Personal Note: I’d like to be professional as I write this summary and review, but it will be difficult! I LOVED this book. I laughed, l cried, and enjoyed every minute of reading it.
Summary/Review:
Through un-mailed letters to her cousin Tovah, Rifka, a Russian Jew, chronicles her escape from Russia to Ellis Island. However, her journey was not an easy one, especially for a young girl of 12 years. She encounters rude guards who inspect her naked body as she enters Poland, and a greedy young girl who steals her food. She must deal with sickness, being separated from her family for months, and traveling across the ferocious ocean by herself. She is saddened by the death of a friend and the loneliness caused by the separation from her family. On the other hand, she meets caring and generous people who aid her on her journey. She, in turn, shows compassion for those who are meeting more difficult fates than hers. With all that she endures upon traveling to America, she has one more hurdle to overcome as she is detained from entering at Ellis Island. Read the book to find out if Rifka makes it to America.
This book provides can serve as a historical fiction selection, but also serves those readers looking for a story about culture and the immigration process. It smoothly incorporates a heartwarming story of perseverance, Jewish culture and the difficulties immigrants faced as they desperately tried to leave their country and enter the United States. Though the letters that present this story are unanswered, the reader will finish the book with hope that they will find their intended audience and that Rifka will succeed in reaching her final destination.
Awards:
Christopher Award
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book
IRA Children's Book Award
National Jewish Book Award
Sydney Taylor Book Award
Links:
Building background knowledge for this book by watching this video:
Learn more about Karen Hesse at: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3214
Read more about Ellis Island at: http://www.nps.gov/archive/stli/serv02.htm
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