Finding Sophie - Softcover

Irene N. Watts

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0863153747 ISBN 13: 9780863153747

Publisher: Floris Books, 2002

Synopsis

It is 1945 and Sophie Mandel is living happily in London with 'Aunt Em', an old friend of her parents, who has looked after her since she was evacuated from Berlin in 1938. She no longer speaks German and has very little memory of her parents. However, as the war in Europe draws to a close Sophie starts to wonder about her Jewish father and non-Jewish mother, and to recall elements of her past life. What has happened to them during the past seven years? Are they still alive? Will she have to return to Germany now that the war has ended? With the onset of peace on VE Day Sophie finally discovers what has become of her family, and must learn to come to terms with her past and present in order to move forward to the future. Familiar characters from Goodbye Marianne and Remember Me appear along the way to bring closure to this fascinating and true account of life as a refugee in post-war Britain.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

“Most young people know very little about the Kindertransport, and this lovely story will open their eyes while introducing them to a memorable young woman who will remain in their thoughts.”
–School Library Journal

“Irene N. Watts, like Sophie, the heroine of her novel...left Germany at the age of 7 for safety in Britain on a kindertransport at the beginning of the Second World War. Perhaps that accounts in part for Watts’s ability to convey in such a compelling way the emotional turmoil felt by young Sophie.”
–The Globe and Mail

“Irene Watts has won prizes and praise for her previous novels, and...this one is even better. The writing flows more evenly, and the plot depends less on particular and peculiar historical circumstances and more on the iternal conflicts of love and loyalty. Its universal theme is enriched by its historical context but is not completely dependent upon it...Highly Recommended.”
–CM Magazine

“The story is...poignant... The book is solidly and thoughtfully written, weaving affection, laughter, concern and fear in the background to Sophie’s life.”
–Literary Views

From the Inside Flap:

Selected by the Pennsylvania School Librarians Association as one of the PSLA YA Top Forty Fiction Titles 2003
Nominated in the fiction category for the 2004/2005 Red Cedar Book Awards (British Columbia's Young Reader's Choice book award)

Sophie Mandel was only seven years old when she arrived in London on the first Kindertransport from Germany. She has grown up with a friend of her parents, a woman she calls Aunt Em, and despite the war and its deprivations, she has made a good life for herself in England with her foster mother. She has even stopped thinking about the parents she left behind. Now the war is over, and fourteen-year-old Sophie is faced with a terrible dilemma. Where does she belong?
In this, the third book about the characters introduced in G"ood-bye Marianne and Re"member Me, Irene N. Watts explores the themes of friendship, family, and the nature of love. Fi"nding Sophie is sure to become a favorite.

About this edition

• Publisher: Floris Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0863153747
• ISBN 13: 9780863153747
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 139