Bridge to America

November 1, 2005
Gr 4-7 -Based on the childhood of a Polish immigrant, this accessible novel reveals the hardships of the shtetl and its striking contrast to life in America. The youngest of five children, Fivel, about eight years old, lives with his mother and siblings in a hut. His father left for America years earlier, and the family has been waiting to hear from him ever since. Barely surviving on watery soup and terrorized by the brutal Cossacks, the family depends upon the kindness of neighbors to get by. Only the mail wagon offers the promise of a brighter future. When the long-awaited package finally arrives, it is a framed photograph of Pa, which the boy's mother angrily throws into the fire. - -We're "starving" -&Are you meshuggeneh? We can't eat a picture!' - Luckily, Fivel spies the green bills carefully hidden in the frame-enough money to get them to Pa in Minnesota. Though a simple rag peddler, he has a house with electricity, flush toilets, and plenty to eat. While Fivel is eager to be an American, he realizes that he will always be -a boy with two worlds inside. - An author's note includes photographs of the protagonist, both as a child in Poland and as an adult. Even reluctant readers will enjoy this riveting account and sensitive portrayal of what it means to be an immigrant. -"Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2005
Gr. 3-5. Young Fivel, left behind in his Polish shtetl while his father in America earns passage for the rest of the family, endures extreme hunger and the terrifying threat of Russian pogroms before the money finally arrives. Upon stepping off at Ellis Island, however, Fivel's joy commingles with an uncomfortable sense of having "left . . . easy belonging behind," particularly when kids jeer at his ragged clothing and he must learn to answer to a new, all-American name. Seasoned picture-book author Glaser offers a compelling historical novel here, which an endnote explains was loosely based on the life of a member of her community. The factual and fictional elements don't always seem smoothly braided, but, overall, readers will appreciate Fivel's direct, unaffected perspective on the hardships of the old country and the often-messy process of adjusting to an alien culture. Also included are photos of the real Fivel and his family, a historical note on Poland, and pronunciation guides to the Yiddish vocabulary.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)