I read this last weekend and really enjoyed it. I'll keep it for our family library as I'm sure some of the kids will want to read it too. ( )

very good - Ruthie

I enjoyed this book. Interesting historical fiction. ( )

I'm not a fan of epistolary fiction, but this cross between diary and correspondence isn't bad. Hesse does a good job of capturing Rifka's age (12-13) and the contradictions of childishness and impending adulthood. She also does well showing the challenge of adjusting to a culture different from that one has grown up in and giving a little of the history of immigration to the US from Russia and eastern Europe during the early 20th century. ( )