about the book
The wall went up in the middle of the night, dividing East and West Berlin.
Gerta woke up to sirens and sobbing. Her father and one of her brothers had been visiting the West side, the free side. Now their visit has become an indefinite stay while Gerta, her mother, and brother Fritz are prisoners in their own city.
The East German soldiers don’t point their guns over the wall, but inside the wall at their own citizens.
Gerta thinks about freedom, but knows it’s impossible.
Then she sees her father on a viewing platform on the western side. He’s doing a weird dance. Soon she receives a drawing and understands her father’s actions.
He wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel under the wall, to freedom.
If they’re caught, they’ll be killed.
about the author
Jennifer Nielsen grew up in northern Utah, and learned to love chocolate and mountains early on in her life. She also learned to love books. For as far back as she can think she has had characters in her head, and so far they have not started talking to her. That’s a good thing.
In elementary school Jennifer began writing, first about a girl whose daydreams became real and trapped her inside them. At the time she liked the idea, but she didn’t write very well so the idea never stuck. At the age of eleven she was researching how to pick locks and decided to call a locksmith—when the guy at the other end of the line learned he was talking to a sixth-grader, he hung up.
Her goal was to be published by the age of seventeen. That’s the age the author of The Outsiders was when that book—Jennifer’s favorite—was published, so she thought to match it. She didn’t, not by many years. Theater, school, debates, and life got in the way.
After realizing all her writing attempts were with adult romantic suspense characters, she switched to YA fantasy adventure. Then Elliot and the Goblin War was published. That turned into the Underwold Trilogy which was successfully followed by the Ascendance Trilogy and the Infinity Ring Trilogy. And there you have it.
Sources:
Author website
Book trailer: A Night Divided
Also by Jennifer Nielsen:
Wrath of the Storm (Mark of the Thief, Book 3). Scholastic. January 2017.
The Scourge. Scholastic. 2016.
Rise of the Wolf (Mark of the Thief, Book 2). Scholastic. 2016.
Mark of the Thief (Book 1). Scholastic. 2015.
The Shadow Throne (Ascendance Trilogy, Book 3). Scholastic. 2014.
Behind Enemy Lines (Infinity Ring, Book 6). Scholastic. 2013.
The Runaway King (Ascendance Trilogy, Book 2). Scholastic. 2013.
The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy, Book 1). Scholastic. 2012.
The Underworld Chronicles series. Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. 2010-2012.
read more!
The Berlin Wall (You Choose Books : Modern History) by Matt Doeden
After World War II, Germany splits into two countries, and the capital of Berlin is divided as well, with a high guarded wall separating East and West. In this adventure, the reader decides what to do: escape from East Berlin, serve as an East German guard, or join the protests against the wall. Each decision could lead to freedom, prison, or even death.
Elliot and the Goblin War (Underworld Chronicles, Book 1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
While out on Trick-or-Treating, Elliot rescues a little girl dressed as a fairy from two bullies dressed as goblins…or so he thinks! She is actually a magical brownie and was being chased by actual goblins! In gratitude, Elliot is made King of the Brownies. Now the goblins are after him; his house is destroyed and his grades suffer due to his new extracurricular activities! Still, Elliot is more determined than ever to save the Brownies and their kingdom.
The Watcher by Joan Hiatt Harlow
Wendy’s life changes drastically when she learns that her parents are not her real parents and her Aunt Adie is her real mom, a Nazi spy! She is kidnapped from her home and dropped into wartime Berlin, where Adie expects her to become the perfect Nazi daughter and support the cause. After learning about the German government plans, Wendy secretly supports the resistance and discovers a startling family secret.