Beetle Bunker (The Wall Series, Book 2) Paperback – August 27, 2006

I love that these books are historical in nature and also about building your self confidence. Sabina shows us that if you put your mind it it you can do more that others think you can.Set in 1961 when I was her same age I cannot imagine even doing half the adventures she does. It's a lesson that during those times children didn't get to be children like we did here in the USA. We were afraid of being bombed and taught about fall out shelters but at least my family didn't lose sleep over it. Not so if like Sabina living lived in Berlin.This is a great series for teen and adult historical novel lovers. Book 3 here I come.

Excellent series for kids. Great price. Writing is done well.

Good book

good

"Pretend he's not there. And Hitler will go away. Pretend it's not real. And the war will soon be over. Pretend you don't notice. And the wall won't matter so much. Pretend, pretend, pretend. And the Stasi will be nice to us. Well, it never worked that way." (Chapter 13, Beetle Bunker)Sabine, a girl on crutches with a mind for adventure, lives in Berlin during the Cold War. As troubles of war increase, a Soviet wall is erected, cutting the city in half. Her passageway to freedom is blocked. Her family cannot escape the Iron Fist anymore. Until... Sabine make the discovery of a lifetime. An abandoned bunker with a mysterious Volkswagen inside. Could this become her family's way to freedom?I learned much about the Cold War from reading Beetle Bunker. The Wall trilogy is awesome! I'd never heard of Freedom Tunnels before, and I didn't know that Hitler had anything to do with the production of the Volkswagen car. But now I do know these things and so many other facts too.Great series! Can't wait to read book 3 next.

Having read Book One in the Wall Series, Candy Bombers, I relished reading Book Two, Beetle Bunker.Sabine is handicapped by polio but that doesn't put "the brakes" on her adventurous spirit. She, her Oma and her brother plus an "aunt and "uncle" are living in a small, cramped apartment in East Berlin.Sabine is fighting the communist in her own quiet way while her aunt and uncle seem bent on making her join the communist youth group. While on one of her adventures she falls into a bunker. Low and behold! There is also a shell of an old Volkswagen Beetle! Sabine claims this bunker as her secret hideout. And with cramped quarters at home it's the perfect getaway/hideout.Then the Soviets build a wall through the middle of Berlin. The wall doesn't just divide Berlin but it divides families and takes away the peoples freedom and dignity. Sabine decides it's time to escape. She and her friend, Willi, make a plan to tunnel their way out of this nightmare . . . making a way to escape for them and their families!The adventure and excitement begin! And danger lurks at every corner! A fantastic 5 star read of history and adventure for youth and adults alike!The clear and smooth way that Robert Elmer creates a story makes for a great lesson in learning about the way others lived and survived during hard war times.*This book was provided for review by Zondervan*

Just like Candy Bombers, Beetle Bunker combines elements of the historical with characters that give insights to struggle, determination, and overcoming obstacles. Sabine is a wonderfully rich character who makes this second installment even better than the first. Erich, the central character in the first book, is grown up and a doctor in East Berlin. Sabine is his much younger sister handicapped by polio. Their family has moved to East Berlin with Oma to care for her as she is bedridden, and her unpleasant, communist-supporting "Uncle" and "Aunt" have chosen to take up residence as well. During this time of turmoil when the Wall was built, Sabine is busy campaigning against the Communists and planning an escape, as well as dodging her "Uncle" and "Aunt" and recruiters who try to force her to join the communist youth organization. Sabine's discovery of a bunker containing the shell of an antique Volkswagon Beetle and a friend at the hospital during her Oma's stay spark off this suspenseful adventure.Elmer's easy-to-read style and enthralling plot twists make getting involved in the history and mystery a true joy.Don't miss this one!

In this second book to Elmer's The Wall Series, the saga continues from the point of view of Erich's thirteen-year-old half sister and is set in 1961. Sabine is claustrophobic as a result of being locked in a closet by a stern nurse and suffers from the affects of polio. She adores her older brother, now a doctor, who knew her American father, Fred Dewitt. All Sabine knows about her mother's second husband is that he died before her birth, and she yearns to know more. Sabine, joined by a newfound friend Willi, stumbles upon an old World War II bunker that contains an intact car, a beetle. When a wall of cement and barbed wire springs up overnight permanently dividing East and West Berlin, the Becker family is trapped. But both Erich and Sabine yearn for freedom. Sabine tells her brother about the bunker, so close to the wall that one could dig a tunnel to freedom. In spite of her disability and fear, Sabine heroically helps her brother and his friends dig the tunnel, an escape that will end in sacrifice. Those who enjoyed Elmer's first book in the series will be equally pleased with the drama and suspense that he so artistically entwines with accurate history.