Room for One More

September 1, 2019
Rosetta's life changes when a 16-year-old refugee from the Nazis comes to live with her. A grade six girl in 1942 Montreal, narrator Rosetta has two sisters, but she hadn't expected to gain an older brother. Isaac fled Hitler's Germany on the Kindertransport but was later interned by the British government. Now freed, he's alone in a foreign country. Isaac's entry into Rosetta's family isn't frictionless: Rosetta squabbles with her sisters, she's jealous of Isaac's relationship with her father, and she snoops in his few possessions. But she and Isaac grow close, and what she learns about his past is worrying. Rosetta is from a family of light-skinned observant Jews and is ignorant of religious segregation or persecution. Isaac, with one Jewish parent and one Christian, saw his own mother--a tall, blonde, blue-eyed "Aryan goddess" who works for the Nazis--repudiate him. Even in theoretically liberal-minded Montreal, Isaac's not free of persecution. Jewish quotas will likely keep him from attending medical school at McGill. Moreover, Rosetta's best friend's brother, a handsome blond non-Jew, says vile anti-Semitic things to Isaac. Italicized, phonetically rendered accents ("So, one afternoon, I vent der") keep Isaac at arm's length even as Rosetta grows closer to him, and there's more than one "remarkable coincidence" holding the whole together, but readers will respond to how flawed, likable Rosetta learns how to welcome refugees wholeheartedly. As timely as historical fiction can be. (Historical fiction. 8-11)

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October 7, 2019

Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Rosetta Wolff knows about the war in Europe, but living in Canada she feels far removed from its effects. She spends her days focused on her public speaking in school, loving and fighting with her two sisters, and daydreaming about her best friend's handsome older brother. Until she eavesdrops on her parents and discovers that Jewish people are being mistreated in the war and her family is asked to help. Rosetta and her family are Jewish and decide to open their home to an orphan boy who changes Rosetta's life forever. Jewish family life in Canada during World War II is not a frequent topic in intermediate literature, and this book provides a springboard for young readers to research and learn about a unique history. Jewish culture and the time period are colorfully described throughout, while facts about the mistreatment of Jews are gracefully and accurately presented in an age appropriate way. Rosetta is naturally curious and finds herself snooping on others, and her up-and-down relationships with her sisters will be relatable to any readers with siblings. Neatly woven throughout the story are invaluable lessons about life, family, real friends, standing up for what's right, problem-solving skills, and learning to apologize. VERDICT A poignant and powerful story of a young girl who finds her life and worldview changed forever, intertwined with a clear and tactful introduction of North American Jews in World War II.-Emily Beasley, Omaha Public Schools

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