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From School Library Journal

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-This work follows the brave journey of 12-year-old Gerta and her older brother, Fritz, as they try to leave East Berlin. Gerta's father escaped right before the Wall went up, but Gerta spots him across the Wall and deciphers his secret message that she is to dig her way through freedom. The novel graphically describes life in East Berlin and the terror and fear experienced by the average citizen. The suspense builds with each chapter. Additional characters who make the story come alive include the snooping neighbor; Gerta's former best friend, Anna; and their lonely mother, who has to care for their aging grandmother. Kate Simses's reading is fast-paced, emotionally charged, and exciting. Her voice is clear and age-appropriate for the characters depicted. VERDICT This excellent work of historical fiction is suspenseful, realistic, and enthralling. ["The novel's strong setting and tense climax will keep readers engrossed and holding their breath until the last page": SLJ 7/15 review of the Scholastic book.]-Ellen Frank, Flushing High School Library, Queens, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Booklist

August 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 Four years after the Berlin Wall went up, in 1961, 12-year-old Gerta Lowe is eager for freedom and to reunite her family. Separated from her father on Germany's west side, Gerta, her brother Fritz, and her mother live in East Germany under Communist rule and near-relentless scrutiny. One day, she sees her father on a platform overlooking the wall, and she realizes he's trying to send her a message: dig a tunnel! With the help of Fritz, the two siblings plan carefully, overcome dangerous obstacles, and then face the toughest task of all: convincing their mother to escape with them. Although Nielsen (The False Prince, 2012) relegates the action to the end of the book, the story's palpable tension and stark details of daily life in Communist East Germany will hold readers' interest. Gerta is a strong narratorcourageous, insightful, bravewhose fiery desire for freedom from communism is noteworthy. Though historical novels may not appeal to every reader, this is equally a story of pressure and friendship, suspicion and strength, forgiveness and understanding.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

From School Library Journal

July 1, 2015

Gr 5-8-It's August 13, 1961. Young Gerta wakes up to see that the Berlin Wall has been built overnight, dividing not only her city but her family. Her father and brother Dominic went looking for work on the west side of the city and now they cannot return home. Gerta, her mother, and brother Fritz are trapped in East Berlin. Years pass and resentment of Russian oppression and her family's separation make the now 12-year-old more than ready to take a dangerous chance when her father's smuggled clues encourage her to dig a tunnel to freedom. Nielsen, best known for her fantasy novels, proves she is equally skilled at historical fiction in this solidly structured, balanced account of the origins of an infamous historical landmark. Gerta is a sassy, determined heroine with realistic fears and frustrations-like her longing for a banana. Distinct supporting characters each react differently to Russian rule and demonstrate the harrowing choices people made to survive, encouraging readers to consider what they would have done if fate and history had cast them into the story. The novel is also an intriguing history of the Berlin Wall itself, detailing how and why it was built and citizens' first reactions. Opening each chapter is an inspirational quote about freedom and bravery juxtaposed with barbed-wire illustrations; the book's final quote ominously warns "History repeats itself." VERDICT The novel's strong setting and tense climax will keep readers engrossed and holding their breath until the last page.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

From Kirkus

June 15, 2015
A family is separated overnight when East Berlin erects the Berlin Wall. Eight-year-old Gerta wakes up on Aug. 13, 1961, to find that a barbed wire fence has been erected around East Berlin. Two days earlier, her father and older brother Dominic had traveled to West Berlin to look for work, and now they can't get back. Based on historical fact, the story shines a personal light on the many families who were separated by the division of the two cities. Nielsen convincingly paints a chilling picture of repressive, Communist-controlled East Berlin, so much so that when Greta sees her father on the other side of the wall, years later, pantomiming digging, readers easily accept her plan to dig an escape tunnel into West Berlin. As Greta, her other older brother, Fritz, and eventually their mother dig the tunnel, enduring hunger, exhaustion, and risking detection, readers will root for them with every shovelful. However, when the diggers realize the noise they hear is their father digging from the other side and that their tunnels are now only feet apart, instead of pushing through and running to freedom, they decide that they should stop and reinforce the tunnels. This decision seems ludicrous. Further implausible decisions ramp up the tension, but they also ramp up readers' frustration levels, and a formerly riveting tale of history becomes a melodrama. Begins wonderfully; ends melodramatically. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

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From Publisher's Weekly

June 1, 2015
Eight-year-old Gerta awakens one morning to a fence cleaving her family in twoâ€"her father and one of her brothers were on a trip to West Berlin while the rest of the family became trapped in the East. Four years later, the Berlin Wall has become a harsh reality, but a secret message from her father, hidden in a silly dance, gives Gerta hope and a plan for escape: tunneling to freedom. Like Anne Frank before her, Gerta is small but mighty, a hardheaded heroine who dreams up big ideas and refuses to give up in the face of adversity and danger. Nielsen (Mark of the Thief) evokes the constant unease of life in a divided Berlin through Gerta's sober narration, as she struggles with death, lying to survive, and underground obstacles like burst pipes, but the family never loses sight of the power of humility and forgiveness. As the architect of her family's freedom, Gerta memorably demonstrates that survival is possible even in the bleakest of circumstances. Ages 8—12. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

From AudioFile Magazine

Kate Simses serves up a vivid, utterly believable portrayal of a family separated by the newly erected Berlin Wall. Young Gerta, her mother, and her older brother, Fritz, are trapped by the constant scrutiny of the East German border police, while her father and younger brother are unable to return from the West. Listeners will feel the complete despair in Gerta's voice as life in East Berlin becomes bleak and uncertain. Simses allows hope to flicker in the two children as they dig a tunnel toward freedom, and their father and brother. Simses paces the ebb and flow of tension so well that listeners will lose all track of time. The palpable fear of capture and the excited hope of reunion raise this performance above the norm. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine