Readers of Anne of Green Gables and Hattie Ever After will love following Stephie’s story, which takes place during World War II and began with A Faraway Island and continued with The Lily Pond.
Three years ago, Stephie and her younger sister, Nellie, escaped the Nazis in Vienna and fled to an island in Sweden, where they were taken in by different families. Now sixteen-year-old Stephie is going to school on the mainland. Stephie enjoys her studies, and rooming with her school friend, May. But life is only getting more complicated as she gets older.
Stephie might lose the grant money that is funding her education. Her old friend Verra is growing up too fast. And back on the island, Nellie wants to be adopted by her foster family. Stephie, on the other hand, can’t stop thinking about her parents, who are in a Nazi camp in Austria. If only the war would end. . . .
Like the deep sea, Stephie’s life is filled with danger and darkness, but also with beauty and hope as she learns to stand up for her beliefs and be true to herself.
A CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book of the Year
*“A rich blend of emotional truths.”–Kirkus Reviews, Starred
*“This novel about coming of age during a complicated, tragic time in history is both delicate and poignant.”–Publisher’s Weekly, Starred
“Thor . . . deftly balances the sisters’ everyday concerns with the greater psychological aspects of being refugees.”–School Library Journal
“The novel’s strength lies in its rich cast of secondary characters whose stories bring wartime Sweden to life.”–Booklist
“The present tense and a limited third-person narration that reflects Stephie’s every thought and emotion give the story unusual immediacy, nuance, and impact.”–The Hornbook Magazine
“Deep Sea and the story of the Steiner sisters is a much-needed voice in the sea of World War II novels for youth.”—VOYA
Praise for A Faraway Island
Winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award
“[A] welcome addition to the canon of WWII stories.”–The Hornbook Magazine, Starred
Praise for The Lily Pond
A Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book
“This distinguished Holocaust story will resonate.”–Booklist
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