SHANGHAI SHADOWS

When the Nazi’s invade Austria in 1939, 12-year-old Ilse Shpann and her family flee to Japanese-occupied Shanghai with nothing more than her father’s violin. Though living as stateless refugees, the news about the war in Europe reaches them, and Ilse’s self-centered voice quickly gives way to a realization that people are willing to die for freedom. She joins the resistance movement and goes on several potentially dangerous escapades. Additional adventures include her friendship with street urchin and pickpocket Liu, her growing romance with Dovid, a Polish refugee, and her mother’s revelation that she’s never been legally married to Ilse’s father, all adding to the uncertainty and confusion of her life. As she prepares for life in America after the war, Ilse knows she will look back on her days in Shanghai with a mixture of anger and fondness. Though the romantic ending is ultimately unsatisfying, Ilse’s story offers another culture’s perspective on the effects of war. (Fiction. 12-14)