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Waltraut
The story of a first-generation-Canadian girl growing up in the shadows of the Second World War and navigating two cultures while struggling to find herself.
Eleven-year-old Waltraut wants to fit in at school, but it’s not easy. Not only does her name rhyme with the ethnic slur that is often hurled her way, but no one can relate to her immigrant family and their complicated past. On weekends, however, she attends German school with friends who are just like her. They share a language, food, and customs—and they understand what it’s like to live in two cultures.
As Waltraut navigates between her two worlds, she copes by reading and imagines how much easier her life would be if her name was Nancy, like the heroine of her favourite mystery series. So when her family moves to a new neighbourhood, Waltraut seizes the chance to reinvent herself. But she soon learns the price of pretending to be someone else. With support from an insightful teacher, a warm-hearted father, a tough-minded mother, and even her annoying younger brother, she embraces her true self, with all of its complexities and contradictions.
Eleven-year-old Waltraut wants to fit in at school, but it’s not easy. Not only does her name rhyme with the ethnic slur that is often hurled her way, but no one can relate to her immigrant family and their complicated past. On weekends, however, she attends German school with friends who are just like her. They share a language, food, and customs—and they understand what it’s like to live in two cultures.
As Waltraut navigates between her two worlds, she copes by reading and imagines how much easier her life would be if her name was Nancy, like the heroine of her favourite mystery series. So when her family moves to a new neighbourhood, Waltraut seizes the chance to reinvent herself. But she soon learns the price of pretending to be someone else. With support from an insightful teacher, a warm-hearted father, a tough-minded mother, and even her annoying younger brother, she embraces her true self, with all of its complexities and contradictions.
- GenresHistorical FictionCanada
224 pages, Paperback
Published September 3, 2024
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 25, 2025
Gabriele Goldstone's 2024 middle grade novel Waltraut (which is realistic fiction taking place in 1960s Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, but is also based on the author's own childhood as the daughter of post WWII German immigrants to Canada) is thematically, contents wise and also stylistically spectacular (and has as such been rated with five stars and also placed on my favourites shelf, with me textually adoring absolutely everything about Waltraut, including the German words, culture, foods etc. Goldstone has included in her text). And yes (in my not really all that humble opinion) with Waltraut Gabriele Goldstone absolutely brilliantly textually captures and focuses on 11-year-old second generation Canadian protagonist and first person narrator Waltraut Weiss' voice and the complex balancing act straddling and trying to balance both the German and the Anglo-Canadian post WWII culture, traditions and history that are much of her life, how Waltraut has to navigate school, friendships and adult relationships (seeking acceptance, trying to fit in, while also trying to establish her identity and her own and very personal Waltanschauung).
And yes, I do find it quite uplifting that by the end of Waltraut and after the family has moved to a new house, in a new neighbourhood (and equally with a new school for Waltraut and her younger brother Sonny), Waltraut finally does accept her nicely encouraging English teacher's, that she accepts Mr. Sheldon's advice that she should no longer be using the artificial and Anglophone name of Nancy (after Nancy Drew) chosen at church camp and that her given name of Waltraut is both her own and is also lovely in and of itself (no matter what others might say, no matter if classmates make fun of and deride her German name and that certain teachers might consider it not "Canadian" enough). Furthermore, not to mention that I do find it totally refreshing and hugely delightful how Gabriele Goldstone in her Acknowledgments section mentions that Waltraut was written and takes place in Winnipeg and that the city is located (and I am quoting from those same Acknowledgments here) in Treaty I Territory, the home and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree) and the Dakota Peoples, and in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis (and that Goldstone also mentions in the Acknowledgments for Waltraut that all of us Canadians and permanent residents to Canada who are not First Nations and not Inuit are indeed and always have been immigrants on First Nations and Inuit lands, yes, this makes me hugely smile with major and all-encompassing appreciation).
But indeed, much of Waltraut is also a story that hits too realistically and thus also uncomfortably close to home for me (as a German Canadian, as a post WWII immigrant from Germany) to be in any way comfortable reading, although I am also at the same time really and hugely glad, glad, glad regarding this and that Gabriele Goldstone's story for WaltrautWaltraut shows and demonstrates how some of the main villains regarding the bullying are in fact Waltraut's teachers, this is indeed a huge bonus for me as some of my teachers both enabled and encourages me getting bullies and that one of them also told me I deserved being bullied for having a horrible German accent and supposedly being too lazy and too ignorant to get rid of it). So yes, yes, yes, what I have textually speaking encountered in Waltraut and in particular regarding the ethnic bullying by nasty schoolmates and seriously bigoted so-called teachers Waltraut experiences (and so much so that she actually sometimes ends up hiding in the supply closets at school), this emotionally bothers me, this has been painful, but that I hugely do appreciate and love Waltraut as a story and that Gabriele Goldstone does not shy away from showing the totally unfair bigotry Waltraut experiences regarding her German background and her emotional suffering.
And yes, I do find it quite uplifting that by the end of Waltraut and after the family has moved to a new house, in a new neighbourhood (and equally with a new school for Waltraut and her younger brother Sonny), Waltraut finally does accept her nicely encouraging English teacher's, that she accepts Mr. Sheldon's advice that she should no longer be using the artificial and Anglophone name of Nancy (after Nancy Drew) chosen at church camp and that her given name of Waltraut is both her own and is also lovely in and of itself (no matter what others might say, no matter if classmates make fun of and deride her German name and that certain teachers might consider it not "Canadian" enough). Furthermore, not to mention that I do find it totally refreshing and hugely delightful how Gabriele Goldstone in her Acknowledgments section mentions that Waltraut was written and takes place in Winnipeg and that the city is located (and I am quoting from those same Acknowledgments here) in Treaty I Territory, the home and ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree) and the Dakota Peoples, and in the National Homeland of the Red River Métis (and that Goldstone also mentions in the Acknowledgments for Waltraut that all of us Canadians and permanent residents to Canada who are not First Nations and not Inuit are indeed and always have been immigrants on First Nations and Inuit lands, yes, this makes me hugely smile with major and all-encompassing appreciation).
But indeed, much of Waltraut is also a story that hits too realistically and thus also uncomfortably close to home for me (as a German Canadian, as a post WWII immigrant from Germany) to be in any way comfortable reading, although I am also at the same time really and hugely glad, glad, glad regarding this and that Gabriele Goldstone's story for WaltrautWaltraut shows and demonstrates how some of the main villains regarding the bullying are in fact Waltraut's teachers, this is indeed a huge bonus for me as some of my teachers both enabled and encourages me getting bullies and that one of them also told me I deserved being bullied for having a horrible German accent and supposedly being too lazy and too ignorant to get rid of it). So yes, yes, yes, what I have textually speaking encountered in Waltraut and in particular regarding the ethnic bullying by nasty schoolmates and seriously bigoted so-called teachers Waltraut experiences (and so much so that she actually sometimes ends up hiding in the supply closets at school), this emotionally bothers me, this has been painful, but that I hugely do appreciate and love Waltraut as a story and that Gabriele Goldstone does not shy away from showing the totally unfair bigotry Waltraut experiences regarding her German background and her emotional suffering.
May 25, 2025
After publishing two brilliant young adult novels loosely based on her mother's traumatic experiences in East Prussia and the Soviet Union ("Tainted Amber" and "Crow Stone"), Gabriele Goldstone is back with a middle-grade book set in Canada. "Waltraut" is a captivating story about an inquisitive ten-year-old daughter of immigrants who desperately wants to belong somewhere but is constantly positioned as the Other. Readers familiar with Goldstone's other books will for sure appreciate the mentions of themes introduced in the "Red Stone" series, while fans of Nancy Drew will find "Waltraut"'s intertextual elements especially appealing.
June 23, 2024
Goldstone's best book yet.
October 18, 2024
Thoroughly loved getting to journey with Waltraut as she faced her struggles and questions of where she fit in with her school, family and church community. I love to read historical fiction and find this time period in Canadian history so interesting. The relationship Wali has with her father warmed my heart. The author captured the characters and settings in a way that the reader could not help but be invested in the story.
November 20, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 - A middle-grade book that tells the story of a Canadian girl growing up in the shadows of WWII in 1960s Winnipeg, navigating two cultures while struggling to find herself.
I was immediately captivated by the premise of this book. Waltraut may attend German school on the weekend, but she was born in Canada and is a Canadian citizen. At school she is frequently bullied for being German and is self-conscious about the food her mom packs in her lunch and her parents’ heavy accents. Her mom was a particularly interesting character. The subtle way her upbringing was woven into the story was well done and it was evident the many hardships she faced when she was her daughter’s age, often causing tension in their relationship.
When Waltraut and her family move to a new neighbourhood, she decides to go by the name Nancy in hopes for a more Canadian-sounding name. The way her father patiently entertained this idea and helped her navigate her feelings was super heartwarming.
I would’ve liked (and was expecting) more time spent with Waltraut as “Nancy.” Things wrapped up a bit too quickly in that regard as I think there was opportunity for some more interesting, thought-provoking scenarios!
Overall, this book would be a fantastic addition to all Canadian schools as it offers so much discussion for young readers.
Thank you @heritagehousepublishing for my gifted copy 🤍
I was immediately captivated by the premise of this book. Waltraut may attend German school on the weekend, but she was born in Canada and is a Canadian citizen. At school she is frequently bullied for being German and is self-conscious about the food her mom packs in her lunch and her parents’ heavy accents. Her mom was a particularly interesting character. The subtle way her upbringing was woven into the story was well done and it was evident the many hardships she faced when she was her daughter’s age, often causing tension in their relationship.
When Waltraut and her family move to a new neighbourhood, she decides to go by the name Nancy in hopes for a more Canadian-sounding name. The way her father patiently entertained this idea and helped her navigate her feelings was super heartwarming.
I would’ve liked (and was expecting) more time spent with Waltraut as “Nancy.” Things wrapped up a bit too quickly in that regard as I think there was opportunity for some more interesting, thought-provoking scenarios!
Overall, this book would be a fantastic addition to all Canadian schools as it offers so much discussion for young readers.
Thank you @heritagehousepublishing for my gifted copy 🤍
January 10, 2025
It is the 1960s and though 10-year-old Waltraut was born in Canada, her parents are immigrants from Germany and with WWII barely in the rear view mirror, Waltraut's classmates see her as a 'Kraut', someone not to be associated with. (Her name doesn't help.) Her only friends are at the German School she attends on Saturdays. Waltraut's other escape are her books, particularly her collection of Nancy Drew mysteries, and she imagines how much better her life would be if she could just change her name to Nancy, move to a new school, leave the old prejudices behind, and start over.
But, of course, life is never that easy, which Waltraut quickly discovers.
What I loved most about this novel was travelling back to my own childhood. Though not from an immigrant family, I did grow up in the 60s, and Gabriele Goldstone's depiction of those times took me right back. Some of the memories are laughable; others not so much, but they are all part and parcel of the era, and Goldstone lays it out perfectly.
My mother used to say kids' problems are just as big to them as grown-ups' problems are to adults. She was right. Nothing earth-shattering happens in this novel; it is just a young girl navigating the mysteries and roadblocks of life, but Waltraut's efforts to make sense of it all are so sincere, the reader can't help but feel the weight of her struggles.
But, of course, life is never that easy, which Waltraut quickly discovers.
What I loved most about this novel was travelling back to my own childhood. Though not from an immigrant family, I did grow up in the 60s, and Gabriele Goldstone's depiction of those times took me right back. Some of the memories are laughable; others not so much, but they are all part and parcel of the era, and Goldstone lays it out perfectly.
My mother used to say kids' problems are just as big to them as grown-ups' problems are to adults. She was right. Nothing earth-shattering happens in this novel; it is just a young girl navigating the mysteries and roadblocks of life, but Waltraut's efforts to make sense of it all are so sincere, the reader can't help but feel the weight of her struggles.
November 7, 2024
Trying to fit in, to belong and finding out who she really is, is Waltraut’s quest. The daughter of German immigrants in post-war Winnipeg, 11-year-old Waltraut faces bullying and prejudice. She navigates these challenges with curiosity and her determination to solve every obstacle that comes her way, with Nancy Drew’s detective skills.
Gabriele Goldstone has written a powerful story with honesty and compassion, rich with historical detail. All readers, but especially immigrant and refugee children will be able to identify and be inspired by this uplifting story.
Martha Attema, author of 'Awesome Wildlife Defenders' and 'when the dikes breached'
Gabriele Goldstone has written a powerful story with honesty and compassion, rich with historical detail. All readers, but especially immigrant and refugee children will be able to identify and be inspired by this uplifting story.
Martha Attema, author of 'Awesome Wildlife Defenders' and 'when the dikes breached'
October 21, 2024
Interesting. The adult male characters, except Papi, are a bit ominous.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews