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jengennari's review
5.0
Loved the humor and voice in this! Noah is the right mix of curious and bored, with the intrigue of Claudia, his parents, and the Wall in 1989. (Nesbet must have had fun imagining the fall of the wall from a kid's perspective.)
s_hay's review
3.0
When both of his parents pick Noah up from school one day they inform him that they are leaving for an immediate vacation to Germany. But it is 1989 and the Germany that they are heading to is East Germany and they will have to do some pretending for the government to let them in - such as Noah is now Jonah, his birthday is no longer in March, and he is still ten. 'Jonah' finds East Berlin to be rather boring. He is not permitted to go to school and the few kids he meets are cruel to him because if his extreme stutter. At last he makes a friend in the girl living in an apartment below him, but things are not as they seem. Together they try to brighten a dreary place and Jonah seeks to figure out what it is that his mother is actually doing in Berlin.
Fiction off set with non-fiction snippets about the Cold War era in Berlin.
Good for ages 10 and up.
Fiction off set with non-fiction snippets about the Cold War era in Berlin.
Good for ages 10 and up.
nerfherder86's review
5.0
Wonderful historical fiction novel for middle graders, set in East Berlin in 1989, about a young boy whose life is turned upside down and how he copes. One day his parents pick him up at school and tell him they're going to take that German vacation they've been learning German for--right now! And oh, by the way, they're going to the "other" Germany, and, furthermore, they'll all be using different names now. So he's not Noah anymore, he has to use the name Jonah. And they give him a bunch of rules he'll have to obey while in East Germany, the biggest of which are to say nothing important while inside their apartment, because "they're always listening," and to "not stick out" and "observe everything!" Noah/Jonah has to put up with boredom for months while he waits to be put into an East German school, but he makes a friend in a nearby apartment, Claudia. He calls her Cloud, because in German her name is pronounced "Cloud-ia", while she calls him Walfisch, or Whale, for the Jonah and the Whale story. The story is very suspenseful, I thought, because you and Jonah don't know just what his parents are up to, there are a lot of questions, as well as the strange surroundings and the general unease in the country as (unbeknownst to the characters) the Iron Curtain is softening and soon the Berlin Wall will open. I loved this book, but I'm biased: I got to visit East Berlin four years before this story takes place, with my West German dad and my family, and so I knew the setting very well, and loved all the historically accurate details. I loved the German vocabulary, and how it was explained for an American reader, as well as the "Secret Files" in every chapter that explained historical events and German and Communist culture. I loved the tone of the book; sometimes it was very humorous, and informal, but sometimes suspenseful as I said earlier. I was never bored with it because I was always as curious as Noah/Jonah to find out what the heck was going on and what would happen next, especially with Cloud's family. I thought the kids were adorable; Jonah has a stutter and while it may have just been a plot device, since it was a reason for his mother to come to Germany to ostensibly do graduate research, it was still a very interesting character flaw and how it affected his life was interestingly told. Great book!
lilyaronovitz's review
3.0
{3.5} This book started out strong, but I found my interest fading as it progressed. I really liked the way it was written with the "mystery files" at the end of each chapter. Noah is a likable character and his situation is undeniably intriguing. The story did a great job of conveying the tension in the air on the other side of the iron curtain, however, I felt like mid-way through the story, when Jonah found out the story's main secret (that was predictable and heavily alluded to), a lot of the suspense and drama faded away. This is around when my interest level dropped, and I just felt like the story had lost some of the suspense that was keeping me reading. In addition, just based on Noah's age, I think this book was probably directed at middle-grade readers, which might explain the heavy foreshadowing. Overall, this book definitely had a unique and intriguing plot and lovable characters, but is more of a middle-age rather than young adult book.
libscote's review
4.0
Noah's mom and dad pick him up one day at school, and tell him that he is now going to go by Jonah, and that they are leaving immediately for the German Democratic Republic (GDR), also known as East Germany. He has no time to say goodbye to his friends. Additionally, his birth date has been changed, and his parents' names too. Why is the move so sudden? Why so secret? Can he speak German clearly enough with his stutter? When Noah gets to the GDR, he makes one friend Claudia (which comes out sounding like Cloud). This book was an interesting look at the period when the Wall was about to come down. I loved the secret files at the end, which provided historical context at the end of each chapter.
towardinfinitybooks's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Historical-fiction middle-grade novel set in 1989 East Berlin. Noah's parents pick him up from school one day and announce they're moving to "the other Germany". His name, birthdate, and identity are all changed and he is expected to follow a set of rules because "they are always listening." A few historical details are woven through the narrative but each chapter also ends with a "secret file" section that tells the reader a bit more about something mentioned in the chapter. I took off half a star because this approach didn't really work for me. It felt a little too jarring to break the narrative and I found it disappointing that the "secret files" never tied up with the main story. I also took off a star for characterization. Apart from Noah, most of the other characters felt two-dimensional to me. Still, an interesting setting/time period and a starting point for kids to learn about life behind the Iron Curtain.
tikvah_ellis's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
afro75's review against another edition
3.0
What if everything you believed about yourself is a lie. What if your parents tell you that your birthday, name, and history has to be changed for your safety. This is exactly what happens to 11 year old Noah, an ordinary boy living with his mom and dad. Noah gets a surprise when his mother and father pick him up from school and tell him that they are moving to Berlin, Germany that very day. It's 1989 and Noah will be living in East Berlin, a communist republic. Noah will have to learn to remember his new identity and how to live in a country that views him and his family as a threat. The only bright spot in the new country is his friendship with Cloud Claudia, another displaced youth. Good book for historical fiction readers. The author's note at the end of the story really brings to light the turmoil experienced by the citizens at the time.