OverDrive would like to use cookies to store information on your computer to improve your user experience at our Website. One of the cookies we use is critical for certain aspects of the site to operate and has already been set. You may delete and block all cookies from this site, but this could affect certain features or services of the site. To find out more about the cookies we use and how to delete them, click here to see our Privacy Policy.
When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she's caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie's time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything—including her only way home—to stop the process.
When sixteen-year-old Ellie Baum accidentally time-travels via red balloon to 1988 East Berlin, she's caught up in a conspiracy of history and magic. She meets members of an underground guild in East Berlin who use balloons and magic to help people escape over the Wall—but even to the balloon makers, Ellie's time travel is a mystery. When it becomes clear that someone is using dark magic to change history, Ellie must risk everything—including her only way home—to stop the process.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
About the Author-
Katherine Locke lives in a very small town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with her feline overlords. In addition to fiction, she writes about books and reading and has contributed to The Forward, The GayYA, Teen Librarian Toolbox, and other sites. The Girl with the Red Balloon was her YA debut.
Reviews-
August 1, 2017
Gr 7 Up-Locke's debut is an intricately plotted historical thriller with elements of science fiction and magical realism. Sixteen-year-old Ellie grew up hearing her grandfather, who survived the Holocaust, tell a story about how he was rescued by a girl with a magical red balloon. So when Ellie spots a red balloon flying by during a school trip to East Germany, she reaches out to touch it-and finds herself sent back to 1988 East Berlin. Once there, she befriends local rebels Kai and Mitzi, and learns that these balloons comprise a sort of underground railroad helping provide a means of escape for East Germans. The narrative is divided between Ellie and Kai in 1988 and her grandfather's experiences during and after the Second World War, allowing for a sensitive exploration of the long-lasting effects of war and subjugation, especially on marginalized people (Kai is Romani, Mitzi is queer, and Ellie's family is Jewish). Locke's ambition is clear, though at times the multitude of plot threads and time periods can feel confusing. A solid introduction to the issues faced by teens in 1980s East Berlin. VERDICT This sophisticated, unusual work is likely to appeal to fans of World War II and Holocaust fiction, as well as those who like their history with a tinge of romance and magic.-Ann Foster, Saskatoon Public Library, Sask.
Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2017 Grades 9-12 Are memorials apologies? This is the question on Ellie's mind when she's transported back in time to East Berlin in 1988. Her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, tells her she needs to remember history, even the bad parts, and her school trip to Berlin is the perfect opportunity. Once she's landed in the past, she meets Kai, a boy determined to help passengers cross from East Berlin to West Berlin, where it's safer. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, an underground resistance group use magical balloons to help people cross the Wall. Ellie and Kai are very differenther modern, shy sensibilities clash with his rough and grim determination and they make an interesting pair. Add in the magic of the balloon makers to a time when hope was far too distant for many people, and readers will find an enticing, intriguing new novel. This is a clever conceptwhat if luftballons were magical time-traveling devices?and Locke fills in the blanks with questions about history and life and love. This is a must for any historical fiction collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2018 While visiting Berlin, contemporary American teen Ellie time-travels to 1988 East Berlin. Shocked, she meets a group of resistance "Runners" who help "Passengers" flee the oppressive regime using time-traveling red balloons. Interspersed chapters describe a young German Jewish man's horrific experiences in Poland in 1941. Both settings are intriguing, but the story lines are somewhat muddled.
(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Title Information+
Publisher
Albert Whitman & Company
OverDrive Read
Release date:
EPUB eBook
Release date:
Digital Rights Information+
Copyright Protection (DRM) required by the Publisher may be applied to this title to limit or prohibit printing or copying. File sharing or redistribution is prohibited. Your rights to access this material expire at the end of the lending period. Please see Important Notice about Copyrighted Materials for terms applicable to this content.
Please update to the latest version of the OverDrive app to stream videos.
Device Compatibility Notice
The OverDrive app is required for this format on your current device.
Bahrain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen
You've reached your library's checkout limit for digital titles.
To make room for more checkouts, you may be able to return titles from your Checkouts page.
Excessive Checkout Limit Reached.
There have been too many titles checked out and returned by your account within a short period of time.
Try again in several days. If you are still not able to check out titles after 7 days, please contact Support.
You have already checked out this title. To access it, return to your Checkouts page.
This title is not available for your card type. If you think this is an error contact support.
There are no copies of this issue left to borrow. Please try to borrow this title again when a new issue is released.
| Sign In
You will be prompted to sign into your library account on the next page.
If this is your first time selecting “Send to NOOK,” you will then be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."
The first time you select “Send to NOOK,” you will be taken to a Barnes & Noble page to sign into (or create) your NOOK account. You should only have to sign into your NOOK account once to link it to your library account. After this one-time step, periodicals will be automatically sent to your NOOK account when you select "Send to NOOK."
You can read periodicals on any NOOK tablet or in the free NOOK reading app for iOS, Android or Windows 8.
