Life Behind the Wall by Robert Elmer

Life Behind the Wall by Robert Elmer. Zondervan, 2014. 515 pages.

Reading level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12
Maturity level: 4 (ages 11-12) and up

This novel is actually a collection of three shorter novels published between 2008 and 2010: Candy Bombers, Beetle Bunker, and Smugglers’ Treasure. Together they make a family saga set in Berlin during three pivotal postwar events: 1948 during the Berlin Airlift, 1961 when the wall went up, and 1987 when it came down. We follow three generations of the Becker family, beginning with twelve-year-old Erich and his fateful meeting with an American soldier-journalist, Fred deWitt. The story continues with Erich’s half-sister Sabine and wraps up with Sabine’s daughter Liesl and a semi-surprising finale.

Over the last few years, the list of historical fiction for kids about the Cold War period has been growing (see our reviews of Breaking Stalin’s Nose, Between Shades of Gray, Countdown, and The Apothecary), and this is a welcome addition. There’s enough action to keep middle-graders reading and enough history to make it worth their while (historical notes and study questions are included). The characters are real enough, though not especially distinct, but the dialogue is natural, unstilted, and often witty—readers will like these characters even if they don’t remember them very well afterwards. Christianity is continually referenced, though more could have been done to contrast it with communism. Still, an entertaining and informative read.

Cautions: none

Overall Value: 3.75 (out of 5)

• Moral/worldview value: 4
• Artistic value: 3.5

Categories: History, Historical Fiction, Middle Grades

A free copy of this book was received from Zondervan for a fair review.