Silver Days

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In this affecting sequel to Journey to America , 13-year-old Lisa experiences the tribulations of growing up in 1940sstet New York City as a Jewish refugee. Ages 8-12. (Apr.)

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9-- This sequel to Levitin's Journey to America (Aladdin, 1986) , takes up exactly where the earlier book ended--in 1940, with the family reunited in New York City. In a first-person narration, Lisa, the middle daughter, tells the story of their ``silver days'' from 1940 to 1943, conveying the strength and spirit that enabled the family to not only survive being uprooted from their comfortable home in Germany, but also to make a new life for themselves. Much of the humor in the book comes from Lisa's father, a hard-working, energetic, and optimistic man. The girls' mother is a strong-willed woman who is almost undone by the death of her mother, who chose to stay in Germany. Lisa is also strongly influenced by her beautiful and intelligent older sister and a lively, sensitive younger sister. A move to California leads to more disruption but ultimately results in more economic security and a chance for Lisa to study dance seriously again. Because of the episodic nature of the story, readers get to know these people well, experiencing their highs and lows, and in the end can only wish them well. Although this book is a sequel, it can be read independently without any difficulty. --Amy Kellman, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh