Bibliography
Thor, A., & Schecnk, L. (2012). Lily pond. Dell Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0385740409
Plot Summary
Set in Sweden during Hitler’s reign in Germany, young Stephie, a refugee who left Nazi ruled Vienna for a better life, is leaving the Island she has lived at with her foster parents for school in Goterberg. While she looks forward to school and living in the room next to her crush Sven, she also grapples with her uncomfortable feelings of debt to those around her, confusion about the political state of the place she lives, and fear for what her parents' fate is back in Vienna. This historical fiction book gives readers a peek into the complexities of life for child refugees in Sweden as well as the experiences of a young girl who is becoming a woman.
Critical Analysis
In The Lily Pond, Stephie is a Jewish-born, christian convert, refugee child from Vienna during Hitler’s reign. As was common practice during the time of Hitler’s reign, children like Stephie and her younger sister were allowed to migrate to Switzerland. However, this meant that their parents must stay behind and face the harsh reality of being a Jew at that time. Separated from their parents, the two children are being raised by their foster parents, the girls’ aunt and uncle. Stephie struggles with her two childhoods, and her two identities, the Jewish born daughter of her parents, and the now Christian refugee in her foster family’s acquaintances' home who is becoming a woman.
Born to parents who included a doctor father, Stephie is treated differently with her new identity as a refugee. In one scene, Stephie is asked to serve dinner with the servant’s to the family she resides with and their guests after Stephie expects to be invited as a guest. She spends the majority of her meals eating in the servant’s quarters and is rarely asked to join the rest of the family for meals. There is mention of women having “housewifely skills”, and female characters in the story are either exemplifying these gender roles, or fighting against them.
Stephie faces antisemitism as well. For example, one of her teachers calls Stephie’s parents “an alien element in Germany”. Throughout these experiences, Stephie is supported by allies in her friend from school May, and her crush Sven. Sven, the son of the foster family’s friends with whom Stephie lives with during boarding school, has hopes of a more equitable society while his parents believe things in Sweden should continue on as is without Sweden meddling in the affairs of the Germans.
This story is an enjoyable read with messages of friendship and withstanding life’s hardships, and will help readers have a better understanding of the different experiences of refugees.
Review Excerpts and Awards
Mildred L. Batchelder Award, Honor, 2012
Junior Library Guild Selections, 2012
Notable Children's Books, 2012
“Stephie’s story of adjustment to a new school and of a first crush is both specific and universal, and fans of the series will want to stick by Stephie as her own future brightens even as her parents’ becomes ever more perilous.” (Horn Book Magazine, 2012)
“A compelling look at World War II–era Sweden, this distinguished Holocaust story will resonate.” (Booklist, 2011)
“Stephie’s story is easier to digest than other Holocaust fiction set in concentration camps or ghettos, and it will help readers better understand the effects of the immigration policies of Allied countries like Sweden that refused to grant visas to adult refugees. A smooth, straightforward translation from Swedish, fully developed characters and a tender, absorbing story make this a highly recommended addition to middle-grade fiction collections.” (Jewish Book Council, 2012)
Connections
Readers should also check out the first book in the Faraway Island series, A Faraway Island ISBN 9780375844959
Throughout the story, Stephie writes letters to her parents as their only way of communicating with each other for years. Have students write a letter to a relative or friend who lives in another town, state, or country.
Teachingbooks.net is great for info about the author as well as how to properly pronounce the author’s name (https://www.teachingbooks.net/pronounce.cgi?aid=12178)
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