by Karen Hesse
I read this on my first morning back from school. Rifka is a young Jewish girl who flees Russia with her family in the midst of religious persecution during the onset of World War I. She writes letters to her cousin in book of Pushkin that she reads to maintain her faith and strength. Rifka overcomes many obstacles so that she can live in freedom with her family.
The book is targeted at older elementary readers, but its themes stand fast to older readers also. Emotionally, it is very compelling, and it challenges the reader to acknowledge events in the past that are perhaps difficult to face. Hesse draws upon her great-aunt Lucy's own journey from Russia to America and uses fact to drive the plot and themes in the novel.
The writing is also very refreshing because it evokes a setting and important themes without becoming unnecessarily wordy. It is very innocent, and seems like the writing of a young girl. I loved the book because it was so gripping. Although I am a crybaby during parts of most books I read, I felt more personally involved in this one, as if I actually had a reason to be crying. I enjoyed exploring things and ideas I was already familiar with from Rifka's point of view. Certain things like bananas...or chocolate seem different when you experience them through the eyes of someone who hasn't ever had them before.
Other Books by Karen Hesse:
Out of the Dust
Stowaway
Brooklyn Bridge
Phoenix Rising
Witness
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