Katarina

Astonishing for its uncanny grace and dexterity in handling harrowing subject matter, Winter's semi-autobiographical debut novel describes the ordeals of a Jewish girl in WWII Slovakia. When the state police begin singling out the Jews in 1942, seven-year-old Katar na, an orphan, is especially unsettled because her guardian, Aunt Lena, has raised her without religion. Lena protects them from roundups through various ruses and strategic decisions; Katar na also relies on the saints the new maid has secretly taught her about. Then one of Lena's schemes misfires and Katar na, hidden among superstitious and fearful peasants in a remote hamlet, is turned out of her shelter and forced to make her own way. A sophisticated structure purposefully incorporates flashbacks and occasional shifts in narration, all of which underscore Katar na's vulnerability. At the same time Katar na herself is an unusually strong character, and Winter evokes her reactions with a robust verisimilitude that will directly engage the target audience. Whether recreating Lena's progressive household, a forest ritual prescribed by a witch, or Katar na's thoughts as she spends months alone in hiding, the prose reverberates with authenticity. First-rate fiction, it marks the author as someone to watch. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)