Over the Wall

Product Description

CHOSEN FOR THE IBBY 2012 HONOUR LIST (TRANSLATION CATEGORY)

Karo’s dad is dead – or so she believes – and when a stranger comes to the door one day looking for her mum, Karo wants nothing to do with this man.

But Karo’s mother won’t see sense. She starts to spend more and more time with this strange man from her past, and can’t see how unhappy it is all making her daughter. Karo squabbles with her friend, starts to skip school, she even runs away to her grandfather, but nothing she can do seems to have any effect on her changing family.

Set in Hamburg after the fall of the Berlin Wall, this is a story of how international events can affect the everyday lives of ordinary families.

PRAISE FOR OVER THE WALL

‘It was brilliant … I found the story very interesting and I was always wondering what was going to happen next.’
Ailbhe, 10, Dublin

‘It was a great story, and even though it was meant for younger kids you could easily lose yourself in it. It was really well written and was true to life as well. I found myself stepping into Karo’s shoes, wondering what I’d do in her position. The writer portrayed the story and the emotions so well that I felt like I really understood what Karo was going through.’ Bríd, age 14, Co. Leitrim

‘To write so simply about such difficult material is quite an art’ Berliner Morgenpost

‘The strength of Renate Ahrens’s book is the sympathetic way that she describes Karo’s thoughts and feelings. And the clever way she works the fall of the Wall and the reunification of Germany into the story.’ Eselsohr

‘… a thought-provoking book, dealing with world issues … Parkinson’s translation gives it a contemporary, youthful feel. Highly recommended.’ Inis magazine

‘A moving story about friendship and complicated family relationships, Over the Wall is a deceptively simple story, beautifully written.’ Irish Independent

‘This is a powerful thought-provoking book… Ahren cleverly weaves the complex family reunion with the impact of the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. The reunification of Karo’s family reflects the reunification of her country.’ – Outside in World

Featured in Good Books for Tough Times

About Renate Ahrens

Renate Ahrens was born in Germany in 1955. After some years working as a teacher, she moved to Dublin in 1986 with her husband and has since worked as a freelance author. As well as children’s and adult books, she has written stage and radio plays and scripts for children’s television programmes, and her books for children and adults have been translated into other languages. Over the Wall (published in German under the title Die Welt steht Kopf) is her first children\'s book to be published in Ireland, where she now lives.