Annika Thor's A Faraway Island
Translated from the Swedish, this story centers on two sisters--Stephie and Nellie--Jewish refugee children sent to Sweden after Germany invades Austria. In theory their parents will soon have visas to America and the whole family will emigrate, but . . . yeah. The girls are housed separately, but the younger Nellie acclimates much more quickly than Stephie (who is plagued by bad memories and racist bullies). Comparisons have been made to Anne of Green Gables, which I don't really see, besides the fact that there's a Marilla-type character and a Matthew-type character, and that both girls have braided hair. That's not a complaint--it's really well done and doesn't need to be something it's not. There's a really touching author's note at the end explaining the historical context and Thor's related background. This is the first of four, though only three are out in America so far. I'll definitely be checking out the others. A-.
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