Waiting for the Storks

by Katrina Nannestad

The powerful new novel from master storyteller Katrina Nannestad.


I don't want to remember the truck, or the night I was taken, or the family I left behind. I am not a sad Polish girl. I am a good and happy German girl.

I am. I am. I am.

It's the Second World War and Himmler's Lebensborn Program is in full flight when eight-year-old Zofia Ulinski is kidnapped by the Germans. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, just like the other Polish children taken from their families and robbed of their names, their language, their heritage.

But when Zofia is adopted into a wealthy and loving German family, it is easier, it is safer to bury her past, deep down, so everything is forgotten. Until the Polish boy arrives.

And the past comes back to haunt her.

From Katrina Nannestad, multi-award-winning author of We Are Wolves and Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief, comes a story about family lost and found, and the choices we make when we don't have a choice at all.

AWARDS

Notable - CBCA Younger Reader's Book 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Middle Grade, Historical, Family, Friendship, World War II

352 pages, Hardcover

Published November 3, 2022

About the author

Katrina Nannestad is an award-winning Australian author. Her books include The Girl Who Brought Mischief, the Girl, the Dog and the Writer series, the Olive of Groves series, the Red Dirt Diaries series, the Lottie Perkins series and Bungaloo Creek.

Katrina grew up in country New South Wales in a neighborhood stuffed full of happy children. Her adult years have been spent teaching, raising boys, perfecting her recipe for chocolate-chip bickies and pursuing her love of stories. She now lives near Bendigo with her family and an exuberant black whippet called Olive.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight year old Zofia Ulinski of Krakow, lived with her mother, father and Aunt Barbara when the Germans took over Poland. The day the Nazis kidnapped Zofia - blond hair, blue eyes - and many other Polish children, taking them to Germany to be indoctrinated into German society, was a day of horror and devastation. Zofia was eventually renamed Sophia Engels, "adopted" by a childless German couple who owned a farm. Sophia had few memories of her past, so going to the German school, making friends with other school children, made her happy. But when she met a Polish boy, who was slaving at the farm of her friend Gudrun, her confusion was intense as gradually memories returned...

Waiting for the Storks by Aussie author Katrina Nannestad is an exceptional read, based on the Lebensborn Program which was established in 1935 by SS commander Heinrich Himmler. Kidnapping (stealing) children from Eastern Europe, those children were put through assessments to determine whether they were racially valuable or undesirable. Horrific! Ms Nannestad tells the fictional story of Zofia with compassion and care. A wonderful read which I recommend highly.

With thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this heartbreaking novel. I've read 2 out of the 3 historical war novels written by Nannestad, and can see why she has become such a force in Australian children's publishing over the last few years.

With Storks, I could see where it was going fairly early on, but had no idea how it would pan out over the whole arc of the story. I was not familiar with the concept of the Lebensborn Program and I think Nannestad did an excellent job of showing how different children might have been affected by such a program, depending on their age and the mental and physical choices that they made. The trauma suffered by these stolen children is incalculable, and occurs many times over at each step of their journey, even if they made it home again. This of course then made me reflect on our own Stolen Generation here in Australia and the way we see that intergenerational trauma still being played out.

Some aspects of the story seem unbelievable, except for the fact that it is based on true history and research.

I think this will prove to be very popular in my library, particularly with Year 5-6 girls, although it is suited for any gender and many ages.

[Margot Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling adventure as you walk yourself into another life of world war 2, a young girl named Zofia ulinski in her array of mysterious, frightening and hopeful events throughout the Great War!

[Liz Derouet · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read, not a word wasted, I was with Zofia/Sophia every step of her harrowing experience.

[Trisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of trauma but also of hope.

Ultimately heart-warming.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A character who changed by the end of Waiting for the Storks by Katrina Nannestad was Zofia, because in the book she was taken by the Nazis, who stripped her Polish identity away and gave her a new identity as a good German girl. She struggles to remember her Polish roots, but by the end of the story, she reclaims her true self by refusing to accept the German culture she was being forced into and reconnecting with her past. A quote from the book is, They erased my name, but not my soul. The quote explains that even after all Zofia went through, her soul is still intact and Polish. An idiom that reflects this is, "you can't change the stripes on a tiger,” which suggests that no matter how much you try to alter someone’s exterior or identity, their true nature remains, which proves that some things can never be truly changed.
In the book, which further develops the main idea, Zofia had forgotten all about her past until she met a Polish slave boy and rediscovered her Polish heritage. Without Tomasz, the Polish boy slave, she never would have remembered her past life or connection to Poland. It shows that reconnecting with the past often requires something to trigger it, in this case, her language. When Zofia first meets Tomasz, he talks to her in Polish, and unconsciously she replies in Polish.
“Polish!” he cries. “You're Polish!”
“No!” I gasp. “I’m German!”
I am Sopia Engles, a German girl. So why am I speaking Polish?
This was the turning point in the story, which showed that even though the Germans tried to sever Zofia’s ties with her Polish past, her Polish culture was only dormant, not destroyed, hiding in her subconscious. Language is more than communication; it is part of your identity, imprinted on your mind and soul forever.
This relates to our society because, like Zofia, indigenous people around the world have been violently colonised and forced to learn a new culture and language and to forget their past identities. But they were brave and resisted the unwelcome change to their lives. In the second quote, Zofia’s Polish reply was instinctive, and her tongue remembered Polish before her mind did. This connects to Indigenous communities, whose muscles retain dance rhythms even after decades of suppression, demonstrating that despite being displaced from their homeland, subtle cues can awaken buried memories. The writer's purpose was to explain that identity is strong, resilient and everlasting, and it is who you are at your core. So no matter how much people try to erase your identity, they will never truly succeed.

[Farrells Bookshop · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in this genre of WWII middle grade fiction, Katrina once again tells a gently compelling story which pulls at your heartstrings. I really enjoyed the perspective of this story, told from the point of view of a young Polish girl who is removed from her family at a very young age, and was Germanised and adopted by a German family. Often with WWII stories we read about the atrocities of being moved to places like Auschwitz, so I found it interesting to read about the free and spoilt lifestyle of the adopted Aryan children. In her true style though, the gentleness is crushed by the horror of war and its effects on everyone. I liked the way she weaves the irony of the German people being outraged by invasion and I like her way of using fairytales to describe what is happening to all of the innocent children involved. Brilliant and wonderful, Katrina is an outstanding Australian middle grade author and I look forward to seeing what direction her writing will take from here.

Read by Suzie

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful but heartbreaking. Set during WWII. I hadn’t heard about the Lebensborn program where Polish children who fit the Aryan profile, blonde hair and blue eyes, were forcibly taken from their families and raised as “good” German children.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gorgeous historical fiction story from Katrina Nannestad. Beautiful characters and messages of hope, community and compassion.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because I know my daughter has read quite a few by this author and I thought I was pre reading it before gifting it to her. But she had already read it!
A beautiful and at times funny story of a Polish girl who is taken from her family during WWII. She shows great strength of character and heart as she makes friends in the places that she goes. It tells of

[Olivia Angel-Keys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic novel and while fictional based on true events from World War II. Heart breaking, heart warming, and many a tears. Would struggle to read this to my class without crying but another great book for mature upper primary/middle schoolers.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for lower high school or upper primary. My son enjoyed too.

[Jiyah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly heartbreaking story that ended in such a heartwarming way.

[Annaleise Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a powerful and memorable read. At the age of eight, Polish main character Zofia is kidnapped and taken to WWII-era Germany as part of the horrific Lebensborn program designed to produce "racially valuable" children. In time, she is adopted by a loving German couple and forgets her past life. Without ever being didactic, this story contains thought-provoking messages about love and fear, the power of propaganda, and the complexity of human beings. Recommended for confident readers aged 10+ who can handle some tough subject matter.

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliantly told... Even if the ending felt a little forced... Loved it :)

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

bruhhhh this book was sooo good. i love how it was based of a true story and just everything that happened had me on my toes. one of my favourite books

[Mayim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will definitely go in the top 10 books i've ever read! (And i've read a lot of books).

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zofia used to love playing a funny game with her Mama, Tata and Aunt Barbara. It was called Make a Choice. When at home and happy with them it was silly choices like being eaten by a bear or sat on by a circus elephant. Now Zofia is far from home after German SS soldiers pounded on their front door until her father let them in.

They weren't there for her Polish Resistance parents or her kind Aunt. They were there for Zofia herself. Her bright blue eyes and blond hair had marked her out as a possible subject for the Lebensborn Program - an experiment by the Nazis.

Thrown onto the back of a truck where many other children huddle in fear, Zofia is taken to an orphanage. She is frightened, missing her parents and realising for the first time, every child around her also has blond hair and blue eyes. They are fed and clothed and Zofia enjoys the change from her poverty stricken home, but her family game stays strong in her mind.

Speak Polish, or German to please her kidnappers?

Have new clothes and real leather boots, or be home cold and hungry with her parents?

Be naked, or be slapped and still forced to be naked for the many tests they perform on every child in the orphanage?

Her choices are now what determines life as a German girl or being sent away to be never seen again.




Inspired by true events, Waiting for the Storks is another window opened by Katrina Nannestad into stories of war we might not of heard before.

Thousands of Polish children were stolen by German soldiers and indoctrinated into German lives. Not all were adopted into German families for their blond hair and blue eyes. If they didn't fit a strict measurement system, they were then sent to camps or into slavery.

The contrast between Zofia's life with her struggling but very loving Polish family home into a wealthy German one is well written and gradual, just as the real indoctrination would have been. It is not gentle by any means however, showing readers how fear helped the moulding process of these small Polish children into believing they were German.

Zofia is a likeable character, as a poor but happy Polish girl then a treasured German child. Her confusion is real on the page as she begins to remember things from her past. I loved the way storks are woven throughout the story, not only connecting to the title but bringing the story around on itself, back to these beloved birds.

In the rear of the book is more information about the Nazi's Lebensborn Program and then the Allies efforts to return Polish children to their families after the end of WWII.

[Vicki Antipodean Bookclub · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I don't want to remember the truck, or the night I was taken, or the family I left behind. I am not a sad Polish girl. I am a good and happy German girl”
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.
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Waiting for the Storks is a book that makes you realise what incredible skill it takes to write well for children. @katrina_nannestad has taken a really difficult and, frankly, distressing topic and made it entirely approachable for Middlegrade readers


The book opens in 1941 in Krakow, Poland. Eight-year-old Zofia Ulinski is noticed by a group of German soldiers for her blonde hair and blue eyes. Shortly after, she’s kidnapped from her home and taken with many other stolen children to go through a series of assessments as part of Himmler’s Lebensborn Program. Designed to pick out children ‘worthy’ of joining the new age of the Reich, Zofia is one of the few from her group who are chosen to join a family in Germany. Along with a new family, Sophia is given a new name, background, is forced to speak a new language and to forget anything about her home and her country


It sounds horrific, and it is, but seen through Zofia’s eight-year-old eyes somehow that horror is one step removed as she finds friendship and laughter even in the darkest of times and the most unlikely of places. Rather like Boyne’s recent All The Broken Pieces, what’s done so well is the complexity of emotion. Zofia loves both her German and her Polish mothers and feels a sense of guilt about the choices she had to make to survive that in fact weren’t choices at all. Simply brilliant and illustrated beautifully throughout by @martina_illustrates
With thanks to the publisher for my #gifted copy

[Kym Daglish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another beautifully written young adult historical novel by Katrina Nannestad. This one is set in both Poland and Germany during World War II. The story is told through the eyes of eight year old Zophia, a beautiful blue-eyed, blonde haired Polish girl.
Zophia is stolen from her loving family, thrown in the back of a truck and whisked away in the middle of the night. There are many other children and babies in the truck with her. They are all cold, hungry and afraid.
They are all taken to an facility where they are subjected to many medical tests and observations. Hitler is looking for children that can be thought of as German. They must be blue eyed, blonde haired, fair skinned and intelligent. Zophia fits the bill perfectly.
She is adopted by the head doctor at the facility she was initially taken to. She’s told over and over again at the facility that she is a German girl. Her father was a soldier who died in the war and her mother died also. She’s told she is an orphan and after hearing it so often, she comes up believe it.
Zophia is taken to Bavaria where she attends school and lives quite a good life with the doctor and his wife. She is happy and almost forgets she was once a little Polish girl. That is, until she meets up with Tomasz, a Polish slave boy, who she converses with in Polish, almost immediately. She is very surprised by this and some memories come flooding back..

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving and compelling insight into Germanisation under Hitler's rule told through the eyes of Zophia Ulinski, an 8 year old Polish girl, blond, blue-eyed and fair skinned, kidnapped from home and transported to Germany where here Polish identity was scrubbed and through brainwashing, cruelty, and re-education she is shaped into a perfect Aryan girl and adopted by the head of the program to become his and his wife's perfect German princess.

Nannestad's writing draws you in so that you come to fully appreciate Zophia, aka Sophie, and how and why she is successfully indoctrinated as she makes the choices that will keep her alive and safe. There is some confronting content in regard to how the kidnapped children were treated and the mental and physical abuse that they suffered. Older primary students, with some knowledge of this period of history and with the support of an adult should manage this book, but I feel that younger readers may be upset at some parts. Parental knowledge and insight is needed when selecting this book is recommended. Black and white illustrations at the start of each chapter, and the use of choices based on a game played with her mother and that Zofia played to help her cope with choosing between bad and terrible decisions to shape her future.
A brief section at the end presents information on the program.
2021 CBCA Notable in the Younger Readers category.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Waiting for the Storks is the third novel I have read by this author and I have enjoyed every one of them. While I think Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief is Nannestad's best, this was still a fascinating read.

I knew little about the children who were kidnapped throughout Europe by the Nazis because of their Aryan looks. These children were Germanised, their pasts obliterated and were adopted by German families. This is what happens to Zofia/Sophia. Taken from her Polish parents at age eight, after many years in a facility where she is indoctrinated by German propaganda, she is adopted by rich, loving German parents where food, warmth and material wealth are plentiful. Sophia loves her parents and has forgotten her past until she meets a Polish farm slave and suddenly her life is turned upside down.

Most novels that are set during WWII focus on the atrocities of the Nazis but Waiting for the Storks gave a different perspective. It was heartbreaking to watch how Zofia's past was stolen from her but the novel was beautifully written making the story very accessible to younger readers. The accompanying illustrations gave added charm to the story. Another impressive book by Australian author, Katrina Nannestad.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a fantastic read, aimed at 8 plus it takes a slice of history and makes it accessible for tweens and older. The third story set during WWII, this follows the plight of a young Polish girl, taken by the German army because of her blonde hair and blue eyes. Zofia, along with similar looking children are taken to a camp where they are taught German and indoctrinated with German propaganda. Zofia already knows German and is a bright and engaging child. The Dr in charge of many thousands of children who have been taken, selects Zofia to be his child and takes her home to Bavaria to a wife who has been unable to have children. Zofia becomes Sophia and soon settles in to this life of luxury with doting parents and a warm home and enough food for all. Her previous life has been forgotten, but as things have a habit of doing a chance encounter changes Sophia’s life and with the allies advancing into Germany, her whole world is about to be turned upside down.
It’s a heartwarming read, with cold hard truths through out but not overly dwelled on for younger readers. Coupled with the beautiful black and white illustrations, I cannot recommend it enough.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katrina Nannestad keeps writing these amazing stories about children living through WWII in Europe based on real events, and this is no exception.
Zofia is stolen from her family in Poland and sent to an orphanage in Germany to be brainwashed into being a good German girl, since she has blonde hair and blue eyes. But she’s lucky. The rich doctor and his wife adopt her, and she has a good life in Germany, and forgets her past. Until years later when a Polish slave boy begins working at her friend’s house, and she realises she understands everything he says.
Zofia was such a sweet character, and I loved how she differed from others in similar stories. Because she didn’t try and hold onto who she was with everything she had, she adapted and survived and learned to be happy in whatever circumstance she found herself. There were so many complex emotions and thoughts going on, and it was such a heartbreaking juxtaposition for her.
For such a realistically depressing topic, the ending is such a happy one too.

[Suzie B · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third in this genre of WWII middle grade fiction, Katrina once again tells a gently compelling story which pulls at your heartstrings. I really enjoyed the perspective of this story, told from the point of view of a young Polish girl who is removed from her family at a very young age, and was Germanised and adopted by a German family. Often with WWII stories we read about the atrocities of being moved to places like Auschwitz, so I found it interesting to read about the free and spoilt lifestyle of the adopted Aryan children. In her true style though, the gentleness is crushed by the horror of war and its effects on everyone. I liked the way she weaves the irony of the German people being outraged by invasion and I like her way of using fairytales to describe what is happening to all of the innocent children involved.
Brilliant, and wonderful, Katrina is an outstanding Australian middle grade author and I look forward to seeing what direction her writing will take from here.

[Jessica Pickett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic book that takes such a dark time, and makes it accessible and understandable to a younger group of readers. The horrors are there, when you know the history and read between the lines, but they have been softened by 8 year old Zofia/Sofia’s voice. She is strong and sweet, energetic and endearing. Her inner struggles and her adaptive resilience make you want to scoop her up into a hug and take care of her, she is so wonderfully written.
And I’ll definitely be adopting the game of choices!

I couldn’t help but shed a little tear or two while reading - thinking of the pain of all the mothers throughout history who have had their children stolen, and all who have lost their children to the senseless cruelty of war.

This might be a quick and easy read aimed at a younger readership, but it brings history to life and made me hold my own daughter that little bit longer at bedtime.

Beautiful, innocent, both heart-rending and heart-warming.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s just something about historical WW2 fiction that means I can’t put it down! Whether it’s because my grandparents were growing up in England during the war or it’s just so well written, there’s always something about YA and MG WW2 fiction that I’m drawn too.

Waiting for the Storks was compiled so beautifully, from the artwork inside the book, to the amazing writing. It was just beautiful! Nannestad told a different story to those usually told, portraying the love, warmth and importance of family through the young, Polish Zofia Ulinski, the struggles, trials and tribulations of Germanisation, the hope, happiness and secrets of German Sophia Engels and the heartwarming return of Zofia Ulinski.

It was a lovely story, that was easy to read and kept me wanting more the whole way through. As soon as I finished it, I picked up Rabbit, Soldier, Angel, Thief right away! Definitely recommend!!

[Helen O'Toole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant junior historical novel by this amazing author. I guess I am personally involved in Zofia’s story as my own granddaughters have Polish surnames & heritage so her story tears at my heartstrings. The Lebensborn program initiated by the Nazis saw hundreds of thousands of children stolen from Eastern Europe and placed in German homes. These children were as young as 6 months or if older, they were forced to forget their Polish language & accept a new identity. Zofia becomes Sofia and reluctantly accepts that to survive, she must wholly adopt the pretence. Such a heartbreaking story and the author does not shy away from the grim realities that faced stolen children who did not acquiesce as readily. They were either sent to concentration camps & death or worked as slave labourers. I will be keeping all of Katrina Nannestad’s novels so my granddaughters can read them one day. We must never forget the evils of the Nazi regime.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in World War II, Zofia is an 8 year old girl living in occupied Poland. She is kidnapped by the Nazis, as she has the preferred Aryan looks of blue eyes, fair skin and blonde hair. She is sent to a harsh school to become German; losing her family, her language, her culture.
Zofia’s name and date of birth are changed, and she is unlawfully adopted by a German couple.

I knew about the Lebensborn programme to produce more Aryan German children, and to create the master race. However, I did not know that ‘suitable’ children from other countries were cruelly taken and indoctrinated to become German, leaving everything they know behind.

The notes at the end of the story about the programme and its effects on the kidnapped children is very informative.

A great read to inform Year 7-9 on another aspect of World War II.

[Fiona Mummery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Wow! Wow! What an incredible, sadly believable, and brilliantly written story based on real events. I finished at 4am today because I simply had to find out what happened. I recommend reading up to and finishing Chapter 21, if you can. I didn't and couldn't sleep because of overwhelm. The rest of the story, most of it anyway, is truly wonderful. Mentioning any of the actual story or going into a discussion on the characters would be a spoiler. I would not read this book to anyone younger than upper high school unless they had a very strong understanding of WW2. I thought I had a good knowledge of WW2, but I had never heard of the basis for this story. I simply could not have imagined it. Katrina Nannestad has hit it out of the park with this one.