For my independent reading book I chose A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen. Gerta, the main character, is an eight year old girl living in East Berlin in an apartment with her two older brothers (Dominic and Fritz) and her parents. Her father wants to get out of East Berlin and go west for more opportunities, so him and 10 year old Dominic go out looking for jobs one day. That night while Berlin is asleep, a huge wall is built between the east and west, with her father and Dominic stuck on the other side. Four years  pass and Greta learns to live with the wall and doesn’t think much of it anymore. Fritz is a significant character because of his close relationship with Gerta and his excitement to go west. Fritz is always there for her and they care about each other deeply. For example, when Gerta sees Dominic on the other side of the wall, she tells her mom and Fritz but her mom is not thrilled to hear that and she just wants Gerta to stay away from the wall. Later that night Fritz comes in and they talk about what happened and tells her how her best friend’s older brother, Peter, is going to attempt to escape to the west that night.  No one knew about this besides the kids who were going to try and escape, so this shows Fritz trusts Gerta very much, especially because they could’ve been killed for being in on a plan like this. Fritz is also very hopeful for a better life on the other side of the wall. Unlike Gerta, he aspires to live a life in the west where everything is supposedly better. In the east, he is more likely to be forced into the military, and in that case he wouldn’t have a chance at an education beyond his teenage years. Overall, Fritz’s and Gerta’s relationship and his aspiration for a better life adds a lot to the story.