Going Over

by Beth Kephart

Overview

Teenagers in love are separated by the Berlin Wall in this "compelling [and] gripping" novel by the National Book Award finalist (Kirkus Reviews).
 
It is February 1983, and Berlin is a divided city with a miles-long barricade separating east from west. But the city isn't the only thing that is divided. Graffiti artist Ada lives among the rebels, punkers, and immigrants of Kreuzberg in West Berlin. Stefan lives in East Berlin, in a faceless apartment bunker in Friedrichshain, where the population lives under the watchful eye of the secret police. Bound by love and separated by circumstance, their only chance for a life together lies in a high-risk escape. But will Stefan find the courage to leap? Or will forces beyond his control stand in his way?
 
"An excellent example of historical fiction focusing on an unusual time period." —School Library Journal (starred review)
 
"Ada and Stefan are representative of the families, friends, and lovers separated and destroyed by the wall; their grandmothers serve as poignant reminders of the toll WWII took on the European population." —Booklist (starred review)
 
"An unforgettable portrayal of life and love divided . . . Captures the beauty and desperation of 1980s Berlin with prose both gripping and graceful." —Ruta Sepetys, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of I Must Betray You

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781452132341
Publisher:	Chronicle Books
Publication date:	03/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	265
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Beth Kephart is the award-winning author of books for both adults and young readers, including You Are My Only, Small Damages, and Handling the Truth. She lives in Devon, Pennsylvania.

Editorial Reviews

"Beth Kephart has done it again. She's spun gold out of the language of longing and has shown us how to make room for miracles. Going Over—about a boy and girl separated by the cruelest of fates—will inspire any reader to make the leap for love."—Patricia McCormick, author of National Book Award Finalists Sold and Never Fall Down

"Beth Kephart has done it again. She's spun gold out of the language of longing and has shown us how to make room for miracles. Going Over—about a boy and girl separated by the cruelest of fates—will inspire any reader to make the leap for love."—Patricia McCormick, author of National Book Award Finalists Sold and Never Fall Down

"Beth Kephart has done it again. She's spun gold out of the language of longing and has shown us how to make room for miracles. Going Over—about a boy and girl separated by the cruelest of fates—will inspire any reader to make the leap for love."—Patricia McCormick, author of National Book Award Finalists Sold and Never Fall Down

"A stark reminder of the power of hope, courage, and love."-Booklist, starred review

"A stark reminder of the power of hope, courage, and love."-Booklist, starred review

"A stark reminder of the power of hope, courage, and love."-Booklist, starred review

"At once compelling and challenging... this gripping effort captures the full flavor of a trying time in an onerous place."—Kirkus Reviews

"At once compelling and challenging... this gripping effort captures the full flavor of a trying time in an onerous place."—Kirkus Reviews

"At once compelling and challenging... this gripping effort captures the full flavor of a trying time in an onerous place."—Kirkus Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Junior Library Guild Selection

A Junior Library Guild Selection

"Readers will finish the book and continue to think about how effective one wall can be in separating a country and in fashioning attitudes toward life."—Reading Today

"Readers will finish the book and continue to think about how effective one wall can be in separating a country and in fashioning attitudes toward life."—Reading Today

"Readers will finish the book and continue to think about how effective one wall can be in separating a country and in fashioning attitudes toward life."—Reading Today

"An unforgettable portrayal of life and love divided. Kephart captures the beauty and desperation of 1980's Berlin with prose both gripping and graceful."—Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy

"An unforgettable portrayal of life and love divided. Kephart captures the beauty and desperation of 1980's Berlin with prose both gripping and graceful."—Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy

"An unforgettable portrayal of life and love divided. Kephart captures the beauty and desperation of 1980's Berlin with prose both gripping and graceful."—Ruta Sepetys, New York Times bestselling author of Between Shades of Gray and Out of the Easy

"An excellent example of historical fiction focusing on an unusual time period."-School Library Journal, starred review

"An excellent example of historical fiction focusing on an unusual time period."-School Library Journal, starred review

"An excellent example of historical fiction focusing on an unusual time period."-School Library Journal, starred review

"An intense, absorbing read that shows how the personal and political can be fused together, and how small, personal acts can have life-changing implications for many people.... a unique, passionate story illuminating a fascinating time and place."—Common Sense Media

"An intense, absorbing read that shows how the personal and political can be fused together, and how small, personal acts can have life-changing implications for many people.... a unique, passionate story illuminating a fascinating time and place."—Common Sense Media

"An intense, absorbing read that shows how the personal and political can be fused together, and how small, personal acts can have life-changing implications for many people.... a unique, passionate story illuminating a fascinating time and place."—Common Sense Media

"A keenly intimate story of human love made epic by circumstances."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A keenly intimate story of human love made epic by circumstances."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A keenly intimate story of human love made epic by circumstances."— Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Going Over carefully balances love and heartbreak, propelling readers through the story."—Shelf Awareness

From the Publisher

2014-02-05
Life in the grim shadow of the Berlin Wall is vividly reflected in Kephart's moving exploration in two voices. Ada, a nearly 16-year-old graffiti artist, lives in poverty in West Berlin, but Stefan, the 18-year-old boy she loves, lives on the other side of the wall in even more difficult conditions. Their only hope for a future together is if he finds a way to escape, but his grandfather perished in an attempt. Meanwhile, at night, he trains his telescope on the West while she ventures out to paint scenes of great escapes on the wall. A secondary plot arises from Ada's work at a day care center; little Savas, from an underclass of Turkish immigrants, has disappeared after his mother was abused. Related in a swirling, second-person stream of consciousness that mimics the free-flowing colors of her nighttime art, Ada's and Stefan's alternating present-tense narratives offer a point/counterpoint on the need for escape but its daunting peril. Their story is at once compelling and challenging, perhaps limiting this book to an audience of sophisticated readers. The plight of young Savas adds depth, but its tragic outcome is muted by the building suspense of Stefan's evolving plan. While this gripping effort captures the full flavor of a trying time in an onerous place, many readers will find it hard going. (Historical fiction. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews