  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 11/01/2010 Gr 6–8—Amy Finawitz is in the doldrums because her BFF, Callie, has temporarily relocated to Kansas, and the novel is almost entirely in the form of emails to her. The incredibly self-centered eighth grader can't seem to rise above her sense of abandonment, and she is further distressed by the fighting between her parents and her college-dropout brother, who has decided to become an "actor slash producer." For a class project, Amy's teacher gives her the photocopied journal of a Jewish immigrant teen named Anna Slonovich to read, and to respond to. Amy can't imagine a worse assignment until her mother decides that she should collaborate on the project with elderly neighbor Miss Sophia and her lonely Hasidic nephew, Beryl. As they prowl about the city trying to experience some of the things that Anna described, such as tenement life, Coney Island, and a midnight ceremony at Houdini's grave site, Amy begins to shed some of her egocentricity, expand her worldview, and look forward to their adventures. It doesn't hurt that Beryl's crush on her sparks the interest of a handsome classmate, too. Then the group discovers a secret in Anna's journal and, when they puzzle it out, they find a small piece of American history made real and relevant. While the novel's format is a bit tiring, the writing style seems authentic. Overall, this is a strong first effort.—Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NY - Copyright 2010 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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