Linda Heller

Castle on Hester Street is a warm and whimsical tale about immigration. Having left Russia for America, Julie’s Jewish grandparents describe two different journeys. While her Grandpa illustrates wondrous tales of castles and flying gold wagons, her grandma corrects his embellished truths by shining a light on what their journey was truly like.
Heller does a brilliant job of highlighting the complex issues surrounding immigration. Grandpa’s imaginative and fanciful stories capture the hope and excitement of joining a new land; while grandma’s story gently depicts the hardships immigrants endured. The historical touches sprinkled with affectionate storytelling complement each other to tell a fun, yet informative tale.… (altro)