Rachel’s Roses

Gr 2-4–Third-grader Rachel Bergen lives in a tenement on New York City’s Lower East Side in the early 20th century. She plays street games with her friends, gets advice from her grandmother, and does her best to avoid her needy little sister, Hannah. When Rachel finds a fancy set of buttons that will make her Rosh Hashanah skirt stand out from Hannah’s, she devises a scheme to earn enough money to afford it. Eventually Rachel learns that her sister and her family are worth more than material goods. Charming black-and-white drawings include many details from the story, and the clear, simple prose and plot make this ideal for readers nearly ready to graduate from chapter books. The story skillfully depicts elements of Jewish life and the time period. Examples include the ingredients for kugel and egg creams, women working 14-hour days in sweatshops, and that many of Rachel’s neighbors are recent immigrants. Those who have read Sydney Taylor’s “All-of-a-Kind Family” series will find this a familiar and welcome read-alike.