Author: Sydney Taylor
Lexile measure: 750
Language: no swear words, no potty language. There are some ethnically derogatory words used (describing Italians and Poles). In my opinion these are not used in a derogatory way, but they are used to reinforce some ethnic stereotypes that were common in the time when the book was written but are not common anymore. I think for most really young children, the frequency is such that they probably would not be likely to notice or use these words later.
Violence: None
Big Kid Mature Topics: Almost all the children get the measles, but no one gets close to dying. Ethnic and religious (Jew/Gentile) stereotypes. A lot of discussion of Jewish religious customs, but not in a proselytizing kind of a way. There are a couple of romantic story elements.
Illustrations: black and white line drawings, every few pages
Plot: moderately complex
My daughter cried when we had to return this to the library. This is a nice wholesome girl book and also a nice introduction to some of the Jewish holidays, as well as to turn of the century city life. This is a series, but you probably won't find most of the rest of it in the library, as the rest of the series is mostly out of print. We were disappointed by that, but we loved this book.
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