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.
"Sophie and her best friend, Katarina, daydream about escaping East Germany’s oppressive government by crossing the Berlin Wall into freedom in West Berlin.... A surprise encounter with visitors from West Berlin along with Sophie’s Inventor’s Box of scavenged items lead to a high-stakes escape plan. 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." — Kirkus Reviews
Recommended Age | 10 - 13 |
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Author | Jenni L. Walsh |
ISBN | 1338775782 |
Publication Date | Mar 1, 2022 |
Publisher | Scholastic Press |
Language | English |