Annika Thor was born in 1950, and grew up in a Jewish home in Göteborg. She has been a librarian and an arts director, as well as a freelance writer in film, media and children’s culture. Annika also writes drama and film manuscripts, often for children and young people. Since her debut Annika Thor has become one of the most successful authors of books for children and young adults, winning many awards both in Sweden and abroad. Annika Thor’s first book, An Island in the Sea (En ö i havet) was published in 1996. The story is set in the 1940s, and is about two Jewish refugee sisters who come from Vienna, Austria, to live on an island in the Göteborg archipelago. It met with great critical acclaim, and was nominated for the prestigious "August" prize. The book was followed by: Lily Pond (Näckrosdammen,1997), Sea Deep (Havets djup, 1998), and the concluding volume, Open Seas (Öppet hav, 1999). The entire tetralogy has been widely appreciated by both critics and readers alike in many countries.