowswell's portrait of Nazi Germany, the characters are rich and nuanced; the action is swift and suspenseful; and the juxtaposition of wartime nobility and cruelty is timeless.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011