
Reach for this book when your child is navigating the complex emotions of being an outsider or feeling the heavy weight of family expectations and separation. While set against the backdrop of World War II, it is primarily a story about the quiet courage required to build a new life when your heart is still in another place. Stephie, a thirteen-year-old Jewish refugee in Sweden, faces the universal trials of middle school: new friendships, first love, and academic pressure: while also carrying the deep anxiety of her parents' safety in Nazi-occupied Vienna. This novel offers a sophisticated exploration of the transition from childhood to adolescence, making it an excellent choice for 10 to 14 year olds. It normalizes feelings of longing and loneliness while modeling resilience and the importance of finding a surrogate community. Parents will appreciate how it handles historical trauma through a personal, relatable lens, providing a bridge to discuss both history and modern-day experiences of displacement and belonging.
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Sign in to write a reviewAnti-semitic sentiments and social exclusion are depicted.
Sweet but painful depictions of first love and unrequited feelings.
The book deals directly with the Holocaust, though through the perspective of a refugee safe in Sweden. The approach is realistic and secular. There is no easy resolution: the ending is hopeful regarding Stephie's growth but remains realistically ambiguous regarding her parents' fate.
A middle schooler who feels like they are living two lives: the one everyone sees at school and the private, more complicated one they keep at home.
Parents should be prepared to discuss the historical context of the Kindertransport and the restrictive immigration laws of the 1940s. No specific scenes require censoring, but the emotional weight of the letters from Vienna is significant. A parent might notice their child becoming withdrawn after a move or a change in school, or perhaps expressing guilt about being happy when a loved one is going through a hard time.
A 10-year-old will focus on the school drama and the sadness of missing parents. A 14-year-old will better grasp the political nuances and the complicated dynamics of Stephie's first romantic feelings.
Unlike many WWII stories that focus on the camps or the resistance, this focuses on the 'waiting' and the psychological burden of being a refugee in a 'safe' country that isn't quite home.
Stephie Steiner, a thirteen-year-old Jewish refugee from Vienna, has moved from the rural island of her first year in Sweden to the city of Gothenburg to attend school. She lives with a foster family, works hard to succeed academically, and navigates a complicated first romance with a boy named Sven. All the while, she exchanges letters with her parents, who remain trapped in Austria, creating a constant undercurrent of dread and guilt.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.