THE LILY POND

This sequel to FARAWAY ISLAND follows 13-year-old Stephie Steiner, a Jewish girl from Vienna who's sent to Sweden in 1940. Narrator Amy Rubinate flawlessly delivers Austrian and Swedish accents and portrays characters of various ages, cultures, and religious backgrounds. Stephie moves from a remote Swedish island to Göteborg for school, where she boards with a wealthy family similar to her own. Her best friend, Mae, who is from a large, poor, socialist-leaning family, opens new horizons for Stephie. She's forced to grow up fast when she learns that her parents may not be able to leave Austria. Rubinate particularly captures Stephie's range of feelings as she copes with her worries about her parents. Two additional books are planned for this moving series. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2012]