Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Time for another book review since I finished another book!

Title: Girl With the Red Ballon
Author: Katherine Locke

Disclaimer: This review is based on observations and opinions of the lead writer. Please respect her thoguhts and opinions of the book and there might be spoilers!

Synopsis: Ellie Born, a sixteen year-old girl, goes on a class trip to Berlin and ends up time traveling to 1980s Berline all thanks to a red balloon. When new buddies thought her trip was an accidental trip, they find out that someone might be tampering with the ballons and using a darker magic in order to change history since the ballons are meant to travel through time with magic. Will she ever get home or will she be stuck in the Berlin that takes place before the wall falls?

Thoughts: This book gave me a bit of Doctor Who vibes while I was reading it since I did find the description very interesting and I had to request it on Net Galley.

This book not only takes a look at Berlin in the past but also told the story behind her grandfather and how he knew about a girl with a red ballon and he did tell her about meeting a girl that saved his life during World War II when he and his family got sent to a ghetto which is hard for Siri to pronounce and then loses his sister to pneumonia and his father out of nowhere. He gets rescued before heading off to a concentration camp like his mom after a train ride. It is interesting to see that aspect of the story because it does link to what happens later and who is trying to go back in time to fix what had happened.

I did find it interesting that the red ballons are a way of time travel and it is like what if the Doctor were to use a ballon for a story or something, like if he was separated from the Tardus all thanks to it or if Missy used one to survive, etc. That would make an interesting plot or fan fiction. I did hear “99 Red Balloons” while I was reading this book too since that is supposed to talk about the end of the world and this book did talk about ending bad history which was World War II and helping people that didn’t get saved and changing it to be a better future but it did explain that is why the ballons were tempered.

I did like how Locke did mention in her Author’s Note that she loved Madeline L’Englle’s writing and how it inspired her to do this book and I did read some books like Camilla, Moonlight by Night, and my all time fave by L’Engle, A Ring of Endless Light which Disney did a movie for TV but it wasn’t as great as a book in my opinion. Maybe I should do a list of book movies that should be remade. Still, I think this book was really well written and I did like how the past being told to the 1988 Berlin linked up and how it does show how magic works in this setting and it does show how it shouldn’t be tampered with.

Rating: 5 Star Pawprints of 5! This book was a very well written piece and I am glad I did see it on the main page one day and decided to hit the “Request” button after reading the description. I am very honest in picking my books because as a writer myself the description does catch the eye and this book did it. I liked the characters especially Mitsy who is a lesbian character that is very sisterly towards Ellie even though I did catch moments how Mitsy does fall for Ellie and gets jealous when Kai is around her. I do like how she learns how to be brave all thanks to Ellie because she was scared of showing her teal hair and scared to be caught being a runner for the balloons all over Berlin since this is when the Berlin Wall is up and you have to follow certain rules, etc. Mitsy does become braver after being around Ellie and does shed the terror by the end and takes off the hat to show off her teal blue hair to say, “F*ck it! I am different and I don’t care!”

I did like the relationship between Kai and Ellie which it does start off a bit awkward even with a girl from the 2000s being in your time and it does grow with her being in the time for six months and it is cute how the both of them interact. Not only that, I do like how both were able to work on the mystery behind the balloons and how they were working with Kai’s sister to get through the mystery that was going on and I liked it especially with how they solved it and ended it. Still a great book and I wonder how Ellie was able to get back fine with her balloon which I have a feeling she did.

Well, that is it for this book review! I have a new post to right and that is the books with movies that should be re-done, I think I should watch the Hunger Games since I loved those books to see if those should have been re-done. Maybe? Don’t know! I will get that list to you guys! Until next time!