The author was born of Swedish Jewish parents past this time of World War II. She said her family would not talk about the way family members died during the war. She learned of those things as she grew older. She interviewed people, who were sent to Sweden as children, to protect them from the Nazi's. The book is a fictional account of two sisters, who were sent to the island in Sweden, from Austria. Children of that time usually only went to school for six years. Many of them were used as laborers, after they spent those years in school. Only 1 out of 4 still had relatives to go home to after the war was over. Most of them stayed on in Sweden, after the war. This is a four book series. I enjoyed listening to the book on my MP3 player. I learned more about Swedish culture on the island. This story of two displaced Jewish sisters is told in such a heart-wrenching way. The characters are easy to relate to in every sense. I felt Stephie’s pain when she saw her sister becoming accustomed to the new way of life, and felt her sorrow as she struggled with extremely brutal bullying and racism at the hands of her classmates. The book is humorous at times, which provides a nice relief, especially when Jewish Stephie recalls being “redeemed” by the Pentecostal Church. Overall, I would love to use this book, and its sequels to use in class. I can tell that it would lead to interesting discussions about culture, and racism.
Do You like book En ö I Havet (1996)?
I can't find the rest of the series in English. Really want to read the rest of the series!
—katyttty
middle grade read. Can't wait to read the next one!
—mroake
Good addition to the Holocaust Literature.
—Mjc298
It is one of the good books i have read!!
—MyLittleMonster
