Vaino, A Boy of New Finland

by Julia Davis Adams, Lempi Ostman (Illustrator)

Newbery Medal Honor Title (1930)

Tales and legends from Finland form the background to this story of a modern Finnish boy who is a student during the Finnish Revolution of World War I that freed that country from oppressive Russian rule.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Juvenile

273 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1929

About the author

Julia Davis was born in Clarksburg, West Virginia to a prominent family. After her mother Julia McDonald Davis died from childbed fever, young Julia was raised mostly by her grandparents. Her father John W. Davis was a lawyer and partner in the New York-based firm Davis Polk. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain just after World War I and later ran for president. She attended Wellesley College for two years and then transferred to Barnard College, where she graduated in 1922. The following year, she married William McMillan Adams and began writing books for young people.

Adams made her publishing debut with The Swords of the Vikings in 1927. During her career, she produced more than 20 other books, primarily history and fiction, including the Shenandoah volume for the landmark Rivers of America series. She also wrote two volumes of memoirs, Legacy of Love (1961) and The Embassy Girls (1992), and two novels under the pseudonym F. Draco. Two of her children's novels - Vaino: A Boy of New Finland (1929) and Mountains Are Free (1930) - were chosen as Newbery Honor Books.

She worked for a year as a reporter for The Associated Press. After divorcing her first husband, she married again twice, and cared for stepchildren and other children who needed homes. She was an agent for the State Charities Aid Association in 1933-1938, and was active in charitable organizations in New York.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did you know that author Julia Davis Adams's father was John W. Davis, Democratic Party nominee for United States president in 1924? He lost handily to Calvin Coolidge, but the family clearly had a record of accomplishment even before Julia Davis Adams earned consecutive Newbery Honors in 1930 and '31. The first of those Honorees, Vaino, a Boy of New Finland, transports us to Northern Europe circa World War I, an era of unrest in Imperial Russia and its neighboring lands. Young Vaino Lundborg lives in icy Finland with his eighteen-year-old sister Anniki, twenty-year-old brother Sven, and their mother, Fru Lundborg. Russian soldiers ride through the area often, enforcing heavy-handed rules on the citizenry. Vladimir Lenin's Red Revolution offers little hope for relief; Vaino wishes to be active in the Finnish resistance like Sven and Anniki, but for now he's expected to stay with his mother, and regularly attend school. Fortunately, no one is better at telling the great tales of Finnish lore than Fru Lundborg, and she regales Vaino with them for long stretches of this book.

According to the mythos of Finland, the world began with Ilmatar, a goddess of the air who conceived a son named Vainomoinen (Vaino) in a most unusual manner. Ilmatar's white-bearded son wandered the earth for generations among the people. Possessed of an unparalleled affinity for music, Vaino engages in rivalry with numerous supernatural beings, but his chief enemy is Louhi, Mistress of Pouja. The crafty old hag's daughter is a legendary beauty, but Louhi refuses to give her in marriage to Vaino unless he performs feats of impossible strength and cunning. Ilmarinen, the immortal blacksmith, teams up with Vaino to outwit her, but Louhi is no easy adversary; for years they labor to win her daughter's hand in matrimony, but are foiled time and again. Vaino and Ilmarinen's struggle with Louhi shares common themes with Finland's history, and Fru Lundborg's retelling emphasizes the connection.

Anniki is safe at the University for now, where she met her beloved Scarelius, but Sven fights daily on Finland's behalf against Russia. Politics is dividing this region of the world into Reds and Whites, and Sven ardently opposes Red ideology. Vaino feels the same, but has limited opportunity as a contributor to the cause, helplessly watching Sven put himself in danger as his family worries. Finland's brave young men can't fend off Russia without help; more than once Vaino is pressured by soldiers to spill information regarding Sven and Anniki's anti-Red activities. Vaino is growing to an age when Fru Lundborg can no longer shield him from the revolution. National independence is never won in a day, but Finland is verging on a new era of freedom and significance on the world stage, and Vaino looks forward to playing a part in it.

There are sections of gorgeous writing in Vaino, a Boy of New Finland, but I can't say the book deserved a Newbery Honor. The narrative is superficial, unfocused, and I don't understand the link between the story of Vaino Lundborg and the mythological Vaino. 1930 was a year of wonderful Newbery candidates— Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, The Jumping-Off Place by Marian Hurd McNeely, Pran of Albania by Elizabeth Cleveland Miller—but Vaino, a Boy of New Finland doesn't seem to belong. The illustrations are a nice touch, done by Lempi Ostman, an artist of Finnish extraction. I'll round my one-and-a-half-star rating up rather than down, but this is a below-average Newbery book. Its main attraction is as a historical curiosity.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1930 - along with five others, including: A Daughter Of the Seine: The Life Of Madame Roland , Pran Of Albania , The Jumping-Off Place , The Tangle-Coated Horse and Other Tales: Episodes from the Fionn Saga , and Little Blacknose: The Story of a Pioneer - Julia Davis Adams' Vaino: A Boy of New Finland is really the story of two Vainos. Opening in October, 1916, it follows the adventures of a young boy named Vaino Lundborg, who witnesses, and is peripherally involved in Finland's struggle for independence from Russia. Through storytelling episodes in each chapter, in which Vaino's mother, Fru Lundborg, relates tales from Finland's national folk epic, The Kalevala , it also sets out the story of the original Vaino (for whom Vaino Lundborg was named): the mythological Väinämöinen.

I enjoyed reading about both Vainos, and was particularly struck by the happily serendipitous timing of my reading encounter, as I am also currently engaged in a book-club discussion of The Kalevala itself. Some of the mythological tales - the suicide of Aino, for instance - were heartbreaking, and others - such as the tale of Ahti's mother, and all she was willing to do, to save him - deeply satisfying, but all were fascinating. The historical narrative, with Vaino's two older siblings - older brother Sven, and older sister Anniki - off fighting (or working) for the independence movement, and Vaino himself caught up in the civilian life during a tumultuous period, was engrossing. Vaino (the boy) felt like a real person, with his irritation at Anniki's romantic feelings for Scarelius, and his determination to be worthy of his mother's trust.

Despite my considerable enjoyment, I did wonder how well the two narratives held together, and whether - as a younger reader - I might not have been irritated by the mythological interludes, and wanting to get back to the historical adventure, and see how it turned out. Leaving that aside, Vaino: A Boy of New Finland is an engaging book, one that deserves to be better known, and one that I would recommend to young readers interested in Finnish history and folklore, as well as to Newbery completists like myself.

Note: since originally writing this review, I have learned from a Finnish commenter that Adams' book may not accurately reflect the complicated history of Finland at this period. It also apparently blends Finnish and Swedish names in ways that might not have been realistic, for the period.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like obscure mythology, and the history was well told if one sided.

[Becky · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was interesting learning about Finland 🇫🇮, and hearing the fables...and I liked the pictures.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the historical fiction aspect of this book; Finland was one of the first countries to realize the problem of being stuck between Germany and Russia in World War II, and this bright it to light in an interesting way as it was written in 1929. I did not enjoy the legend that was woven through; I appreciate what the author wanted to do, but I think those parts could have been shorter and more interesting.

[Elisa Clawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was quite fascinating to me for a couple of reasons. One, I knew nothing about Finland…this novel gives a pretty detailed, almost contemporary, account of what was happening in Finland during the Russian revolution and I learned so much. Two, I loved the stories, told by the mother, of Finnish folk tales and mythology. All in all a great book worthy of of a Newbery Medal Honor for 1930

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know relatively little about Finland, and much of what I know I learned from the fictional 1632 universe by Eric Flint - his Swedish army has Finnish cavalry. Here's another book that I might have enjoyed as a child. It's a mix of Finnish myth and Finnish history. The protagonist Vaino was named for a Finnish god and the myths (told/sung by the boy's mother were from the Kalvala I presume) were interwoven between various events. Finland's history is one of repeated invasions and most get a mention. The novel kicks off with young Vaino (12-15 yrs old?) walking home and being driven off the road by a mounted Russian officer. It's 1917 and Finland is occupied by Russia. Vaino's family is involved with the Resistance which is hoping for help from Germany. 1917 turns out to be a bad year for Russia and supporters of the czar. Some Finns join with the new Russian Reds but others continue the Resistance. Throughout the book, Vaino is more often a bystander than a participant and his story is told rather than experienced. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and for my Newbery Challenge; this was an Honor book in 1930.

ETA: I did a little bit of online research. The Grand Duchy of Finland was part of Russia from 1809 to the end of 1917. And the boy Vaino was named for the god Väinämöinen; Vaino is the short form. It's derived from "vaina" which means "wide and slow-moving river".

[Desiree']

1930 Newbery honor book

[Amber Scaife · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a boy living in wartime Finland.
The best bits of this one are the stories within, which the mother tells, based on Finnish folklore.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vaino lives with his mother, his older brother, Sven, and his older sister, Anniki, who talk about freedom for Finland. His mother tells him folk tales about a man also named Vaino. The government in Russia gets overthrown, but things get even worse for Finland, and everyone divides into two sides, the Reds and the Whites. Vaino's mother tells a story of a boy who gives up his sister where Vaino's singing is killing him, but she dies. Jouka shoots Vaino's horse, and an eagle carries Vaino to Pohja. He escapes and sends his friend, Ilmarinen, there.

Sven takes Vaino to fight the Reds with him one night. His mother tells him a story of a Ahti, who goes to Pahja and winds up dying, but his mother brings him back to life.

Anniki gets married, and Sven and his friends make it to Esthonia. Vaino and his mother have to go into hiding, and his mother tells him a story of how Ilmarinen makes a golden bride. Vaino and his mother get attacked, but the Germans save them, and his brother and sister come back.

I enjoyed reading the historical fiction part of this book as I don't remember reading much about the history of Finland before. I liked the characters of the family. The folk tales were interesting, but I wasn't quite sure what the point of them was.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really two completely different stories, in my opinion.

The first story is that of a small family during the Finnish Civil War, in which the Russians (who had owned Finland until the death of Czar Nicholas) tried to enforce communism, and many of the Finns tried to fight for Freedom. Ironically, it was the Germans who helped win freedom for the Finns. Anyway, we read about this little historical fiction, and it is interesting. 3, maybe 3.5 stars.

However, the other is the telling of old Finnish legends. And, like many other legends, are quite stupid. Exaggeration leads quickly to absurdity, and there is enough jumble to not even know what's going on. So that part gets 2 stars.

Anyway, I'm feeling generous today to give this the full 3 stars, because it probably deserves fewer.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better early Newbery Honor books. Vaino's story takes place during Finland's struggles for independence. His story is accompanied by his mother's tellings of legends that can be found in the Kalevala. The legends are well told, but take up most of the book, so we don't really get terribly invested in Vaino's story. However, I think the introduction to both might have piqued readers' interest, leading them to learn more about Finland in 1917 (and thereabouts) and the Kalevala legends.

[Andrew Dittmar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite of mine. Admittedly, I've reached a point where I no longer particularly remember all of the details, which is unfortunate. Also unfortunate is the scarcity of copies to be found.

However, I do give it 5 stars, mostly based on childhood nostalgia. I hope to be able to edit in a more well-thought review in the near future!

[Monica Fastenau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/newbery-r...

An intertwining of the historical events of Finland during World War One and ancient Finnish folk tales.