Despite only living in Amarias for the past four years, the imposing presence of the Wall was not something Joshua thought about every day. Not when he had a bully for a stepfather and no friends to speak of. For Joshua, this walled city was a strange place to live, with its quiet, patrolled streets and uniform buildings, he was hard pressed to find anything or even anyone, he liked in this town. Since moving to Amarias all he has ever wanted was to leave, and then one day Joshua finds a tunnel that leads him under the wall and what he sees on the other side will change his life.

The Wall segregates all those who are different, all those who are dangerous, from those who belong. But as Joshua soon learns, the world is not always black and white and not everyone outside the Wall is an enemy, just like not all those within the Wall are safe to be around. This is not the story of a revolution, the Wall will not crumble and the world will not be changed by the actions of one person, however one person's world will be forever changed. A story of one boy, the Wall that divides and a hope for the future. ( )

Thirteenyear-old Joshua discovers a tunnel and sets out to explore the other side of a high wall that is supposed to guard his town from the people on the other side. Set in a fictional place, this novel mirrors circumstances in the West Bank

Though described by the subtitle as a fable, this novel is clearly about the West Bank and the violent conflict Israeli settlements have brought to that region. Readers unfamiliar with the real-life Palestinian-Israeli conflict upon which the story is based are likely to take it for dystopian fiction, which seems at least appropriate for the Palestinian side. Classroom or small group discussion will be needed to get the most of this intriguing, provocative story. ( )

I read this book for the Carnegie Awards. I really liked it and I thought the writing was great! The first few pages really grabbed my attention and Joshua was decscribed well. The pace of the book was steady, I felt it could have been a bit faster. The storyline followed through well and the ending was good, possibly a bit confusing. My interest never tailed off though. ( )

Very powerful.

I was hugely impressed by this well balanced book, aimed at Young Adults, and with a hard hitting message. In my opinion, it managed to show both sides of the Israeli, Palestinian situation, how each fears the other and suffers as a result. (Although it never actually mentions these countries by name).

Joshua is a teenager, living in Amarias, with his mother and her new husband. His father died serving in the army, but Joshua never understood who he had been fighting against and his father made a point of never leaving the house in his uniform. Liev, Joshua's step-father, is a very different man, who has strong opinions about the threat posed by 'The Other Side'.

When Joshua's football goes over a wall into a building site, he climbs over to retrieve it and stumbles upon a tunnel that stretches beyond the wall into an area that represents The West Bank of Palestine. Of course he can't resist investigating and what he sees and learns from this and subsequent visits, will change him forever.

Not only does this book offer teenage readers a look at both sides, but the main character, Joshua, presents a good moral model, trying his very best to do what he feels is right, even when it is frightening, and even dangerous to do so. Unfortunately not all his actions have favourable outcomes and in this respect the story is very realistic. It reminded me very much of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, both were highly effective novels.

I should mention the excellent narrator, Nicholas Camm, who did an excellent job of reading this novel. Highly recommended to all ages, but particularly effective for teenagers. ( )