Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Delacorte Books for Young Readers (2009), Edition: First Edition, Hardcover, 256 pages
Description
Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Historical Fiction. HTML:Two Jewish sisters leave Austria during WWII/Holocaust and find refuge in Sweden. It's the summer of 1939. Two Jewish sisters from Viennaâ??12-year-old Stephie Steiner and 8-year-old Nellieâ??are sent to Sweden to escape the Nazis. They expect to stay there six months, until their parents can flee to Amsterdam; then all four will go to America. But as the world war intensifies, the girls remain, each with her own host family, on a rugged island off the western coast of Sweden. Nellie quickly settles in to her new surroundings. Sheâ??s happy with her foster family and soon favors the Swedish language over her native German. Not so for Stephie, who finds it hard to adapt; she feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother whoâ??s as cold and unforgiving as the island itself. Her main worry, though, is her parentsâ??and whether she will ever… (more)
Awards
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
USBBY Outstanding International Book (Grades 6-8 — 2010)
The White Ravens (1997)
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (Winner — 1999)
Mildred L. Batchelder Award (Winner — 2010)
Augustpriset (Nominee — 1996)
The Best Children's Books of the Year (Nine to Twelve — 2010)
Notable Children's Book (2010)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member KarenBall
Holocaust fiction from the point of view of Stephie, a young girl sent away to Sweden with her little sister Nellie, far from parents trapped in Nazi Germany. Stephie promised her parents that she would protect Nellie, but they are split up in two separate foster homes when they arrive in Sweden.
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The girls have difficulty adjusting to the new language, new school, new homes and lack of friends in this place, as they await news of their parents' escape. This is a story of courage on a daily basis -- Stephie and Nellie get up every day and do what they have to do to live, and try to find happiness where they can. Excellent writing and characters -- anyone who liked Number the Stars by Lois Lowry will enjoy this one. 6th grade and up. Show Less
LibraryThing member prkcs
In 1939 Sweden, two Jewish sisters wait for their parents to flee the Nazis in Austria, but while eight-year-old Nellie settles in quickly, twelve-year-old Stephie feels stranded at the end of the world, with a foster mother who is as cold and unforgiving as the island on which they live.
LibraryThing member ECraine
This is a very interesting fictionalized account of Jewish refugee children who were sent to Sweden in the late 1930s. Being told from the perspective of 12 year old Stephie allows the story to examine the more emotional aspects of the situation and historical period. The author successfully
Note that this is a translation of the original Swedish text.
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contrasts the experiences of Stephie and her younger sister Nellie. When Nellie quickly adapts to the different environment, Stephie feels that she is rejecting her German culture. The conflicting emotions felt by the main character, being grateful for her safety, missing her family and homeland, not being truly accepted by the Swedes, make for a riveting story. The epilogue written by the author is particularly profound in that it explains that many of the 500 refugee children, while they survived the war, were not reunited with their families and returned home; in some cases it took decades for them to even be able to talk about their painful experiences. Though the book ends on a hopeful note, the reader can’t help but wonder if Stephie and Nellie received their hoped for ending. Note that this is a translation of the original Swedish text.
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LibraryThing member stuwilab
Use in conjunction with a social studies unit on WWII.
Have students read other books focusing on Jewish children during WWII, such as Number the Stars, Good Night, Maman, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, A Pocket Full of Seeds, and The Upstairs Room.
Talk with students about how they would feel if
Have students read other books focusing on Jewish children during WWII, such as Number the Stars, Good Night, Maman, When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, A Pocket Full of Seeds, and The Upstairs Room.
Talk with students about how they would feel if
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they were separated from their parents like Stephie and Nellie were. How would you act? Would you be grateful, angry, sad? Show Less
LibraryThing member crochetbunnii
Personal Response:
I appreciate the attention paid to the experience of a smaller group of children (500), sent to Sweden during WWII. While more attention has been paid to efforts made in Great Britain and the US to save children from the Holocaust, this is an interesting perspective on the efforts
Curricular Connections:
I would use this title in a book group on perseverance, sisterhood, the Holocaust, refugees, or WWII.
I appreciate the attention paid to the experience of a smaller group of children (500), sent to Sweden during WWII. While more attention has been paid to efforts made in Great Britain and the US to save children from the Holocaust, this is an interesting perspective on the efforts
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of a smaller country.Curricular Connections:
I would use this title in a book group on perseverance, sisterhood, the Holocaust, refugees, or WWII.
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LibraryThing member loraword
a faraway island is the first of a series of four books by Swedish author, Annika Thor. The series relates the story of the Steiner Sisters--Stephie and Nellie--two Jewish girls who are sent from their home in Nazi-occupied Austria to live with foster families in Sweden. Although the book is
On her first night in her foster home, Stephie cries alone in her room: "When she finally stops sobbing, Stephie feels emptied out, as if she had nothing inside but a gaping hole (27)." Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, are distraught at being separated. Stephie doesn't understand her foster mother's sternness or her foster mother's motivation for taking Stephie in. She feels she's treated differently than a biological child would be: "They'll do for me, Stephie finds herself thinking, Old, worn-out books will do for a foreign child. Old, worn-out books, not to mention an ugly, old lady's bathing suit that will do for a refugee child who has to live off the charity of others. If Aunt Marta had a child of her own, that child would never be getting hand-me-down books (79)." Because Stephie does not share her feelings with her foster mother, there are many misunderstandings which lead to more difficulties for Stephie. She also struggles with her sister, Nellie, who's experiences in another foster home differ so much from Stephie's own experiences. In the end, the book carries an important message for all readers regardless of their background: through sharing and listening, we can create compassion and understanding, which will help us get through even the most difficult times.
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fiction, it is based on historical facts. In the author's note at the end of the novel, Thor writes "after Kristallnacht in November 1938, when the Nazis burned down so many synagogues, pillaged and vandalized Jewish shops, and rounded up thousands of people for deportation to concentration camps, the small Jewish congregations in Sweden pleaded with the government and managed to arrange for five hundred children from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to be brought to Sweden" (244). Though the circumstances which put these children in foster homes differs greatly from most children in foster care today, the struggles and emotions were very similar.On her first night in her foster home, Stephie cries alone in her room: "When she finally stops sobbing, Stephie feels emptied out, as if she had nothing inside but a gaping hole (27)." Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, are distraught at being separated. Stephie doesn't understand her foster mother's sternness or her foster mother's motivation for taking Stephie in. She feels she's treated differently than a biological child would be: "They'll do for me, Stephie finds herself thinking, Old, worn-out books will do for a foreign child. Old, worn-out books, not to mention an ugly, old lady's bathing suit that will do for a refugee child who has to live off the charity of others. If Aunt Marta had a child of her own, that child would never be getting hand-me-down books (79)." Because Stephie does not share her feelings with her foster mother, there are many misunderstandings which lead to more difficulties for Stephie. She also struggles with her sister, Nellie, who's experiences in another foster home differ so much from Stephie's own experiences. In the end, the book carries an important message for all readers regardless of their background: through sharing and listening, we can create compassion and understanding, which will help us get through even the most difficult times.
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LibraryThing member RefPenny
Stephie and Nellie are sent to Sweden by their parents to keep them safe from the Nazis. They end up being fostered by different families on a remote island. Whilst Nellie settles in quickly, Stephie finds things harder; her foster mother seems cold, she is bullied at school and she wonders if she
A realistic story that would suit readers 10 and up.
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will ever see her parents again. This book is the first in a series of 4 but the others aren’t available in English yet.A realistic story that would suit readers 10 and up.
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LibraryThing member katie.flanigan
This book told a very good story. I like the characters in the story and the messages the story tells about life. It is a good book to read for young adults.
LibraryThing member NanceeL
Won the Batchelder award
LibraryThing member rebecca191
Following the invasion of Austria by the Nazis, two young Jewish sisters from Vienna, twelve-year-old Stephie Steiner and her eight-year-old sister, Nellie, are sent away by their parents to safety in Sweden. Their parents hopes the family can reunite soon and travel to a safer country, but shortly
The two girls are placed in separate homes on a small island in Sweden, and have very different experiences. Nellie loves her foster parents, who have young children of their own. Stephie however is placed with a seemingly cold and unloving childless couple. While the younger Nellie quickly adapts to life in a strange new country, Stephie struggles to learn the new language, and feels like an outcast in school. Will she ever adjust to her new country and new life? And what will become of the parents she left behind?
Before reading A Faraway Island, I had never even heard of the story of the 500 Jewish refugee children Sweden accepted just before the start of World War II. The author, Annika Thor, grew up in a Jewish family in Sweden and had young refugee cousins who had fled the Nazis in Europe. She has published three other books about Stephie and Nellie in Sweden, that tell the rest of their story during and shortly after World War II, and I hope to see them published in English so I can find out the rest of of the story. This book would make a good choice for preteens looking to supplement their learning about World War II with historical fiction, as well as for any reader looking for a unique story set in this time period.
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after the sisters arrive in Sweden, World War II breaks out in Europe, trapping the two young girls in a strange and foreign country, away from their parents.The two girls are placed in separate homes on a small island in Sweden, and have very different experiences. Nellie loves her foster parents, who have young children of their own. Stephie however is placed with a seemingly cold and unloving childless couple. While the younger Nellie quickly adapts to life in a strange new country, Stephie struggles to learn the new language, and feels like an outcast in school. Will she ever adjust to her new country and new life? And what will become of the parents she left behind?
Before reading A Faraway Island, I had never even heard of the story of the 500 Jewish refugee children Sweden accepted just before the start of World War II. The author, Annika Thor, grew up in a Jewish family in Sweden and had young refugee cousins who had fled the Nazis in Europe. She has published three other books about Stephie and Nellie in Sweden, that tell the rest of their story during and shortly after World War II, and I hope to see them published in English so I can find out the rest of of the story. This book would make a good choice for preteens looking to supplement their learning about World War II with historical fiction, as well as for any reader looking for a unique story set in this time period.
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LibraryThing member Sullywriter
Awful cover but great Holocaust story.
LibraryThing member sarahtaylor3
In this Batchelder award winner and Sydney Taylor Honor Book, Annika Thor tells story the story of two Jewish sisters who leave their home of Vienna Austria before the start of WWII to be among the 500 children accepted into Sweden as refugees. They are taken to a small island where they are
Although this book deals with a heavy topic, the author manages to keep the book moving at a quick pace and keeps the tone light enough in the dark time period. This would be a great companion to learning about WWII and see a different side of how the war affected families and how many were separated as a choice (when possible) before it became mandatory. Also insight into the lack of understanding that these families had in relation to the children they took in.
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separated (although see each other almost everyday) and force to go through the many struggles that involve learning a new language, being accepted by the locals and a constant desire to be reunited with their parents. Although this book deals with a heavy topic, the author manages to keep the book moving at a quick pace and keeps the tone light enough in the dark time period. This would be a great companion to learning about WWII and see a different side of how the war affected families and how many were separated as a choice (when possible) before it became mandatory. Also insight into the lack of understanding that these families had in relation to the children they took in.
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LibraryThing member zeborah
Two sisters are part of the 500 Jewish children evacuated from Austria to Sweden; they end up in separate but nearby families on a small island. The younger fits in quickly, the elder (on whom the story focuses) is bullied at school and feels unwelcome at home. These are fairly predictable
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plot-shapes but nicely told. Show Less
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Inspired by real events. During WW2, twelve-year-old Stephie and her 7-year-old sister Nellie are sent by their parents to live with Swedish families for their safety while the parents try to secure entry permits to America (the family is Jewish). Nellie adapts well to her living situation, making
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friends and learning the language easily. The focus of the story is on Stephie, who has it harder, living with the seemingly stern Aunt Marta and tortured by the kids at school. She also feels the pressure of living up to her parents' expectations and ensuring that Nellie doesn't forget her background. Readers' hearts will ache for Stephie who tries to make the best of a lonely situation and helplessly takes it on the chin from her tormentors. But there are moments of hope and kindness, and the book ends with the relieved sense that Stephie has finally found her place, if only temporarily, in this new country. Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Two Jewish sisters are evacuated from Austria to Sweden by the Swedish Aid Society. The story mostly follows the older sister Stephie who lives with "Aunt Marta" and "Uncle Evert" on a small island. Evert is a fisherman by trade, and the couple doesn't have much money. Nellie lives in the same
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village with another couple, although the plan had been for the two girls to live together. Nellie ends up adapting to the new situation and making friends more easily than Stephie who is bullied by classmates. Stephie dreams of going to "grammar school" upon completion of the sixth grade (which she'd already completed in Austria) and of eventually becoming a doctor like her father. The girls also work to try to get their parents out of Austria into Sweden after their parents' attempts to get into America fail. A friend and I listened to the first thirty-seven chapters on the audio book on a trip. I had to complete the short remainder with the e-book version available to me. I really enjoyed the narrator of the English translation. I also enjoyed the author's comments at the conclusion of the book and hope to be able to read or listen to the remainder of the books in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Sisters Sophie (12) and Nellie (8) are among 500 Jewish children transported from Austria to Sweden in 1939. The sisters miss their parents very much, but they console themselves with the thought that their parents will be sending for them soon and the whole family will emigrate to America. The
This book has won multiple awards in both the original Swedish edition and the English translation. It has an Anne of Green Gables meets the Holocaust feel, but it's more melancholy. There's no “bosom friend” like Diana Barry, and readers will be aware that Sophie's misfortunes are bound to grow as Nazi persecution of the Jews increases. This book should also appeal to fans of Lois Lowry's Number the Stars.
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sisters end up on a remote island staying with different families. Nellie settles in fairly quickly with her host family, but Sophie has a hard time adjusting to the stern woman who has taken her in. She has trouble fitting in at school, where she is bullied by the other students.This book has won multiple awards in both the original Swedish edition and the English translation. It has an Anne of Green Gables meets the Holocaust feel, but it's more melancholy. There's no “bosom friend” like Diana Barry, and readers will be aware that Sophie's misfortunes are bound to grow as Nazi persecution of the Jews increases. This book should also appeal to fans of Lois Lowry's Number the Stars.
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LibraryThing member KimReadingLog
When Stephie and Nellie Steiner are sent from their home in Vienna to Sweden, they imagine they will stay in a seaside resort town with palm trees, colorful beach umbrellas, and ice cream vendors. Instead, they find themselves on a windy, rocky “faraway island” that feels like the end of the
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world. The year is 1939, and the Jewish sisters have been sent to Sweden to await their parents, who are trying to secure safe passage to the United States, away from Nazi threat. Nellie quickly adjusts to their new home, while Stephie struggles to find her place amidst bullying, a harsh caregiver, and concern for her parents back in Vienna. Translated from Swedish and told in present tense, Annika Thor combined accounts of the 500 refugee children Sweden took in during WWII to paint an accurate picture of what the transition for young Jewish children to Sweden was really like. Show Less
LibraryThing member amandabock
I read this because A) it won a Batchelder, and I love that award B) it is Swedish. I found it to be a bit tedious. OK, she's miserable and her sister isn't. I get it. So much time was spent building up just how horrible her life is, and how miserable it is, and then it was all fixed in a few
I should say, that I probably would have liked this more as a child.
I was really surprised to read in the author's note that these are so widely read and translated and made into TV specials. Perhaps I should read the others in the series. But I probably won't.
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chapters at the end. There were some interesting secondary characters who weren't very well developed at all. The Christian-conversion themes were jarring to my liberal American sensibilities, although they're historically accurate, I wish there had been more discussion about them.I should say, that I probably would have liked this more as a child.
I was really surprised to read in the author's note that these are so widely read and translated and made into TV specials. Perhaps I should read the others in the series. But I probably won't.
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ISBN
0385736177 / 9780385736176