Perfect for fans of Alan Gratz and Jennifer A. Nielsen, a gripping and
accessible story of a young girl from Cold War East Berlin who is forced
to spy for the secret police... but is determined to escape to
freedom.
Sophie has spent her entire life behind the Berlin Wall, guarded by land
mines, towers, and attack dogs. A science lover, Sophie dreams of
becoming an inventor... but that's unlikely in East Berlin, where the
Stasi, the secret police, are always watching.
Though she tries to avoid their notice, when her beloved neighbor is
arrested, Sophie is called to her principal's office. There, a young
Stasi officer asks Sophie if she'll spy on her neighbor after she is
released. Sophie doesn't want to agree, but in reality has no choice:
The Stasi threaten to bring her mother, who has a disability from
post-polio syndrome, to an institution if Sophie does not comply.
Sophie is backed into a corner, until she finds out, for the first time,
that she has family on the other side of the Wall, in the West. This
could be what she needs to attempt an escape with her mother to freedom
-- if she can invent her way out.
Jenni L. Walsh, author of I Am Defiance, tells a page-turning story of
a young girl taking charge of her own destiny, and helping others do the
same, in the face of oppression.
"Filled with adrenaline-inducing action and inspired by true stories,
this novel evokes the perils of life in East Berlin and the risks some
took in search of something better. The ingenuity Sophie and Katarina
display in overcoming obstacles is compelling, and the no-win situation
Sophie finds herself in rings painfully true. Page-turning action and
dangerous intrigue fuel this Cold War-era novel." -- Kirkus Reviews
