I wasn't sure what to expect when a prompt for a reading challenge was to read a middle-grade book. I figured I was going to be sucked into a pretty shallow storyline that wouldn't take risks and go deep because of the intended audience. This is 1000% NOT that book. This was better than some adult stories that I have read.

You follow Noah (aka Jonah) while he gets swept up into East Berlin with his parents and a whole slew of new rules to follow. I confess, I really don't know a whole lot about the Berlin wall and everything that happened, and there are side notes at the end of every chapter that explain what was going on in actual Berlin at that time. It was a great way to get educational information in without bogging down the book. I was worried for Noah and his family and those that they interact with and the stakes felt high.

The main character having a stutter that makes it very difficult to talk was appreciated as well. Nesbet did a great job with incorporating the stutter at times and referencing it constantly during interactions to help make sure that you remember how much more Noah is having to struggle in such a scary place. Absolutely loved every aspect of this book and will be having my kids read it.