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

Author
Annika Thor was born and raised in a Jewish family in Göteborg, Sweden. She has been a librarian, has written for both film and theater, and is the author of many books for children, young adults, and adults. She lives in Stockholm. A Faraway Island, The Lily Pond, and Deep Sea are the first three novels in a quartet featuring the Steiner sisters, which has been translated into numerous languages and has garnered awards worldwide.

Deep Sea
Annika Thor
Translated from the Swedish by Linda Schenck
2015, Delacorte
ISBN: 0385743858