Faraway Home [Paperback]

Marilyn Taylor (Author), Marilyn Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Karl and Rosa's family watch in horror as Hitler's troops parade down the streets of their home city -- Vienna. It has become very dangerous to be a Jew in Austria, and after their uncle is sent to Dachau, Karl and Rosa's parents decide to send the children out of the country on a Kindertransport, one of the many ships carrying refugee children away from Nazi danger. Isolated and homesick, Karl ends up in Millisle, a run-down farm in Ards in Northern Ireland, which has become a Jewish refugee centre, while Rosa is fostered by a local family. Hard work on the farm keeps Karl occupied, although he still waits desperately for any news from home. Then he makes friends with locals Peewee and Wee Billy, and also with the girls from neutral Dublin who come to help on the farm, especially Judy. But Northern Ireland is in the war too, with rationing and air-raid warnings, and, in April 1941 the bombs of the Belfast Blitz bring the reality of war right to their doorstep. And for Karl and Rosa and the other refugees there is the constant fear that they may never see their parents again. Based on a true story -- there was a refugee farm at Millisle and among its occupants was a young boy called Karl.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. As 13-year-old Karl Muller watches the Anschluss parade from his family's Vienna apartment, he worries that his Jewish family will soon be facing terrible danger. Sure enough, as the months pass, Karl loses his gentile girlfriend, watches his uncle sink into despair, and sees the family business destroyed. His parents put him and his sister, Rosa, on a kindertransport that gets them to County Down, Ireland, where Karl is separated from Rosa and endures hard work and suspicion from the locals. He begins a tentative friendship with Judy, an Irish Jew, and with Peewee, an Irish-Catholic boy, and he's eventually reunited with Rosa. But war comes to Ireland, too, and Karl must decide how to help. The main characters are appealing, and the setting is intriguing in this well- researched novel by an Irish author. The real strength of the book, however, lies in its realistic portrayal of Karl's feelings and of the friendships he makes in his new surroundings. For libraries with large collections of Holocaust fiction. Jean Franklin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'The main characters are appealing, and the setting is intriguing in this well-researched novel by an Irish author. The real strength of the book, however, lies in its realistic portrayal of Karl's feelings and of the friendships he makes in his new surroundings.' -- Booklist (USA) 'It's a gripping read.' -- Northside People 'an absorbing new book from Marilyn Taylor ... a remarkable blend of fiction and historical fact, which also reveals a relatively unknown facet of World War Two.' -- Pauline Devine - The Irish Times The Irish Times 'Based on the Dublin author's research into the real Jewish refugee farm in Millisle set up during the war, the book is a moving story of courage, prejudice and the ability of young people to cope with the most difficult challeges.' -- Karen Quinn - NewsLetter The Newsletter 'sensitively unfolds a touching story of the anguish suffered by Jewish refugee chidren sent to a farm in County Down during the Second World War. The pathos, suffering and bravery are overwhelming. But for me, it is Taylor's skill in building three-dimensional characters which makes this book so outstanding. This is a story which stays with the reader, long after the final page has been turned.' -- Children's Books in Ireland Children's Books in Ireland 'It seems to me that one of the most important elements of successful writing for modern teenagers is respect for the readers. To show that respect my golden rules are, first, not to preach at them; second, not to underestimate them; and, third, to make sure that what they are being offered is as accurate, authentic and as true as it can be. And for the latter, research, though not the whole story, is the key.' -- The author writing in Children's Books in Ireland 'Every young adult should read this book. It is history, written with the gripping reality of fiction. It is a story which, like Anne Frank's diary, brings home to us all the horrific misery inflicted by the Nazis -- and the need to ensure that we never allow it to happen again.' -- Lord Janner, QC, Holocaust Educational Trust 'It conveys brilliantly the insecurities of children in a refugee situation, charts an interesting aspect of Irish history and provides sharp insights into the difficulties facing refugees.' -- Anglo Celt Anglo Celt Newspaper 'by far the most successful fictional interpretation of the kindertransports. A very well constructed and beautifully written narrative. While this book is suitable for the lower secondary years, it has proved to have much impact on home older juniors in England.' -- The School Librarian The School Librarian 'Unflinchingly honest but radiating a belief in basic human decency, [Marilyn Taylor's books] make for an illuminating read for adults and kids alike.' -- Irish Independent

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: O'Brien Press (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862786436
• ISBN-13: 978-0862786434
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #273,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perception and Reality, November 30, 2000

By 

Helen Ryan (Dublin,Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Faraway Home (Paperback)

Marilyn Taylor's FARAWAY HOME sensitively unfolds a touching story of the anguish suffered by Jewish refugee children sent by their parents from all over Europe to a farm in County Down, Northern Ireland during the Second World War. This is a story of pain and separation, of camaraderie and, finally, of hope. The beginnings of the Holocaust in Vienna are vividly portrayed through young Karl's eyes; the development of his character carries the reader from the oppression of Vienna to the friendly hardship of refugee life on the Ards peninsula. When Karl meets a spirited but rather spoilt volunteer from Dublin he is eventually persuaded to release some of his pain and anger. In the end, Judy teaches him to hope for the future. The pathos, suffering and bravery are overwhelming. But for me, it is Taylor's skill in building three-dimensional characters which makes this book so outstanding. None of the central characters are easily categorised. We are allowed inside the heads of Karl and Judy, thus getting to know their intimate thoughts; we hear how each regards the other and everyone else around them. Sometines their views are at odds and sometimes they coincide. The conflict between perception and reality in the book accurately mirrors real life. This is a story which stays with the reader, long after the final page has been turned.