Sebastian՚s mother died, his grandmother has to move into a nursing home and there is no trace of his father. The youth welfare service of the German Democratic Republic takes him to a transit home, where conditions are similar to those in prison. There, Sebastian meets 17-year-old Katja, who repeatedly manages to escape. When Sebastian is unexpectedly picked up by his father, Katja uses the chance for renewed freedom. Once in Berlin, Sebastian hides her in the attic above his father՚s apartment. His fear of being exposed is one reason why Sebastian agrees to meet a Mr. Möller. Möller works for the Ministry for State Security, Stasi, and recruits him as a spy. Grit Poppe describes the perfidious recruiting of young people for the Stasi from both Katja՚s and Sebastian՚s point of view. An interview with contemporary witnesses completes the impressively researched novel. This title is nominated for the 2021 German Children՚s Literature Award.
