Patrik and his friends are nervously purchasing a Beatles record on the black market in the opening chapter of a novel examining oppression under the Communist regime in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s through the eyes of a teenage boy. The record is more than just good music to the teens, it’s also symbolic of freedom. Patrik’s parents have refused to join the Communist Party. They’ve also avoided making a decision about trying to leave the country. Then Danika, Patrik’s closest friend, announces that her father is joining the Party. Danika—the girl who helped Patrik deface the statue of Vladimir Lenin outside their school. Danika—the girl he’s recently realized he likes as more than a friend. The news is more than personal heartbreak for Patrik. Danika’s father joined for the perks—little things that will make their spare lives easier—but even without fierce Party loyalty it’s a threat: Danika and her parents are too close to their lives for comfort, there’s too much they might tell. This becomes painfully clear after Patrik’s act of defiance during a May Day parade leaves the family no choice: They must try to flee. Carolyn Marsden reveals the fear that is part of every day for Patrik and his family while underscoring its impact on touchstones of teenage experience, from falling in love to wanting to rebel, in this tense story. (Age 12 and older)