Customer Reviews

All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown

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4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
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Although this is the 4th book of the series, it actually takes place between All-of-a-Kind Family and More All-of-a-Kind Family. This story is part of the continuing tale of a Jewish family living in New York's lower East Side in the early 1900's. Although they are poor, they are rich in their love of each other and their friends. Now there is a new baby in the house and talented Ella, mischevious Henny, studious Sarah, dreamy Charlotte, and little Gertie help Mama with the baby and find friends along the way. In this book, we meet Guido, a poor Italian boy who is trying to care for his sick mother and Miss Carey, a nurse who works at the Settlement House. Through the eyes of these characters, we understand what it must have been like growing up in the lower East Side before World War I. We learn about their sorrows and their joy over the little things in life. A highly recommended book.

I have read All-of-a-Kind Family. It's about five little girls. Their names are Ella, Henny, Sara, Charlotte, and Gertie. This book has so much detail it feels real. One time Sara lost her library bok . She was so upset when she had to tell the library lady about it. The library lady was so nice that she said she could take out more books, but she still had to pay for the book she lost. I thought I was Sara. At the end of the book, their mother has a baby. Its name is Charley. Everyone was expecting a girl, but it was a boy. Gertie used to be the baby and did not want to be a big sister. When she sees the baby she bounces up and down because of him. Everyone was happy, Now that's an all-of-a-kind family! I Like this book a lot. It has lots of adventures. Read one page and you can't stop.

If you and your child are already fans of this gentle series, "Downtown" is certainly worth reading and enjoying. The main plot, which involves an orphan Italian boy and requires a series of coincidences that strain belief, is not as realistic or strong as in the earlier novels, but the characters are still winning and the historical details, fascinating. We call "All-of-a-Kind Family" the equivalent of the "Little House" books for children whose ancestors went through Ellis Island, and like the "Little House" books, their appeal is timeless.

Sydney Taylor continues her autobiographical reminiscences about her own family in this charming sequel. The eldest of five girls, who range in age from 13 - 5, Ella oversees her younger blond sisters and helps Mama with the toddler, Charlie. Papa has his own junk shop while Mama remains amazingly calm despite childish logic, pranks, rebellion and near disaster. One pervasive storytelling element is the sad tale of Guido, a poor Italian boy in the neighborhood. The adult whom the girls most admire is Miss Carey, a modest, well-bred lady who dedicates her life to the destitute residents of Settlement House. Jewish traditions and holy days are described variously in these 13 chapters, providing gentle ecumenical education for Gentile readers. This book is a pleasant and amusing read for children of all ages.

This book is a great book about life in the 1920's of jewish family. My daughters all loved it and associated so with the characters. That it is a true story impressed them as well! Kudos!

I read this as a child and gave mine to my daughter to read when she was 8. Now my granddaughter is loving all of the books in this series - alas we lost mine along the way with moving but was able to find them in reprint thanks to Amazon.

This is a book I remember from my childhood. I loved it then--love it now. The book is in great condition, and the service was quick and easy.

This series, which follows the adventures of five young Jewish sisters in early 20th century New York, focuses here upon the girls' younger years, as well as the babyhood of little brother Charlie. Despite poverty and potentially dismal city living, the family's warmth, love and religious faith make every day an adventure.

With the exception of certain extending themes, such as the girls' new friend Guido, most chapters in this book may stand alone as vignettes told from various sisters' perspectives. Readers may tackle the book straight through, or select certain stories; this also makes the book an excellent choice for teachers and others reading aloud.

Chapters include:

1 - "Charlotte Catches the Stove" - On her morning to dress by the stove, Charlotte is intrigued by the glowing coals, deciding to pull a few out onto her dress with disatrous results.
2 - "One Stop After Another" - Stopping by Papa's junk shop, the sisters meet a mysterious Italian boy.
3 - "Christmas Stockings" - Seeing the beautiful doll her friend got for Christmas from a local charity, Henny schemes to get the same for her younger sisters.
4 - "Street Scene" - The girls encounter the mysterious Italian boy, Guido, as he's being accused of stealing from a street vendor.
5 - "Purim Jester" - Eldest sister Ella wants to play the queen in the annual Hebrew School pageant, but winds up the jester instead.
6 - "Business of the Bath" - All five sisters vie for the priviledge of bathing their baby brother; but true chaos ensues when Henny invites five of her girlfriends to "help" as well.
7 - "Ella Lends a Helping Hand" - Ella runs into Guido on the street and offers to help him on an errand. Their return trip to his home shows Ella just how sick his mother really is.
8 - "The Wrong Side of the Bed" - Henny has such a bad day, she decides to run away from home.
9 - "Hijinks at the Settlement" - The sisters visit Guido at the settlement house, where he is staying with a nurse, and do their best to cheer him up.
10 - "Guests for Supper" - Guido and nurse Miss Carey visit the family for supper, learning about Miss Carey's tragic past.
11 - "Sarah is Sewed Up" - Sarah is excited to get pierced ears for her tenth birthday...until she's determined to use the money toward a worthier cause.
12 - "Simchas Torah" - The family prepares for the weeklong Succos celebration.
13 - "A Thanksgiving to Remember" - The family celebrates a joyous holiday, and learn of Miss Carey's and Guido's future plans.

Although certain aspects of the girls' early 20th century life may be foreign to today's young readers, the overall plots and themes certainly won't be overlooked. Whether today or a hundred years ago, children are guaranteed to enjoy reading about the sisters' adventures, their warm and loving home, and the things they dream about and strive toward.

This book had a lot of potential. It's an interesting look not only into life in another time, the early 1900s, but life in an observant Jewish family, which is unfamiliar to most of us. The stories are engaging. In most places, good moral lessons are taught. But, there is the repeated exception of second daughter "Henny" and the bad example that she is, usually getting away with it.

Henny is always getting into scrapes, and they are beyond just not thinking things through, into very deliberate misbehavior, and she's about 12 years old, and very definitely old enough to know better. This wouldn't necessarily be a problem if the book dealt with it as a real problem. Instead, she's portrayed as a loveable good kid, and though Mama and Papa don't like some of what she does, they never really provide any real consequences, and this isn't portrayed as a problem. There is Henny deliberately cutting up her stockings (which she knew Mama wouldn't like), using scissors from a neighbor (so she wouldn't find out), and hiding from him what she was doing (because he and Mama wouldn't approve) so that she could look poverty-stricken (deliberately deceiving) to go to a Christian church to ask for charity (knowin Mama wouldn't approve of taking charity) because she wanted a fancy doll like a poor girl had gotten that wouldn't be given to her if they knew she weren't that poor (essentially stealing through deception). In the end, she gives the doll to a really poor girl because she feels kind of guilty and knows Mama won't be happy. When Mama and Papa find out, there are no consequences for this. No confession to the charity, no restitution by paying back for the doll, no spanking, nothing. Just giving the doll to another girl on the street is not any sort of negative consequence. And this is typical of her behavior and of her parents' response. There's also the time she squeaks in the classroom repeatedly and then chases after a faux mouse, and when she fears she may get in trouble at home for this, she runs away, leaving her family thinking she's laying injured somewhere and the neighbors hunting, and then she comes home with nary an apology and no remorse and Mama talks with her a while. And, she's 12 years old, and her parents really don't deal with her blatant misbehavior.

It's not the example I really want to set before my kids, of blatant misbehavior and repeatedly getting away with it. I can explain it as I read, again and again, but there's no reason to keep reading it when it requires that much countering of bad examples. The book is falling apart (from my childhood), and I will not be replacing it.