Lydia, a 10-year-old girl living in Romania before WWII, escapes into fantasy to help her cope with the trying aspects of her life: her parent’s divorce, the growing hostility toward Romania’s Jewish population, and her traumatic relocation –without her mother – to a kibbutz in Palestine.

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Batchelder Award, American Library Association, 1993

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New York Times Notable Book of the Year, 1993

Rights Sold to:

China, Bridging Culture; Denmark, Forum/Gyldendal (audio); Germany, Elefanten/Maier; Holland, De Fontein; Israel, Keter; Italy, Salani; Portugal, Ambar; Spain, Noguer; USA, Houghton Mifflin/Puffin Books

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Reviews:

“Audacity, thy name is Lydia...In Lydia, Orlev has created a real hero, one that wins our admiration but never our pity. Children will love her, will cheer her on in her battles and be uplifted by her triumphs.” – The New York Times Book Review

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“A forceful and uncannily moving novel...the author’s judicious invocation of historical events and his energetic emphasis on the characters’ personal dramas build to a riveting story in which every element seems freshly lived.” – Publishers Weekly

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“For every angry child who ever resisted the horrible fate of being good, Lydia is an inspiration, a role model, and most of all, a friend.” – Booklist