Flight For Freedom: The Wetzel Family's Daring Escape From East Germany, written by Kristen Fulton and illustrated by Torben Kuhlmann. Chronicle Books, Raincoast.2020. $23.99 ages 6 and up

"The balloon fell faster and faster. Peter's stomach churned and turned. They had only been in the air for thirty minutes. Papa didn't think they had gone far enough to cross the wall. If they hadn't, he knew they would be seized, separated, and sent to prison. Peter cried as they plummeted.

They crashed to the ground in a thicket of trees. Lights beamed in the distance ... "

After Germany's division into distinct sides - east and west - a wall separated the German people. The Soviets took control of East Germany and the people existed under that socialist government. West Germany, on the other hand, was made a democracy with an economic system that matched many countries of the world. It was an abrupt change for those who now lived on the east side of the wall. Their movements were severely restricted, as were many other parts of their lives.

Peter Wetzel and his family did not like living in East Germany. To that end, they made a plan to escape. Their choice of escape was by hot air balloon - in the dark of night when they had less chance of being discovered. It took much careful planning by two families over many long nights. Finally, more than a year after determining that they would leave, they set out. It was September 16, 1979.

Although so carefully planned, it set them on a dangerous and harrowing path to freedom. When they determined the time was right, the families went to a secluded field, and climbed into the balloon they had made on their own. With hope in their hearts and a good deal of bravery, the balloon was finally aloft. As East German soldiers approached, they soared up and over the trees on their way to the west side of the wall.

"One thousand feet.
A distant spotlight broke the night.

Two thousand feet.
Guards spilled into the forest
where they had just been.

Three thousand feet.
The balloon began to tear.
Two of their six gas tanks were empty.

Five thousand feet.
Four empty gas tanks.

Six thousand feet.
The last tank of gas sputtered.
The balloon descended - too fast!"

The author was able to meet Peter's father while writing her book. Children will like that it is told from a child's viewpoint. It is an uneasy time and very stressful, but with a happy ending. Torben Kuhlmann's beautifully light-infused illustrations add tension and context for the terror the families felt as they worked so diligently to find a place of freedom. Endpapers show the route taken.

In back matter, the author describes the balloon and its construction, and the way that hot air balloons work. She also describes the three attempts they made to leave East Germany. An author's note is included as well as information concerning the cold war and the Berlin Wall itself.