I love Dan Smith’s historical fiction; it always has such depth and emotion, alongside thrilling storylines. I would recommend taking a look at She Wolf (Vikings) and Nisha’s War (Second World War) once you’ve finished ‘The Wall Between Us’ as I know you’ll be wanting more!
“Anja and Monika live opposite each other. They play together every day, with Otto the cat.
One night they wake up to bangs and shouts. Soldiers are building a huge barbed wire fence between them. A terrible forever wall that gets longer and higher until it divides the whole city.
On the East side, Monika is scared – neighbours are becoming spies and there are secret police everywhere.
It’s Anja who spots that Otto has found a way across. If he can visit Monika, then perhaps she can too.
But Anja gets trapped and there’s no safe way back.”
This engrossing story is told through a mix of letters, diary entries, and Stasi reports. It explores a period of history which I haven’t seen featured in children’s books very often: The Cold War. A time when communist East Berlin wanted to stem the flow of ‘defectors’ to the West. Although I can remember the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, I still don’t feel as though I know very much about the reasons for its construction. That’s why well-researched stories like ‘The Wall Between Us’ are so important.
The story itself draws you in from the beginning as we get to know friends, Anja and Monika. It then cleverly progresses to show how everyday life changed very suddenly when barbed wire went up, then the wall built. The sense of fear and paranoia amongst the characters – with mysterious figures lurking in the shadows and the ever-present guards – gradually builds as civil liberties are severely restricted on the Eastern side and neighbours turn against neighbours.
A thrilling read with ingenuity, friendship, and hope at its core – even in what seem like the darkest of times.
Jo.
*Many thanks to Chicken House Books for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour*
