Narrator Edith Gold chirps her way through this artificial novel set during the Kennedy administration. Sure, she's scared of "the Purple Sweater" (aka Zandra Kott), the fifth-grade bully who picks on her for being Jewish, and she dreads "Uh-Oh Time" (her parents' quarrels). But she can always tell her troubles to the Hopscotch Tree, which, unlike the Softball Tree, the Tether Ball Trees, etc., nods to her, gives her its seed pods for good luck, coaches her toward a winning run in the class softball game and answers her questions. When Edith just happens to overhear her mother telling a friend all about a chance encounter with an unhappy divorcee who just happens to be Zandra's mother, she learns that Zandra is half-Jewish. With this new information Edith--inspired by the Yiddish proverb "Better that my enemy should see good in me than I see evil in him" and, of course, helped by the Hopscotch Tree--comes up with a plan to put an end to Zandra's hostility as well as her attacks. Siskind's messages about the nature of prejudice and overcoming it are both worthy and perceptive, but her candy-coated presentation undermines her credibility. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Ten-year-old Edith and her family have just moved, and she finds herself the only Jew in her new school. Because of this, she is targeted for teasing, pinching, hair pulling, and name calling (``skinny little Jew,'' ``kike,'' and ``Jew girl'') by Zandra and her gang. When she discovers and confronts the ringleader with the fact that Zandra herself is half Jewish, Edith learns the true meaning behind the proverb, ``Better that my enemy should see good in me than I see evil in him.'' Set in Los Angeles in 1960, the book offers a smattering of period details--marches for integration, air raid drills in school, President Kennedy, and oblique references to the cold war. However, the characters never come alive. For example, readers must believe that Zandra's virulent prejudice is the result of resentment against her Jewish mother; her parents have recently divorced and the child wants to live with her Catholic father. In spite of Siskind's attempts to deliver a thoughtful examination of fifth-grade friendships and conflicts, readers are left with a very lightweight reading experience. --Ellen Fader, Westport Pub . Lib . , CT
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
