The Runaway King: The Ascendance Trilogy

Mark of the Thief

Words on Fire

The False Prince (The Ascendance Series, Book 1)

Overground Railroad

Loyalty

School of the Dead

Orphan Eleven

With the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta finds her family suddenly divided. She, her mother, and her brother Fritz live on the eastern side, controlled by the Soviets. Her father and middle brother, who had gone west in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think forbidden thoughts of freedom, yet she can't help herself. She sees the East German soldiers with their guns trained on their own citizens; she, her family, her neighbors and friends are prisoners in their own city.

But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?

Discover Your Child's Next Read

The Runaway King: The Ascendance Trilogy

Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2013

Mark of the Thief

Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2015

Words on Fire

Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2019

The False Prince (The Ascendance Series, Book 1)

Jennifer A. Nielsen, 2012

Overground Railroad

Lesa Cline-Ransome, James E. Ransome, 2020

Loyalty

Avi, 2022

School of the Dead

Avi, 2016

Orphan Eleven

Gennifer Choldenko, 2020