Susan Lynn MeyerRecensioni

IRL: Grade 5+
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Honor Book – Middle Grade – 2024)

A great read for younger student's introducing them to the concept of racism. When Ella doesn't fit into her cousins hand-me-down shoes, Ella and her mother have to go to the shop for them. Ella has to wait for a white girl and her father to try on shoes before the clerk helps Ella and her mother. Ella isn't allowed to try on shoes because of the color of her skin. This makes Ella sad, so she and her cousin have the idea to make their own shoe shop where anyone who comes in can try on shoes. I enjoy that this book shows Ella and her cousin fighting for something they believe in and working together to make a difference in other peoples lives. I also think that this is a great book to share with students to show that just because segregation ended, it doesn't mean that everyone is treated equally. A great read aloud for students of all ages!

I would have loved this book when I was 11, 10, 9, 12 even more that I did now. It’s a book I would have buried myself in and not abandoned reading until I finished it. I love it now too. It’s a special book. I will check out this author’s other books.

This is kind of a cross between the Little House on the Prairie books and the All of A Kind Family books and The Children’s Blizzard too. I looked up North Dakota blizzards in the early 1900s.

The book shows antisemitism in ways more intense than the books from my childhood but I think it is at an appropriate level for middle grade readers. The book started with an attack for being Jewish in Ukraine and showed plenty of instances of anti-Jewish feelings in North Dakota.

The conditions in North Dakota at that time were brutal (and fascinating to read about!) but the right to own land and freedom from violence, though not from prejudice, makes emigration make sense.

There is useful and interesting history information included in the author’s note including links to learn more about the Dakota people and the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, and also the history of the Jews in the Russian Empire and the Pale of Settlement. This book is obviously well researched and sources are listed in the back of the book.

I loved the way the family relationships were shown. They seemed completely authentic, and I especially enjoyed the relationships between the older daughters and the younger daughters. The cat is great. The dog is great. There is a horse. There is the prairie. There is the fiddle music. There is Channukah and it ends up having a crucial part in one scene in the story. All of the characters seem real. Family members, friends, the teacher, local people in both North Dakota and Ukraine. This was a book that was easy to get into and hard to put down. The writing is lovely. The storytelling is compelling. The characters and relationships ring true.

What felt slightly off to me is some of what 11-year-old Shoshana knows and a couple of the terms she uses when she uses them. Even though the flaws of the family members are definitely shown, they do seem maybe just slightly too good. There is also the obvious attempt to educate about Judaism and the Dakota, though I wish there had been more about the latter. I think for the target audience they’re not going to nitpick any of the things that I did. I would not have even noticed them as a child.

All the way through I debated about giving it 4 or 5 stars and I’m still conflicted.
4-1/2 stars, and I’ve changed my mind and decided to round up to 5. It’s just too good for a 4 only. I started with rounding down to 4. For me this is exactly a 4-1/2 star book so I’m letting my younger self make the final decision. Yes, I loved the book and I don’t think that I’ll change my mind again.

Highly recommended for people who enjoy children’s historical fiction stories, historical fiction prairie stories, stories about Jewish families, and most 9-12 year old readers. This would also make a perfect read aloud for classrooms and for families. There is a lot readers/listeners might want to discuss.

First sentence: At first, they only threw tomatoes. Then it was rocks. Soon you couldn't tell what was the splatter of tomato and what was blood. Women screamed and ran, stumbling over rolling cabbages, crashing into tipped-over carts. Others frantically tried to snatch up squashes and radishes and onions before they were trampled.

Premise/plot: Shoshana and her family have emigrated from Russia to North Dakota. (Technically, her father and brother emigrated together first, got the homestead, earned enough money to send back home. Shoshana and her mother and sisters came later, in the interim, persecution of the Jews only worsened.) This historical MG is set circa 1905/1906 in rural (prairie) North Dakota. The family lives in a dugout. The neighbors aren't near. And the neighbors are mostly if not exclusively Christian. The neighbors aren't exactly used to Jewish neighbors celebrating Jewish holidays, speaking Yiddish, not necessarily wanting to attend church weekly and participate in the Christmas pageant. This one is a coming of age novel, Shoshana is struggling between wanting to be American [and just like her neighbors] and wanting to retain her own culture/religion.

My thoughts: I really loved this one so much. I loved the [North Dakota] prairie feel. I loved the family dynamics. I loved the one room school house. The historical vibes were just my cup of tea. I thought it was a lovely coming of age novel. I loved the role of music in this one! The ending was so perfect.

This book is JUST RIGHT for me. I don't know if other readers will love, love, love it as much as I do. But to me it was perfectly perfect.

I received an advance copy via NetGalley.

A Sky Full of Song is a new classic for the middle grade genre, depicting a necessary viewpoint in the pioneer west: that of Jewish immigrants, fleeing pogroms in Ukraine. Shoshana's viewpoint depicts intense awe and love for her new home, love for her large family and cats, and fear of the racism and violence that caused them to flee their old home--only to find that the same darkness exists in America. This is the sort of deftly-done book that manages to be cozy and yet also horrible, because some truly terrible things happen, but those horrors are balanced by hope and love. The writing is lovely, too. The author channels Willa Cather in a wonderful way.

In “A Sky Full of Song”, Susan Lynn Meyer has wonderfully captured the beauty of the North Dakota prairie. I have lived in North Dakota all my life, and while the landscape in places has changed dramatically since 1905 when the book takes place, many areas of North Dakota retain that allure. Ms. Meyers' descriptive phrases gave Shoshanna's new homeland a wonderful radiance that I loved.
Shoshanna and her family have to flee their homeland of Ukraine because of the Russian pogroms against Jews. Her father and older brother went to North Dakota a few years earlier to prepare a new home for the family and to raise money to bring the remaining five members to their new country. The story of their ship journey, Ellis Island, and the train ride to North Dakota are all similarly well-described.
Papa has built the family a house in true North Dakota tradition - a dugout. While the top of the home is above ground, the living quarters are dug into the ground to provide protection from the elements. Dugouts were also practical because trees for lumber on the prairie were scarce. The dugout is quite different than what the female family members were expecting. They set to work making it as homelike as possible. With their efforts and the great love of the family, it becomes a home as much as their home in Ukraine, just different.
Different is a keyword in this novel. There are very few Jews in the area, and none but Shoshanna and her sister at school. While Shoshanna picks up the new language more quickly than her older sister, she struggles with her identity and how to fit in with the other students.
"A Sky Full of Song" will draw comparisons to Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, among others, the descriptive quality of Ms. Meyers' writing, in my opinion, rises above that of Ms. Wilder. The description of the migration of the sandhill cranes alone, "a sky full of song", was an intoxicating read. This is a book that can be enjoyed by any age.
Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square Kids for the ARC of this book.

Miriam Mouse's family always celebrates Passover Belowstairs, while the human Winklers celebrate Abovestairs. But this year Miriam is finding it hard to get a piece of matzah to use for the Mouse family afikomen as the human family has decided to store their matzah in a tin. All seems lost for the Mouse family seder, until young Eli Winkler shares the afikomen with her.

After years of hand-me-downs, Ella Mae’s older cousin's shoes are too small for her. She gets to get brand new shoes at Johnson’s! However, she is shocked when her mother must trace her feet with a pencil onto paper and that she can’t try on the shoes before they buy them. Why? She discovers her friends at school have had the same experiences. Yet, the white girl who arrived after she and her mother did was able to try on shoes. This book is unapologetically anti-racist because it tells what it was like for black people to buy clothing that they could not try on and how the schools are segregated by race, both by law.

The book is about a young girl who visits a shoe shop to buy a new pair of shoes. When they get there, they experience discrimination by the owner. As a result, the girl begins to make her own shoe shop for those in her community. This is a great book because it is empowering for girls to read about what the character in the story accomplished. She was able to overcome injustices and find a way to make good come out of the situation. This would be a great read aloud for 1st to 3rd graders.

This story is about two African-American girls who face discrimination in a shoe store when they aren't allowed to try on the shoes, so they start their own business where people can pay 10 cents and donate an old pair of shoes for a new pair. This book highlights the real discrimination that African-American people faced through the beautiful story of fictional characters. This book would be appropriate for intermediate readers.

The story of two girls who find a clever way to confront the discrimination they face when trying to buy new shoes in the segregated South. Author’s Note.

This book is about two little girls, Ella and Charlotte and their experience discrimination of buying shoes during the 50's. Ella recounts how she is angry and humiliated when she and her mom are treated badly and cannot try on the shoes they buy in a shoe store. Ella and Charlotte then decided to create a better situation for their friends and family members by working for used shoes and a small amount of money for polish. They clean, buff them shiny, and put them on display. They create an area in the barn where friends and family can buy used shoes for a discount and try them on without enduring humiliation.

This picture book is a wonderful story about two little girls, Ella and Charlotte and their experience discrimination of buying shoes during the 50's. Ella recounts how she is angry and humiliated when she and her mom are treated badly and cannot try on the shoes they buy in a shoe store. Ella and Charlotte then decided to create a better situation for their friends and family members by working for used shoes and a small amount of money for polish. They clean, buff them shiny, and put them on display. They create an area in the barn where friends and family can buy used shoes for a discount and try them on without enduring humiliation. This is great book to read K-5 to demonstrate ingenuity and the courage of two little girls. The Author's note at the end is a beneficial added reading for students. I especially appreciate the hope the book ends on, showing children they can make a difference.

In this story, Emma and Charlotte, two African American girls, join together to create a shoe stand where black Americans can try on shoes before they buy them at a lower price after they are told they cannot try on shoes at the store because of their skin color. This book shows the results of young people looking at a problem and deciding to do something about it with hard work and determination. The two young girls in this story face racial prejudice in Jim Crow America, yet they take their discrimination and use it to build a stronger community for people like them. This book would be good teaching material for racial injustice and the sale and exchange of goods.½

New Shoes is a powerful story about an ugly part of America's history. Ella Mae and Charlotte work hard restoring old shoes given to them, with money from their chores and babysitting. Then they open a refurbished shoe store where anyone of any color can try on shoes. As stated above this story is powerful, and makes racism understandable in a clear example for children. Black people weren't allowed the same privilege's as whites, and trying on shoes is something everyone takes for granted. Which is why it makes it such a great example, something so mundane to us now was a privilege only sixty years ago. Also the way the girls fight back is rather clever and still impactful. It's a form of rebellion while not being empty and pointless, as a means to avoid conflict. Overall New Shoes is a wonderful story, one that any child can benefit from reading.

Ella Mae is over the moon to be getting her first ever pair of new shoes, but when she goes to the shoe store, the clerk does not let her try them on because she is black. After telling her friend about what happened, they decide to take on odd jobs and ask for used shoes as payment. Once they collect them all, they refurbish them and open their own shoe store where everyone is allowed to try on as many shoes as they want. I thought this story was heart warming and provided a great message of perseverance. It shows children that they can find their own solutions to problems, even if society is against them. I think it showcases the obvious negative aspects of discrimination, but provides a hopeful outlook and positive message as well.

I thought that this story did a great job of depicting what life was like for African Americans not too long ago. The discrimination that Ella Mae and her family endure while trying to buy shoes is an accurate way of teaching students about discrimination. The illustrations that went along with each page of the story were incredibly detailed and easy to follow. It also may relate to students who might not have very much money and have to live off of their siblings hand me downs. When Ella Mae and her siblings all switch shoes, there can be students who would be able to relate to that as well. Additionally, I loved the importance of family that was shown throughout the story.

New Shoes was set in the 1950s during the Jim Crow law days. This is an amazing story of a young African American girl named Ella Mae, who is trying to buy new shoes. However, Ella Mae's money is tight, so she wore her cousin Charlotte's hand-me-down shoes. Eventually, Ella Mae is going to get a new pair of shoes. In the shoe store, a girl with yellow pigtails is trying on a pair of pretty red Mary Janes. Ella Mae is black and she isn't allowed to try on shoes. Ella Mae's mother traces her feet on a piece of paper, and the salesman looks for a pair of shoes that will fit. Ella Mae is upset. But Ella and Charlotte have a plan to rectify this humiliating experience.

This book tells the story of a girl named Ella Mae who needs a new pair of shoes for school. Normally Ella Mae will wear hand-me-down shoes from her older brothers and sister. However, she no longer fit in her sister's old shoes. That Saturday morning Ella Mae's mom took her to Johnson's, the shoe store. After Ella Mae and her mother walked in, a white father and daughter followed behind them. Instead of Mr. Johnson coming to Ella Mae and her mother first, he went to help the white father and daughter leaving Ella Mae and her mother waiting. Ella Mae knew it wasn't fair, but she didn't say a thing. Once Mr. Johnson finished with the father and daughter, he came to ask Ella Mae and her mother how he could help them. Ella Mae quickly responded, "I want to try these shoes on!" Mr. Johnson pointed to the pen and paper for Ella Mae's mother to draw her daughter's feet on since blacks were not allowed to try shoes on. This really upset Ella Mae until the next day when she came up with a great idea! Ella Mae and her sister started doing chores for people in exchange for old shoes and nickels. The two used the nickles to buy cleaning supplies for the shoes. Eventually, they had enough shoes to fill the shelves of their empty barn. The neighbors knew they were ready to open before the paint on their sign was even dry! Mrs. Douglass explained to the girls that the last time they bought shoes from Johnson's that they were too small and gave her daughter blisters, so she asked if they could try the shoes on. The two girls replied, "In our store, anyone who walks in the door can try on all the shoes they want."

This story was set in America during the 1950s when African Americans were not treated equally. This setting clarifies conflict between the main characters and Mr. Johnson due to their different skin colors.

I really enjoyed how sweet this story was and the message that it delivers to young readers, to stand up for what you believe in. Before reading this story, I had no idea that blacks were not allowed to try shoes on back then. I think this would be a great read for young students to inspire them to stand up for what they believe in and also inform them about discrimination.

This book is geared toward grades 1 to 4. It gives a story line of discrimination a character faces when trying to buy new shoes for school. This segregation exists because the character was African American, and they were not the first to be liked, especially in the south. Ella Mae is used to wearing her cousin's hand-me-down shoes, but when her latest pair is already too tight, she's thrilled at the chance to get new shoes. When she arrives at the shoe store with her mother, Ella Mae and her mother have to wait until there are no white customers to serve first. She doesn't get to try anything on, and her mother traces her feet onto a sheet of paper, and the salesman brings them a pair he thinks will fit. As stated, "Pencil and paper are over there, gal," Mr. Johnson says to Mama" (Meyer). Disappointed by Ella's treatment, Ella Mae and her cousin Charlotte hatch a plan to help others in their community find better-fitting shoes without humiliation. This book portrays to younger kids that having a different ski color comes with humiliation by the public, hardships in life, segregation, racism, and unfair rules. Ella found ways to fight back, like all African American's yearn to do, in this unfair system. This book can display many insightful meanings to younger kids, and portray just how hard an African American's life can be, all because they are "colored" or as today we say "black / African American." I like this book for younger kids because it can teach a valuable lesson, I also enjoy it because it shows how just because on the outside someone may seem fine, on the inside, something totally different can be going on. This book also shows how just because Ella did not receive the same treatment as whites, she did not give up on her life and she longed to have her voice be heard and show that everyone deserves to be treated equally.

I absolutely loved this book. It really shows how the black kids were treated during segregation. The white kids were able to try on the shoes, and the black kids weren't. I love how the girls came together with the community and started selling shoes and allowing the kids to try them on.

In the book “New Shoes” you are introduced to two main characters Ella Mae and Charlotte. The story take place in the south during segregation in the 1950’s. Ella Mae has always worn passed down shoes from her cousin Charlotte , however, this time the passed down shoes are to small. Ella Mae finally gets to get a brand new pair of shoes. Once Ella Mae and her mother arrived at the shoe store a white father and little girl arrived right after. Ella Mae and her mother are ignored and the white father and little girl is assisted. The little girl tried on multiple shoes and Ella Mae just stared and wondered why her and her mother was not assisted. Eventually Ella Mae was assisted, however, she was not allowed to try on any shoes. Ella Mae feet where traced on a piece of paper and a pair of shoes were given to her. The book tells the reader a little about segregation through the events Ella Mae encountered when she was trying to buy new shoes.Ella Mae did not like how she was treated so her and Charlotte opened up their own shoe store for the neighborhood and let everyone try on shoes.

I enjoyed reading this book and it informed me about something I did not know. The book was very educational and also an easy read.

This is not one of my favorite children's holocaust books, but it's the first I've read that describes the holocaust in France. As the German threat increases in 1940, many French Jews flee Paris for the countryside. Gustav and his family move to St. Georges, a small town south of Paris. Once Germany invades, France is divided in half by a demarcation line, identifying the occupied and unoccupied zones. St. Georges luckily is in the unoccupied zone, but food is scarce. Gustav's father must travel to the occupied zone for food and risk getting caught. Through it all, they wait for the American government to grant them permission to relocate to America.

I love books about the holocaust, but this one was a little slow for me. I feel like details and dialogue were missing which kept me from getting the emotional connection I usually do.

This book is about a young girl who is in need of new shoes, when hand-me-downs fit her poorly. While in the shoe store, since she is African American, she is unable to try on the shoes, but rather has to trace her foot to determine the proper size. She feels embarrassed and hurt that a Caucasian customer was able to try on every shoe she pleased and was a priority. She and her cousin, Charlotte, decide to work for old shoes. They create their own store, that allows African Americans to try on all the shoes they please. I think this is great book to teach readers about how they can make a change, Charlotte and Sarah saw the inequality they were up against and decided that they would make things better on their own. I think the initiative and hard work they put in is absolutely inspiring and everyone can learn something from them.
In terms of the illustrations, they represented the setting very beautifully and the story could have been told without the text, as they were so detailed.