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Letters from Rifka
In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be left in Belgium for a while when the others emigrate to America
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Karen Hesse
58 books467 followersKaren Hesse is an American author known for her children's and young adult literature, often set in historical contexts. She received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (1997), a verse novel about a young girl enduring the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Hesse’s works frequently tackle complex themes, as seen in Witness (2001), which explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1920s Vermont town, and The Music of Dolphins (1996), which tells the story of a girl raised by dolphins. Her novel Stowaway (2000) is based on the real-life account of a boy aboard Captain Cook’s Endeavour. Over her career, Hesse has received numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and the Phoenix Award for Letters from Rifka (1992).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 652 reviews
March 6, 2019
Women’s history month 2019 rolls on this time with a quality book for middle grade kids. One of my kids won Letters from Rifka as a prize from the library summer reading program a few years ago and it has been sitting on my book shelf begging to be read. Karen Hesse wanted to preserve her family’s history and interviewed her great aunt Lucy Avrutin, who provided a treasure trove of stories for her to use in her writing. Aunt Lucy’s memories combined with Hesse’s ability to weave a story gives way to an award winning tale about perseverance of a young immigrant girl.
The year is 1919. The first wave of Jewish immigration from Russia has ended as those sensing danger left before the revolution. My own family came to the United States between 1905-1910, some members arriving even earlier. Some Jews believed in the revolution and stayed behind yet the Bolsheviks made life as difficult for Jews as the czar they replaced. Pograms continued and Jewish boys were conscripted into the Russian army. These young men had the choice to serve or they were killed or their family was forced to flee the country. The Nebrot family of Berdichev had five sons. The oldest three had left for America and worked to save money for the rest of their family to finally leave Russia. The arrival of the money coincided with the youngest brother Saul being conscripted into the army. It was time for the Nebrot family to join their Jewish brothers and sisters in leaving Russia.
Rifka Nebrot, aged twelve, is the youngest child in the family and the only girl. As in any quality coming of age story, Rifka has conflicted feelings about leaving behind the only life she ever knew. Her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins all live in Berdichev, and Rifka would rather stay behind or bring the rest of her family with her. She copes with the grandiosity of her journey by clinging to her one prized possession, a volume of Pushkin’s poems given to her by her cousin Tovah, her favorite girl cousin closest in age to her. Rifka writes letters to Tovah in the margins of the book of poetry because she has no other paper and she wants to preserve this journey for both her cousins and herself. Over the duration of the journey, Pushkin as a symbol becomes more and more valuable.
Usually youngest members of any family tend to be spoiled and babied by their parents and older siblings. This is not the case for Rifka as she is the most creative and spunky member of her family and oh what a talker. When she develops ringworm in Poland, she is not able to go onto America with her family but rather stays behind in Europe to heal. In Antwerp, Belgium, she befriends all different types of people who laud her precociousness and ability to speak her mind in all different languages. Not a thought or idea escapes her, as she prepares for her long awaited journey to America, reflecting that an ocean will separate her from her cousins in Berdichev. Even though she is seeking a better life, Rifka empathizes that she would like nothing more than to me reunited with her entire extended family, the Russian branches included, in America.
Karen Hesse’s personal tale won her the Jewish Book Award and Christopher Award for young readers in 1992. Rifka’s tale is one of a strong willed young girl who in another era could have been considered for politics or any other leadership position. In 1920, however, Ellis Island’s medical officials did not doubt that Rifka would have a bright future, but job prospects at the time were limited even for the top notch women available. Hesse gives adult readers many thoughts to ponder and teachers a wide range of discussion points with their classes. In Rifka Nebrot, girls are given a role model who is determined to achieve anything she wants out of life.
4+ stars
The year is 1919. The first wave of Jewish immigration from Russia has ended as those sensing danger left before the revolution. My own family came to the United States between 1905-1910, some members arriving even earlier. Some Jews believed in the revolution and stayed behind yet the Bolsheviks made life as difficult for Jews as the czar they replaced. Pograms continued and Jewish boys were conscripted into the Russian army. These young men had the choice to serve or they were killed or their family was forced to flee the country. The Nebrot family of Berdichev had five sons. The oldest three had left for America and worked to save money for the rest of their family to finally leave Russia. The arrival of the money coincided with the youngest brother Saul being conscripted into the army. It was time for the Nebrot family to join their Jewish brothers and sisters in leaving Russia.
Rifka Nebrot, aged twelve, is the youngest child in the family and the only girl. As in any quality coming of age story, Rifka has conflicted feelings about leaving behind the only life she ever knew. Her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins all live in Berdichev, and Rifka would rather stay behind or bring the rest of her family with her. She copes with the grandiosity of her journey by clinging to her one prized possession, a volume of Pushkin’s poems given to her by her cousin Tovah, her favorite girl cousin closest in age to her. Rifka writes letters to Tovah in the margins of the book of poetry because she has no other paper and she wants to preserve this journey for both her cousins and herself. Over the duration of the journey, Pushkin as a symbol becomes more and more valuable.
Usually youngest members of any family tend to be spoiled and babied by their parents and older siblings. This is not the case for Rifka as she is the most creative and spunky member of her family and oh what a talker. When she develops ringworm in Poland, she is not able to go onto America with her family but rather stays behind in Europe to heal. In Antwerp, Belgium, she befriends all different types of people who laud her precociousness and ability to speak her mind in all different languages. Not a thought or idea escapes her, as she prepares for her long awaited journey to America, reflecting that an ocean will separate her from her cousins in Berdichev. Even though she is seeking a better life, Rifka empathizes that she would like nothing more than to me reunited with her entire extended family, the Russian branches included, in America.
Karen Hesse’s personal tale won her the Jewish Book Award and Christopher Award for young readers in 1992. Rifka’s tale is one of a strong willed young girl who in another era could have been considered for politics or any other leadership position. In 1920, however, Ellis Island’s medical officials did not doubt that Rifka would have a bright future, but job prospects at the time were limited even for the top notch women available. Hesse gives adult readers many thoughts to ponder and teachers a wide range of discussion points with their classes. In Rifka Nebrot, girls are given a role model who is determined to achieve anything she wants out of life.
4+ stars
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April 23, 2025Reviewed on: Ashes Books & Bobs.
Twenty years ago I was in third grade reading my first Karen Hesse book, Letters From Rifka. I don’t remember which school I was going to at the time of reading or why I even picked up this story, but I vividly remember the impact it had on me. This book was responsible for many literary firsts in my life and solely inspired my love of Historical Fiction. I have been hoping to acquire it for years, prior to Amazon, and often visited bookstores asking if they carried it. No one had ever heard of it. Now that my daughter was nearing the age I was when I experienced the story, I decided it was time to purchase my own copy and read it with her.
Surprisingly, my son ended up being the one to enjoy this book most! Oftentimes while I am reading, he will be playing on the floor with toys. I had finally given up hope of him listening to what I was reading because a love of books isn’t something I want to force. To my delight, one day I asked if they were ready for me to read Rifka and his response was, “Yes, I love that book!” I asked him what he loved about it and he ended up reciting a full summary of the story. The whole time I was thinking he hadn’t been paying an iota of attention!
For me personally, I was surprised by how many details of this story I remembered two decades later. I know this book resulted in my first recollection of empathy, though I didn’t have a name for the experience at the time. In many ways, this book rocked my sheltered middle-class American world. Through this book alone, I realized kids experienced true suffering, things that had been unimaginable to me before. I understood discrimination and heartbreak, loneliness and longing, even hunger and pain in a completely new way.
I remember being awed by Karen Hesse’s writing. At one point she described a person creating a breeze in the air when they walked by. Such a simple thing, but as a kid, this realization of knowing another person experienced something I often observed was like an awakening. People could write anything – they could describe even the most mundane things and it became magical to me.
In third grade, I also moved away from the only friends I had ever known in my small hometown in Michigan for a cruel new school in Alabama. A school where I was mercilessly teased for my blonde hair, my white skin, the way I talked, and many other things. At the time, I wrote letters to my friends “back home” and drew strength from those relationships when I had no friends at my new school. Experiencing the letters Rifka wrote to her cousin, Tovah, allowed me to experience a sense of kinship. She knew what it was like to miss her home and all she knew, just like I was.
As an adult, reading this book to my children was one of the most nostalgic experiences I think I have ever had. I loved sharing this book with them and being able to explain the things they didn’t quite understand. We pulled out a map of Russia and Europe to follow Rifka’s journey as she traveled and they were able to gain a bit of worldly understanding. We talked about Judaism and the treatment of Jews throughout history. Overall, this book fostered a great learning experience for my kiddos and me. So many years later, this book is still making an impact in the lives and hearts of children and I could not be more grateful to Karen Hesse.
Twenty years ago I was in third grade reading my first Karen Hesse book, Letters From Rifka. I don’t remember which school I was going to at the time of reading or why I even picked up this story, but I vividly remember the impact it had on me. This book was responsible for many literary firsts in my life and solely inspired my love of Historical Fiction. I have been hoping to acquire it for years, prior to Amazon, and often visited bookstores asking if they carried it. No one had ever heard of it. Now that my daughter was nearing the age I was when I experienced the story, I decided it was time to purchase my own copy and read it with her.
Surprisingly, my son ended up being the one to enjoy this book most! Oftentimes while I am reading, he will be playing on the floor with toys. I had finally given up hope of him listening to what I was reading because a love of books isn’t something I want to force. To my delight, one day I asked if they were ready for me to read Rifka and his response was, “Yes, I love that book!” I asked him what he loved about it and he ended up reciting a full summary of the story. The whole time I was thinking he hadn’t been paying an iota of attention!
For me personally, I was surprised by how many details of this story I remembered two decades later. I know this book resulted in my first recollection of empathy, though I didn’t have a name for the experience at the time. In many ways, this book rocked my sheltered middle-class American world. Through this book alone, I realized kids experienced true suffering, things that had been unimaginable to me before. I understood discrimination and heartbreak, loneliness and longing, even hunger and pain in a completely new way.
I remember being awed by Karen Hesse’s writing. At one point she described a person creating a breeze in the air when they walked by. Such a simple thing, but as a kid, this realization of knowing another person experienced something I often observed was like an awakening. People could write anything – they could describe even the most mundane things and it became magical to me.
In third grade, I also moved away from the only friends I had ever known in my small hometown in Michigan for a cruel new school in Alabama. A school where I was mercilessly teased for my blonde hair, my white skin, the way I talked, and many other things. At the time, I wrote letters to my friends “back home” and drew strength from those relationships when I had no friends at my new school. Experiencing the letters Rifka wrote to her cousin, Tovah, allowed me to experience a sense of kinship. She knew what it was like to miss her home and all she knew, just like I was.
As an adult, reading this book to my children was one of the most nostalgic experiences I think I have ever had. I loved sharing this book with them and being able to explain the things they didn’t quite understand. We pulled out a map of Russia and Europe to follow Rifka’s journey as she traveled and they were able to gain a bit of worldly understanding. We talked about Judaism and the treatment of Jews throughout history. Overall, this book fostered a great learning experience for my kiddos and me. So many years later, this book is still making an impact in the lives and hearts of children and I could not be more grateful to Karen Hesse.
June 16, 2016
A very interesting MG story about a Russian Jewish girl who gets separated from her family when they emigrate to America in 1919-1920. For some reason I was afraid the story wouldn't have a happy ending, but I was pleasantly surprised and glad for Rifka, after all that she endured alone.
November 21, 2008
Letters from Rifka is the riveting story of a young girl and her family who make a daring and courageous escape from the progroms of 1919 Russia. The story is told in a series of letters from Rifka to her cousin Tovah who is still in Russia. The family contracts typhus during their journey to the port where they hope to board a boat to America. They barely survive, but do make it to Antwerp, where Rifka is detained because of ringworm. Her family is forced to make the difficult decision to journey ahead of her, but Rifka must stay with a family in Belgium to be treated by nuns until her ringworm heals. She eventually is allowed to make the passage, albeit alone to America. When she finally arrives after a harrowing crossing, she is then detained at Ellis Island becuase she is bald, for fear that her ba ldness will make her unmarriageble and thus become a ward ofthe state. Her courage, brilliance, determination, and lovingkindness give her the strength to finally enter America, be reunited with her family, and meet the brothers she had never me who had immigrated years before she was born.
This novel offers an unforgettable portrayal of the immigrant experience. It is a perfect read aloud choice for a 4th or 5th grade immigration unit, and will hopefully inspire students to research their own family's immigration history. I encouraged my students to interview a family member in order to learn how and why their own ancestors (or perhaps their own generation if they are new Americans)came to America. As students discover the cross cultural similarities among their stories, students develop a more authentic and powerful appreciation of the sacrifices made by previous generations so they they could grow up in America. Karen Hesse gleaned the story idea from her own aunt's immigration story as explained in the Author's Notes.
Rifka is a richly crafted character who overcomes overwhelming obstacles in order to arrive at Ellis Island. She is vulnerable yet strong, wise yet innocent, and fiercely self-advocating yet forgiving of other's shortcomings.
As an enrichment activity, explore the poetry of Pushkin that introduces each chapter. It may be very challenging for most students, but others may be able to infer a message of hope and triumph from the lyrical language.
This novel offers an unforgettable portrayal of the immigrant experience. It is a perfect read aloud choice for a 4th or 5th grade immigration unit, and will hopefully inspire students to research their own family's immigration history. I encouraged my students to interview a family member in order to learn how and why their own ancestors (or perhaps their own generation if they are new Americans)came to America. As students discover the cross cultural similarities among their stories, students develop a more authentic and powerful appreciation of the sacrifices made by previous generations so they they could grow up in America. Karen Hesse gleaned the story idea from her own aunt's immigration story as explained in the Author's Notes.
Rifka is a richly crafted character who overcomes overwhelming obstacles in order to arrive at Ellis Island. She is vulnerable yet strong, wise yet innocent, and fiercely self-advocating yet forgiving of other's shortcomings.
As an enrichment activity, explore the poetry of Pushkin that introduces each chapter. It may be very challenging for most students, but others may be able to infer a message of hope and triumph from the lyrical language.
November 30, 2011
Although this is a compelling and suspenseful story, the epistolary/diary format really doesn't work. It's very hard to get those to work right, and in this case it has the usual problem: the narrative is WAY too detailed to make a convincing letter.
There is also the problem of Rifka writing facts in her letters that the reader doesn't know, but which her cousin clearly would -- like, listing the names of her brothers, when in a real letter she would just say "My brothers," and also explaining about pogroms and the Russian government drafting Jewish boys as soldiers -- which her cousin, being a Russian Jew, would not need to be told. The author could have been more smooth in imparting necessary information, perhaps in a foreword.
Maybe most people aren't bothered by that sort of thing, but it bothers me. Hence, three stars instead of four.
There is also the problem of Rifka writing facts in her letters that the reader doesn't know, but which her cousin clearly would -- like, listing the names of her brothers, when in a real letter she would just say "My brothers," and also explaining about pogroms and the Russian government drafting Jewish boys as soldiers -- which her cousin, being a Russian Jew, would not need to be told. The author could have been more smooth in imparting necessary information, perhaps in a foreword.
Maybe most people aren't bothered by that sort of thing, but it bothers me. Hence, three stars instead of four.
March 1, 2011
Karen Hesse also wrote Out of the Dust, one of my favorite Newbery award winning books. Once again, I am in awe of Hesses' ability to portray a historical period with characters who take us on a journey through time wherein the emotions and the setting paint a vivid image of difficult adversity.
This book is well deserving of the many accolades it received, including some of the following:
Horn Book Outstanding Book of the Year
American Library Association Notable Book
National Jewish Book Award
-------------------
Travel with a twelve-year old Jewish young woman Rifka as she and her family dangerously slip out of Russia to avoid persecution. Her prize possession is a book of poetry by the great Russian author Puskin. Learn the courage and difficulty of the immigrant experience. Smile at the fortitude of this spunky character who faces extreme adversity.
As Rifka travels she writes to her cousin Tovah who remains in Russia. The book is a series of letters of Rifka's journey and her dramatic experiences as her family flees senseless hate and bigotry with the hope of a new life in America.
Taken from real life experience of the author's Aunt Lucy, this is a compelling story of despair balanced with hope, of loss and then gain, of tragedy and then light.
Highly recommended!
This book is well deserving of the many accolades it received, including some of the following:
Horn Book Outstanding Book of the Year
American Library Association Notable Book
National Jewish Book Award
-------------------
Travel with a twelve-year old Jewish young woman Rifka as she and her family dangerously slip out of Russia to avoid persecution. Her prize possession is a book of poetry by the great Russian author Puskin. Learn the courage and difficulty of the immigrant experience. Smile at the fortitude of this spunky character who faces extreme adversity.
As Rifka travels she writes to her cousin Tovah who remains in Russia. The book is a series of letters of Rifka's journey and her dramatic experiences as her family flees senseless hate and bigotry with the hope of a new life in America.
Taken from real life experience of the author's Aunt Lucy, this is a compelling story of despair balanced with hope, of loss and then gain, of tragedy and then light.
Highly recommended!
September 19, 2022
Through bravery, determination, and supporting others, young Rifka makes her way from Russia to the United States, fleeing the pograms in Russia that targeted the Jewish people.
November 7, 2022
I read this back in sixth grade. I remembered it as them escaping the Nazis, not the Russians. Sixth grade was almost seventeen years ago. That is how long I have been trying to find this book again. There for a little bit, I couldn’t remember the name but I could remember the cover. A picture of a bald girl holding the star of David.
Most people don’t know that Jews faced racism far before WWII and the Nazis. The Russians did not like them. They were blamed for everything. So during WWI, most Jewish men were more likely to be killed by their fellow soldiers than were by the enemy. Rifka’s family goes on the run to America to escape enlistment. Rifka tells of her journey to her beloved cousin Tovah who remained behind with her family.
I love the story of immigration told through the perspective of a twelve-year-old. Rifka’s story is not warm and fuzzy but it isn’t completely dark either. It is tragic. But so riveting.
… and from
The gloomy land of lonely exile
To a new country bad me come…
-PUSHKIN
Most people don’t know that Jews faced racism far before WWII and the Nazis. The Russians did not like them. They were blamed for everything. So during WWI, most Jewish men were more likely to be killed by their fellow soldiers than were by the enemy. Rifka’s family goes on the run to America to escape enlistment. Rifka tells of her journey to her beloved cousin Tovah who remained behind with her family.
I love the story of immigration told through the perspective of a twelve-year-old. Rifka’s story is not warm and fuzzy but it isn’t completely dark either. It is tragic. But so riveting.
… and from
The gloomy land of lonely exile
To a new country bad me come…
-PUSHKIN
March 1, 2023
Nahh man, absolutely THE FUCK not.
Tbh, I don’t even remember a single thing abt this book except for the fact that some 12 year old girl called Rifka fell in love w some weird ass old man she met on a boat (i think it was a boat, i forgot, as i said). The author really thought she ate, well she didn’t.
I‘d be lying if said that the idea of the story’s good because it‘s not. It’s bad. And I mean really bad.
My teacher really made me read the whole ass book, hate him for that but that’s beside the point. Everyone who wants to read this shit, do not. Again, do not.
Ok y’all have a great day!!🥰
Tbh, I don’t even remember a single thing abt this book except for the fact that some 12 year old girl called Rifka fell in love w some weird ass old man she met on a boat (i think it was a boat, i forgot, as i said). The author really thought she ate, well she didn’t.
I‘d be lying if said that the idea of the story’s good because it‘s not. It’s bad. And I mean really bad.
My teacher really made me read the whole ass book, hate him for that but that’s beside the point. Everyone who wants to read this shit, do not. Again, do not.
Ok y’all have a great day!!🥰
January 2, 2023
It was good but I was weirded out by two scenes. 1st, When they get off the train and the doctor told Rifka and Momma to take off all of their clothes including their underwear. Also, what he did was look at momma for a very long time.
2nd is when Peter kiss Rifka on the forehead. It was a very weird scene for clarification Peter is 17 (about to be 18) and Rifka is 12. Thank god Peter died (way of death is drowning).
2nd is when Peter kiss Rifka on the forehead. It was a very weird scene for clarification Peter is 17 (about to be 18) and Rifka is 12. Thank god Peter died (way of death is drowning).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2019
Ellie is reading for our summer reading program...krb 6/17/19
Fascinating book. Ellie narrated w/out me even asking her too! She would just tell me about this book every so often...krb 7/1/19
Fascinating book. Ellie narrated w/out me even asking her too! She would just tell me about this book every so often...krb 7/1/19
December 28, 2024
Karen Hesse wrote one of my childhood favourite books (Out of the Dust, which was a gift from my grade four teacher) and a few years back I took a chance on another of her books (Aleutian Sparrow), which I also enjoyed. I figured I was due to check out another of her books, and Letters From Rifka was on the top of my list. This epistolary middle grade novel uses letters from a young girl named Rifka written to a cousin back in Russia as Rifka and her family flee Russia for the US. The book begins in Russia as her family begins their journey by hopping a train under the nose of Russian soldiers and ends with her finally in the US, which means the entire book is about her journey itself. She faces Russian soldiers, antisemitism, illnesses like typhus and ringworm, having to be left behind for many months without her family, deadly ship journeys, detainment at Ellis Island, and more. It's engaging, emotional, educational. It's definitely worth checking out for any kids (or adults!) interested in general history (especially circa 1920), Jewish history (especially Soviet Jewry), the experiences of refugees, or just a good story of peril and searching for the freedom to be safe, healthy, and yourself.
April 21, 2021
I read this last weekend and really enjoyed it. I'll keep it for our family library as I'm sure some of the kids will want to read it too.
January 21, 2025
Another book published in 1992. It is based on a family members personal account and her trials in coming to America as a Russian Jewish immigrant in the early twentieth century. It is an epistolary novel. Great YA option if studying European history or Russian history as well.
September 14, 2021
My boys read this in 5th grade and said I just HAD to read it...this coming from 2 boys who do not often like to read, one with dyslexia. It is definitely a book at the 5th grade level, but a powerful story...I recommend finding a 5th grader to read it with. We have had so much to talk about!
June 20, 2021
Either I love books by Karen Hesse or not so much. I love 'Letters from Rifka." It's post-WWI in Russia and Europe, so a period not as often covered in historical juvenile fiction. The plot keeps moving, lots of conflict to push the MC into growth. Rifka is not a glamorous MC (that wicked case of ringworm! Typhus!), but she's plucky and you want things to work out for her. A coming-of-age story that has real obstacles!
I'm going to be on the lookout for a copy of this for my classroom library.
I'm going to be on the lookout for a copy of this for my classroom library.
December 9, 2021
I read this book because my son’s class read it, and I thought it would be fun to read what he was reading. Though it’s obviously written for middle-schoolers, it was an easy read for me, and still thought-provoking. WWII-era fiction is my favorite genre of book, and, as I’m currently in the middle of two of my own books surrounding this time period, Letters From Rifka fit right in. I enjoyed it very much, and think all you’ve people should read it, and why not for the older people, too?
September 10, 2018
This book was so good. I read it while I was in 5th grade. It was about the girl Rifka writing letter to her cousin, about her journey from Russia to America. She and her family faced lot of struggle, but they overcome it. This was such s amazing book, it's so memorable.
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December 10, 2018Letters From Rifka helped me understand history better. This book is about a family of Jews trying to get to America for a safer life. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about history.
June 30, 2021
Such a sweet book recommended to me by LucyAnne. I loved the Pushkin poetry and all the history lessons: Russian pogroms, Ellis Island, transcontinental travel, immigrant life in New York just to name a few.
June 11, 2023
Although this is a book entirely in (one-sided) letters, it was more of a "normal" book than the others by Hesse that I have read, which have been more poetry. The writing was fine, but I felt the story lacked drama because we basically knew in advance that Rifka was going to make it to the U.S. Yes, there were unexpected detours, but we knew that eventually the obstacles would be overcome. Things like antisemitism are introduced, but the level of nastiness is fairly low. I'm not sure this is an essential book for teaching on Russia or immigration. It's fine, but nothing special. I feel that the excerpts from Pushkin that introduce each chapter will not connect with readers of the target age.
December 8, 2019
I taught this novel to my 7th grade students. This is a short historical fiction novel that discusses what happened around 1918 to the Jewish people in Russia. I enjoyed reading about Rifka and her family and discussing this novel with my students. I think that this is a beneficial novel for young adults.
March 13, 2020
Super fast middle grade read about a Russian Jewish family trying to get to America during WWI. The girl gets separated from her family and the book is all letters that she has written to her cousin during her travels.
May 7, 2021
My mom bought me about 10 books to read, this one was the first I read I like it a lot because it is written in letter form, the best part I think was when Rifka scolded Ilya For playing with a toilet paper roll and throwing it into the harbor.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2022
I LOVE the ending of this. After all Rifka has to go through, it’s super satisfying and exciting as it leaves off on a very happy note.
February 24, 2021
I liked the ending soooooo much but I still don't know how to rate this book. I'll be back. :)
Update 4⭐
Update 4⭐
August 24, 2021
I read this aloud for school. Everyone gave it 4 stars. MD liked that the story was in letter format. CN liked the book but thought it was a little long. MK liked the story and gaining a better understanding of Ellis Island. I thought this was a great story about immigration- the struggles, hardships, setbacks and joy.
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January 24, 2025not as good as i remembered but still good
April 16, 2025
a powerfully told simple little story. it was wild to read this knowing that someone really went through all of it. well written and i will definitely have in my classroom one day.
March 16, 2023
it had a good plot but i remember it being very forgetable
Displaying 1 - 30 of 652 reviews