From School Library Journal
Grades 4-7--When their farmhouse burns to the ground, Rebecca Bernstein's family must leave their comfortable Jewish farming community in Saskatchewan and move to Winnipeg. Because her theater-loving father refuses to take just any job and there isn't enough room for the large extended family in the small storefront her grandfather finds, the 12-year-old is sent into foster care with a neighboring family. Worse yet, the Kostaniuks are Ukrainian and very Christian. Although Sophie Kostaniuk, who shares Rebecca's love for reading, could easily be her best friend, Sophie's brother Sasha and her father hate Jews, and fights break out at school between Sasha and Rebecca's favorite uncles, Max and Sam. Scarlet fever brings the two girls closer and they cement their friendship when they rescue small children from a fire in the quarantine hospital where they've been sent. Then Sasha attacks Max with a knife, and Rebecca's grandfather removes her from the foster home and forbids her to see Sophie. How can the timid girl go against him? Good advice comes from the rabbi, who helps her see her own courage and find a way to maintain her friendship and ease the enmity between the boys. The complexity of different approaches to Judaism is dramatized in this large and loving family whose difficulties are typical of immigrants to the U.S. as well as Canada in the early 20th century. The less familiar historical and cultural setting is clearly described. This satisfying friendship story should appeal to middle-grade readers, especially girls.
Kathleen Isaacs, Edmund Burke School, Washington, DCCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 4-8. This novel about a 12-year-old Jewish immigrant girl in Canada in the early twentieth century is based on Matas' family history. At first the huge cast of characters is bewildering--three generations of Rebecca's extended family are part of her daily life; but Rebecca's first-person narrative is direct and immediate, rooted in her Yiddish culture and reaching out to a wider world. There's lots of action. When a fire destroys the family farm in Saskatchewan and the family moves to Winnipeg, Rebecca's dad can't find work, and Rebecca is forced to live with a Ukrainian foster family. They aren't Jewish; in fact, some of them are anti-Semitic. Even so, Rebecca bonds with Sophie, the daughter in her foster family, and their friendship is the heart of the story. Together the girls withstand everything from school bullying to scarlet fever and a hospital fire. There's no sentimentality in the characterization--even Rebecca's dad surprises her--and the history is well researched. Most compelling, though, is Rebecca's personal struggle with faith, friendship, and loyalty.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
