Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbet

• Genre: Historical Fiction (1989 - East Berlin)
• Grade Level: 5th - 8th
• Reading Level: 5.8
• Length: 400 pages (12 hours)
• Publisher: Candlewick (September 2, 2016)
• My Rating: 4 out of 4

It is 1989 in Virginia and 5th grader Noah Keller is picked up after school by his parents and told that they are leaving immediately for East Berlin.  They tell Noah he has a new name which is Jonah, a new birthday, and give him a photo album which consists of his new made up past.  His parents even throw away his new backpack with his old name written on it.  The parents act very strange and I begin to be sure that they are really spies headed to East Berlin, behind Iron Curtain. Noah's (Jonah) mother is going to be studying the special education system in East Berlin and her focus is speech disorders. Noah has a stutter which is the reason for her interest. (Noah (Jonah) mentions it many times but you never see much dialogue in a stutter format.)

Noah meets a girl in the park and together they make up code names for each other. Claudia becomes Cloud because it sound similar and Jonah's name becomes Wallfish because whale sounds like wallfish in German.  Their friendship is forbidden along with most things. Noah isn't even allowed to attend school at first.  Lots of suspicion, mystery and spying are a part of the plot. There are many fact files at the end of chapters that help readers to understand different aspects of life in East Germany during this time.  

This book is intriguing and I was fascinated by the parents and how cool and collected they were during their stay. They seemed like the ultimate spies. Yet, you never really find out how involved they were since the story was Noah's story.  I have not read much about everyday life in East Berlin during this time and yet I know the phrase "behind the Iron Curtain" came with fear and curiosity when I was young. 

I recommend this book for middle school and even adults.  Very interesting story!