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Rachel's Roses

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Rachel's Roses

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$9.99

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Overview

Rachel Berger needs twenty-five cents to make her dream come true. But for Rachel, twenty-five cents is a fortune--and she's running out of time.

A Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Title

Third-grader Rachel Berger longs to be different. At the very least, she'd like to be set apart from her copycat little sister, Hannah. The second Rachel spots the glass rose buttons at Mr. Solomon's button shop, her heart stops. They'll be the perfect, unique touch on the skirt her mother is making her for Rosh Hashanah. There's just one problem: Rachel can't afford them. With her focus set on earning enough to buy them before the holiday, will Rachel lose sight of what's really important?

Themes of sisterhood, sibling rivalry, and strong family values are organically woven in to this charmingly illustrated chapter book set on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the early twentieth century.

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Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823443932
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
File size:	21 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Ferida Wolff worked as a teacher and a journalist before becoming a writer. She has written more than a dozen books, including It Is the Wind, illustrated by James Ransome. Ferida lives in New Jersey.

Margeaux Lucas began drawing at age four and never stopped. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, where easy access to the enormous historical riches of Manhattan's Lower East Side allowed her to truly immerse herself in her illustration research for this story.

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Editorial Reviews

"This is a sweet story that will resonate with readers who have siblings and knowledge of hand-me-downs. Rachel is annoyed by her little sister, Hannah, who wants to be just like her. . . . Rachel pines for anything that stands apart from Hannah’s apparel and discovers three glass buttons with red roses that she must have. After haggling with the shopkeeper the buttons are laid-away and Rachel demonstrates both motivation and discipline in saving her pennies to pay off the cost of the buttons. Rachel’s self-discovery of what matters—spoiler: it isn’t buttons—is treated naturally, without resorting to moralizing. Syntax is tight and well-constructed throughout and Grandma Bubbie’s wise sayings add a sparkle to the text." —School Library Connection

"Wolff has constructed a sweet, nostalgic vignette of early-20th-century immigrant New York City, alluding to the difficulties but stressing the goodness. Rachel and her family, friends, and neighbors are not anachronisms or caricatures but are entirely accessible to modern readers. Lucas' lovely black-and-white drawings, reminiscent of Helen John's in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family (1951), are perfectly in sync with the spirit of the text. Hope, love, determination, and kindness abound."—Kirkus Reviews

"A gentle and accessible slice of historical fiction to give to readers moving on from chapter books, or to offer as a gentle read-aloud for younger children."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/19/2019
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. VERDICT A gentle and accessible slice of historical fiction to give to readers moving on from chapter books, or to offer as a gentle read-aloud for younger children.-Lisa Goldstein, Brooklyn Public Library

School Library Journal

2019-07-14
Rachel does not like having to be responsible for her little sister Hannah, who idolizes her and wants to be just like her.
Papa has a good job, and Bubbie takes in laundry. Her mother has quit her job in order to design and sew a dress for a client, hoping eventually to start her own business. Every penny counts. But Rachel wants new buttons on her old skirt to wear for Rosh Hashanah. Mama gives her a nickel and she has six pennies of her own, but the beautiful rose buttons she craves cost more. The button seller agrees to hold the buttons, along with some for Hannah, until Rosh Hashanah. Now Rachel must earn the money. The drugstore has the only telephone on the block, and when calls come in, she brings the intended recipients to the phone, sometimes getting a penny for her help. When Hannah gets lost trying to help her, Rachel learns the value of generosity, and a very happy holiday ensues. Wolff has constructed a sweet, nostalgic vignette of early-20th-century immigrant New York City, alluding to the difficulties but stressing the goodness. Rachel and her family, friends, and neighbors are not anachronisms or caricatures but are entirely accessible to modern readers. Lucas' lovely black-and-white drawings, reminiscent of Helen John's in Sydney Taylor's All of a Kind Family (1951), are perfectly in sync with the spirit of the text.
Hope, love, determination, and kindness abound. (Historical fiction. 7-10)

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