Ten obcy
That Stranger (Polish: Ten obcy) is a novel by the Polish author Irena Jurgielewiczowa, published in 1961. It is required reading for Year 6 students in Poland. That Stranger has been translated into 23 languages. The novel was placed on the Honour List at the 1964 Hans Christian Andersen Awards. The main characters of this novel also appear in another of Irena Jurgielewiczowa's novels, Inna? (Another?) (1975). Plot summary The book is about teen love problems and the challenges of growing up. The main characters are four friends: Ula, Pestka (Pip), Marian and Julek. The story takes place in Olszyna, a small village about 150 km from Warsaw. During the summer holiday, the teens spend a lot of time on an island created by spring floods. They create a hut and set poles in order to make access to the island easier. One day, a mysterious boy shows up on the island. The boy is injured, so the group of friends decide to take care of him. The boy says little at first, but eventually begins to reveal his secrets. Major characters Zenon Wójcik (called Zenek) is the main and title character of the book. After the death of his