The Girl with the Red Balloon

So the premise for this book is that Ellie Baum, Jewish schoolgirl on a trip to Germany, grabs a magic balloon and is transported back to East Berlin after WW II. I'm always a little cautious when time travel is involved. This is quite well done, however! Even the magicians are like “this shouldn't be possible!” As a Jewish girl in possession of a magic balloon used to take escapees over the Berlin Wall, she's immediately in great danger in East Berlin. Luckily she is spotted by one of the people responsible for the balloons. Somewhat unluckily, she's soon drawn into a deadly plot to rewrite history and has to figure out who to trust.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the depictions of the wall. The East Berliners' surprise when she tells them the other side is covered in graffiti and street art is not something I'd thought of. I've seen a section of the wall; there's three at the Marine Corps base in California that my husband was stationed at early in his time in the Corps. There are pictures online, but after sifting through old photos, I don't seem to have any of my own. (You could google “Berlin Wall Presidio Monterey” and find a ton.) I think I remember a no-photo policy on the base at the time. Regardless, I know what she means because I've seen it. Ever since actually seeing parts of the Berlin Wall, reading anything about it has felt just a little more real. That's always the problem with things like the Wall that you have no personal connection to - obviously they're real, but when the circumstances are so alien to our own way of life, it's hard to really comprehend. Finding ways to personally connect - seeing parts of the Wall, talking to people who have personally experienced things you haven't (if you have the opportunity, and if they're willing to discuss it) is so important.

I have digressed. I'm curious to know more about the magic in the Balloonmakers' world - in the book we only see a small slice of it being used under dire circumstances. I hope Locke explores it more in the sequel. I'll find out as soon as the library sends the book my way! Plots like this can be interesting or very disappointing - if the main character finds a way home, she leaves behind the love interest. But if she stays with the love interest, she never gets to go home. Luckily, Locke is a wonderful writer, and I was mostly happy with the ending but it was definitely left with questions for the sequel to answer!

I know I haven't revealed a whole lot about the plot, but this is a twisty book, and I can't really say much without spoiling surprises. I'll just say it's a great book, I'm very glad I finally read it, and my library needs to hurry up with that sequel!

You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.