Scan barcode
txkatlovesbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
booksonthecouch's review
3.0
It’s 1960, and Drew and his family have just been stationed on an American military base in West Berlin, Germany. Set in the year leading up to the building of the Berlin Wall, Walls explores Drew’s experiences, and the friendship he, a Western “Army Brat,” establishes with his cousin, who has grown up in Communist Party-controlled East Berlin.
As Drew and Matthais get to know each other, they find that there are things that bond them, and things about their friendship that put each of them at risk. Rock ‘n Roll records, popular fiction, and other western capitalist materials are forbidden in East Berlin, and Matthias’ commitment to the communist party is under scrutiny at all times. Alternatively, American military culture at the time means that there’s only so close that Drew and his family can be to those with ties to communism.
Interspersed throughout the historical fiction narrative of Walls is a photo essay with month-by-month key points in American and German politics, history, and pop culture of the time. I also loved how the narrative included mentions of pop-culture of the time (songs, films, and books). I thought it enriched the setting, and it made me think about diving back into some of the books mentioned here.
Walls takes place in an Era that I had limited knowledge of, and I found it very interesting to learn more about the events that lead to the construction of the Berlin Wall, and how families on both sides of Berlin were impacted. L.M. Elliott’s writing was informative, intriguing and suspenseful, and I enjoyed this young adult historical fiction novel as an adult.
As I read Walls, I kept thinking about how this would be the ideal novel companion for a history unit on this topic, or could work really well in an immersive LA/History unit utilizing pop culture. I definitely think educators should be on the lookout for this one, and think this will appeal to Young Adult and Adult readers interested in historical fiction.
Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers, Algonquin Books, and L. M. Elliott for the gifted copy and for including me on this tour. All opinions are my own.
As Drew and Matthais get to know each other, they find that there are things that bond them, and things about their friendship that put each of them at risk. Rock ‘n Roll records, popular fiction, and other western capitalist materials are forbidden in East Berlin, and Matthias’ commitment to the communist party is under scrutiny at all times. Alternatively, American military culture at the time means that there’s only so close that Drew and his family can be to those with ties to communism.
Interspersed throughout the historical fiction narrative of Walls is a photo essay with month-by-month key points in American and German politics, history, and pop culture of the time. I also loved how the narrative included mentions of pop-culture of the time (songs, films, and books). I thought it enriched the setting, and it made me think about diving back into some of the books mentioned here.
Walls takes place in an Era that I had limited knowledge of, and I found it very interesting to learn more about the events that lead to the construction of the Berlin Wall, and how families on both sides of Berlin were impacted. L.M. Elliott’s writing was informative, intriguing and suspenseful, and I enjoyed this young adult historical fiction novel as an adult.
As I read Walls, I kept thinking about how this would be the ideal novel companion for a history unit on this topic, or could work really well in an immersive LA/History unit utilizing pop culture. I definitely think educators should be on the lookout for this one, and think this will appeal to Young Adult and Adult readers interested in historical fiction.
Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers, Algonquin Books, and L. M. Elliott for the gifted copy and for including me on this tour. All opinions are my own.
zbrarian's review
4.0
Drew, an American Army Brat; Matthias, an East Berliner, indoctrinated into the beliefs of Kruschev and communism . The one thing in common they have is they are cousins and a love of music. Told over the course of a year, with pictures corresponding to historical events: the GDR, the building of the Berlin Wall, this was a heart-wrenching historical fiction story. The boys have to learn to trust each other, learn from each other until the wall goes up, possibly tearing their burdening friendship apart. It was interesting to learn so many facts I didn’t know, as I read the side notes and viewed the pictures the author included. It felt like a mini crash course of a moment in history that impacted the world for many years, until the wall fell in 1989.
broncoannee's review
5.0
A fascinating view into what life was like in a split Berlin just before the wall went up.
csims10's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was enjoyable. I had a lot of fun reading it, and it's good to read over a long period of time. I was intrigued by the plot, but it was difficult to focus on the characters. I also wish they had covered more of the actual Berlin Wall, but I liked the way it was slowly brought into the story. This book is good for middle school because our main character, Drew is a boy, about eighth or ninth grade, is going through a big change.
popthebutterfly's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this e-arc and arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Walls
Author: L. M. Elliott
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: historical fiction, young adult
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Publication Date: July 27, 2021
Publisher: Algonquin Children's
Pages: 331
Recommended Age: 13+ (violence, mentions of war, gore, and "re-education")
Synopsis: Drew is an army brat, a hotshot athlete poised to be his high school’s star pitcher, when he has to move for the sixth time in fifteen years—this time to West Berlin, where American soldiers like his dad hold an outpost of democracy against communist Russia in Hitler’s former capital. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, his cousin Matthias has grown up in the wreckage left by Allied bombing during World War II, on streets ruled by the Communist Party’s secret police.
From the opposing sides of the Cold War, Drew and Matthias begin to overcome the many ideological walls between them to become wary friends. They argue over the space race, capitalism, socialism, and even the American civil rights movement, and bond over rock ’n’ roll—music outlawed in Matthias’s part of the city. If Matthias is caught by the Stasi’s neighborhood spies with the records or books Drew has given him, he will be sent to a work camp for “re-education.” At the same time, Drew’s friendship with the East Berlin Jugend—who ardently spout communist dogma—raises suspicions about his family’s loyalty to America. As the political situation around them gets all the more dire, Drew and Matthias’s loyalty—to their sector, their countries, their families, and each other—will be tested in ways that will change their lives forever.
Set in the tumultuous year leading up to the surprise overnight raising of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, and punctuated with real-life photographs, headlines, and personalities of the time, Walls brings to vivid life the heroic and tragic choices of the Cold War.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the photographs and it helped me visualize the story better. The characters were well developed and the pacing was well done. I also loved the world building and combined with the pictures this is one of those books I'd love to see high schoolers read.
The only thing I really had issue with is the plot of the book. It took me awhile to connect with the characters, but when I did I consumed the book.
Verdict: It was good!
Book: Walls
Author: L. M. Elliott
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5
Recommended For...: historical fiction, young adult
Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Publication Date: July 27, 2021
Publisher: Algonquin Children's
Pages: 331
Recommended Age: 13+ (violence, mentions of war, gore, and "re-education")
Synopsis: Drew is an army brat, a hotshot athlete poised to be his high school’s star pitcher, when he has to move for the sixth time in fifteen years—this time to West Berlin, where American soldiers like his dad hold an outpost of democracy against communist Russia in Hitler’s former capital. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, his cousin Matthias has grown up in the wreckage left by Allied bombing during World War II, on streets ruled by the Communist Party’s secret police.
From the opposing sides of the Cold War, Drew and Matthias begin to overcome the many ideological walls between them to become wary friends. They argue over the space race, capitalism, socialism, and even the American civil rights movement, and bond over rock ’n’ roll—music outlawed in Matthias’s part of the city. If Matthias is caught by the Stasi’s neighborhood spies with the records or books Drew has given him, he will be sent to a work camp for “re-education.” At the same time, Drew’s friendship with the East Berlin Jugend—who ardently spout communist dogma—raises suspicions about his family’s loyalty to America. As the political situation around them gets all the more dire, Drew and Matthias’s loyalty—to their sector, their countries, their families, and each other—will be tested in ways that will change their lives forever.
Set in the tumultuous year leading up to the surprise overnight raising of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, and punctuated with real-life photographs, headlines, and personalities of the time, Walls brings to vivid life the heroic and tragic choices of the Cold War.
Review: For the most part I enjoyed this book. I loved seeing the photographs and it helped me visualize the story better. The characters were well developed and the pacing was well done. I also loved the world building and combined with the pictures this is one of those books I'd love to see high schoolers read.
The only thing I really had issue with is the plot of the book. It took me awhile to connect with the characters, but when I did I consumed the book.
Verdict: It was good!
malloryeasterday15's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
z_brarian's review
4.0
Drew, an American Army Brat; Matthias, an East Berliner, indoctrinated into the beliefs of Kruschev and communism . The one thing in common they have is they are cousins and a love of music. Told over the course of a year, with pictures corresponding to historical events: the GDR, the building of the Berlin Wall, this was a heart-wrenching historical fiction story. The boys have to learn to trust each other, learn from each other until the wall goes up, possibly tearing their burdening friendship apart. It was interesting to learn so many facts I didn’t know, as I read the side notes and viewed the pictures the author included. It felt like a mini crash course of a moment in history that impacted the world for many years, until the wall fell in 1989.
danyell919's review
5.0
This was a fantastic piece of YA historical fiction about Berlin when the wall went up.