Some GOING OVER news—from Common Sense Media and Booklist

Today, as I worked on the Going Over launch presentation, I learned that the book has received a five-star review from Common Sense Media.

Parents need to know that Beth Kephart's Going Over portrays harsh experiences on both sides of the Berlin Wall in the early 1980s: political oppression, of course, along with murder, rape, depression, and domestic abuse. Though the violence is described in small details and references, it's gut-wrenching and emotionally difficult. Yet the overall tone of the story is of strength and hope. It's an intense, absorbing read that shows how the personal and political can be fused together, and how small, personal acts can have life-changing implications for many people. Teens who stick with the challenging prose will be richly rewarded with a unique, passionate story illuminating a fascinating time and place.

This news joins the news I received late last week that Booklist had named Going Over a Top Ten Historical Fiction for Youth.

The sort of news that matters so deeply to writers like me.