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Stolen Child
by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch |
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They call her the “Hitler Girl” . . .
Stolen from her family by the Nazis, Nadia is a young girl who tries to
make sense
of her confusing memories and haunting dreams. Bit by bit she starts to
uncover
the truth — that the German family she grew up with, the woman who
calls herself
Nadia’s mother, are not who they say they are. Beyond her privileged
German
childhood, Nadia unearths memories of a woman singing her a lullaby,
while the
taste of gingersnap cookies brings her back to a strangely familiar,
yet unknown, past.
Piece by piece, Nadia comes to realize who her real family was. But
where are they
now? What became of them? And what is her real name?
This story of a Lebensborn girl — a child kidnapped for her “Aryan
looks” by the
Nazis in their frenzy to build a master race — reveals one child’s
fierce determination
to uncover her past against incredible odds.
Stolen Child is an engaging story about one child’s journey to not only fit in in Canada after fleeing the Nazis, but to also try to piece together her past and where she came from. I loved reading about Nadia learning to speak English and her wonder at the local library. Her simple joy over the most basic things really brought home how lucky were are, and have always been, in Canada.
Through gripping prose, and the grounding effect of sensory images cast by post-war life in small-town Ontario, Skrypuch relates a story previously untold in children's fiction, offering an original perspective on the Ukrainian experience during the Second World War.
Highly recommended, for ages 10 and up.
Bev Brenna, Star Pheonix.
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