Status
Available
Publication
Farshore (2021), Edition: 01
Library's review
Atrio of German siblings must fend for themselves in order to survive during the final months of World War II.
As the war rages on, Liesl, Otto, and Mia live in East Prussia with their family. It’s October 1944, and Papa has finally been called to serve in Hitler’s army. Not long after, the
A lesser-known story beautifully and sensitively told.
As the war rages on, Liesl, Otto, and Mia live in East Prussia with their family. It’s October 1944, and Papa has finally been called to serve in Hitler’s army. Not long after, the
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Russian army breaks through German lines, spurring the family to abandon their village and seek safety in the midst of a terrible blizzard. The children become separated from their mother, and 11-year-old Liesl must honor the promise she made to Mama to take care of 7-year-old Otto and toddler Mia. The children are quickly found by some Red Army soldiers and taken to their temporary quarters, where a kindly German-speaking Russian means to protect them, but when the arrangement becomes too dangerous, they are forced once more to flee. The siblings attempt to survive on their own in the forest along with other orphaned German children known as the Wolfskinder, or wolf children. The children’s physical and emotional journeys, inspired by real events, are poignantly depicted as they struggle against the elements, hunger, and foes and try to understand the nonsensical nature of war and the unimaginable things it forces people to do to survive. Heiduczek’s hauntingly atmospheric art adds to the story’s emotional impact.A lesser-known story beautifully and sensitively told.
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Awards
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 2024)
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 6-8 — 2023)
CBCA Book of the Year (Shortlist — Younger Readers — 2021)
KOALA: Kid’s Own Australian Literature Awards (Winner — 2022)
Queensland Literary Awards (Finalist — 2021)
Maine Student Book Award (Reading List — 2024)
ARA Historical Novel Prize (Winner — Children/Young Adult — 2021)
South Australian Literary Awards (Winner — Children's Literature — 2022)
CCBC Choices (2023)
Evanston Public Library 101 Great Books for Kids (Fiction — 2022)
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0755503635 / 9780755503636