Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams: A Novel in Verse
by Shari Green
Middle School, High School    Andrews    256 pp.
3/24    9781524881139    $21.99
Paper ed.  9781524881122    $16.99

In this novel in verse set in 1989, sixteen-year-old Helena lives in Leipzig, East Germany, during a period of oppression when citizens inform on their neighbors. But times are changing, and peaceful protests against the government are gaining momentum. Helena finds solace in music and begins to fall in love with a fellow piano student, but she’s pressured to spy on him and reluctantly reveals his plans to escape. As weekly peace prayers at the Saint Nicholas Church turn into a massive march, Helena chooses to confront her betrayal and her fears, and act: “There comes a time / when every voice / must cry out, a time // when every person must lean / into their fear, spread their wings / and rise up. // That time / is now.” Green conveys Helena’s anxieties and hopes in equal measure in lyrical free-verse passages that flow together like a musical composition. She balances discussion of the political upheaval of the time just prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall with a sensitive exploration of Helena’s personal struggles and emotional growth. An author’s note with historical background, a glossary, and selected sources are appended.

From the May/June 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.