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Looking for Me
One of 12 siblings growing up in depression-era Baltimore, Edithisn't quite sure of who she is. Between working at her father’s diner, taking care of her younger siblings, andliving in the shadow of her more mature sisters, Edith feels lost in a sea of siblings. When a kind teacher encourages Edith to be a teacher herself one day, Edith sees prospects for a future all her...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
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This book is truly a gem. Written all in verse, which I normally can't get through, it touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes. I was impressed by how well the verse was still able to move the story and I felt that I knew Edith intimately. Imagine my surprise when I found that this was based on the author's mothers' life! This made it all the more compelling for me.
Growing up in a family of six kids, I could relate to some of the things. And now as a mother, I especially loved this line,...more
Growing up in a family of six kids, I could relate to some of the things. And now as a mother, I especially loved this line,...more
his sweet book has a lot going for it. This is an era that isn’t over done and the immigrant story still feels contemporary. Some of the monetary issues that were all too common place during the depression ring true in this period of recession. Author Betsy R. Rosenthal, who draws on her own family’s history (including family photos and a short afterward), does a good job exploring the various forms of sibling relationships. Sometimes Edith is ‘the Little Mother,’ looking after her younger sibli...more
Mar 26, 2012
Barbara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
bullies,
cultural-identity,
death,
families,
immigration,
novels-in-verse,
teachers,
ncbla2013
Eleven-year-old Edith Paul often wonders where she fits in since there are 12 children in the family, and she usually ends up doing much of the housework and caregiving to the younger ones. When her teacher asks the class to write poems about their families, she is annoyed because she has quite a lot of ground to cover. This novel in verse, based on the growing up experiences of the author's own mother whose mother emigrated from Russia, highlights the tension between economic survival dependent...more
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Using prose, Edith searches for who she is within a family of twelve children. She is number four, the “little mother,” the one everyone can count on. But she doesn’t know who she really is. When asked to write about her family, she leaves herself out. She is always looking for peace and quiet. She feels she does most of the house work and still ends up working in her father’s diner. She takes care of her younger siblings and remains envious of her older sisters. When Edith’s teacher shows her k...more
Looking for Me is a sweet and informative peek inside the life of a second generation Russian immigrant in Baltimore in the 1930’s. Written in verse, some which rhyme others that use free-form prose the poems are easily accessible and clearly deliver the reader to the time and place being written about. Edith who is described as being “just plain” is right in the middle of a family of 12 kids. They share beds and have hand me downs of hand me downs. The poems touch on education, Jewish tradition...more
In Depression era Baltimore, Edith is part of a hard working Jewish family with twelve children. She is the "little mother" and often has to take care of her younger sisters and brothers. Her favorite brother is Melvin, but when he passes away, her mother decides she will no longer work at the family diner with her father, so Edith is sent to work there instead. Edith really wants to make a success of herself in school, because her teacher tells her that she is smart, but things do not look good...more
This book was SO. GOOD. I usually hate books of poems. Like, I put them down immediately. Loathing.
But this book was different. I picked it up off the "new books" shelf at my school. I flipped through it, saw it was a book of poems, and almost put it down. I then saw the author had the same last name as me, and I thought, "Well that's pretty cool!" and read the inside flap about the book. It's about a girl in a big family, of 12 children. I'm one of 7 children, myself. She is trying to find her...more
But this book was different. I picked it up off the "new books" shelf at my school. I flipped through it, saw it was a book of poems, and almost put it down. I then saw the author had the same last name as me, and I thought, "Well that's pretty cool!" and read the inside flap about the book. It's about a girl in a big family, of 12 children. I'm one of 7 children, myself. She is trying to find her...more
What a delightful find! Based on the childhood of the author's mother, this tale is told in verse, the perfect medium for the story. Edith is in the middle of the twelve children of the Paul family, expected to help with the family restaurant, and take care of the littler ones. Throughout the year chronicled in the book, she searches for some sort of identity, some uniqueness as the Depression rages, money is tight, and her family experiences tragedy. Edith is not the best student in her class,...more
LOOKING FOR ME by Betty Hoffman - thanks to GoodReads for providing me with a copy.
I finished this book in one day!! It is so well written that I was engrossed from the first page. While the plot is uncomplicated,....the manner in which Ms.Hoffman describes everyday events is like an artist painting a portrait.
When "Teddi:" recalls her childhood memories,.....the reader is drifted back into time along with her. The mysterious loss of
her brother haunts her through adulthood but the love she had...more
I finished this book in one day!! It is so well written that I was engrossed from the first page. While the plot is uncomplicated,....the manner in which Ms.Hoffman describes everyday events is like an artist painting a portrait.
When "Teddi:" recalls her childhood memories,.....the reader is drifted back into time along with her. The mysterious loss of
her brother haunts her through adulthood but the love she had...more
This book is so similar to the experiences I had growing up in a family of ten. I love when Edith spends time with her mother in the late evenings watching her iron because that was the only time she had her mom to herself. In a large family you find those times with parents as very special. In my family we become the number of our birth order. Edith also experienced this. As with Edith's family when my family gets together it is loud and obnoxious but mostly fun. We never had birthday parties w...more
Edith is 4th in a Jewish family of 12 children in Baltimore during the Great Depression. Seemingly simplistic, this story is told in poems, and follows the course of one year of Edith's life. Don't let the white space on the pages fool you! This book made me laugh and cry as I got to know Edith, her parents, her brothers and sisters, her Bubbies, and her friends at school. The depth of emotion show in the poetry was sometimes overwhelming. Although taking place in the 1930s, many of the incident...more
My grandmother was the same age as the children in All of a Kind Family. My son's grandparents are the same age as the family in this book, a novel in verse about a Jewish girl growing up poor, with seven siblings, in Baltimore in the 1930s. The family is large and loving, but the parents are not the idealized parents of the All of a Kind Family. A child dies and the mother becomes depressed. The father has a hard time showing affection. Nevertheless, the book is positive--the protagonist is a s...more
Story in verse about the author's mother and her life growing up in Baltimore probably in the 40s or so. The verse was simplistic and clunky, and didn't add to the story. Some sections were affecting, especially when the girl tried to figure out where she fit in among her many siblings and relatives. Her family emigrated from Russia, and the book talks about her experiences being Russian-American and Jewish, but the story wasn't communicated that effectively. This would be more supplemental for...more
I love the style of this book, which used poems to create a first person memoir style biography of the author's mother who grew up in a big Jewish family in Depression era Baltimore. I liked the main character, her feel for her own particular life, and the glimpse of history it gave me. Some moments made me gasp, like when a school mate learned Edith was jewish and checked under her hair for horns. There is real loss and reall love in the family, and Edith's quest to know herself in the middle o...more
The working class Jewish experience in Baltimore in this time period is not commonly encountered in print, much less in verse, and this is done with great nostalgia, affection, and matter-of-factness, but with no extra sweetener. Another big plus in this book's favor is the presence of an observant and compassionate teacher who brings hope into the life of the narrator (the author's mother), allowing her to see that she is far more than an extra mother to the younger siblings and a diner drudge...more
Looking For Me is based on the authors mother when she was eleven-years old, and touches on all those emotions that go-hand-in-hand with growing up in a "way-too big family." Jealousy, annoyance, joy, love, and anger. I recognize some of those emotions, I am one of those kids. Edith is child number 4 in a family of 12 - I am number 6 in...let's say a family of 8. Edith day dreams of being an only child and not having to share her clothes, her parents attention, and the air she breathes. She even...more
YA selection. this book is written in verse. the narrator, edith, is number four in a family of twelve. so the title of the book suggests what young edith is trying to figure out: what exactly is her role in such a large family?
a lot happens in a short period of time, but this is a moving read. perhaps i identified with edith because i am the youngest of six. although my family is not quite as large as hers, it is still difficult finding your voice among so many.
enjoyable read.
a lot happens in a short period of time, but this is a moving read. perhaps i identified with edith because i am the youngest of six. although my family is not quite as large as hers, it is still difficult finding your voice among so many.
enjoyable read.
Novels in verse are not my usual choice, but a friend recommended it to me because I grew up in a large family like the narrator. I found that I had lot of connections to the story. The strongest is the sense of anonymity and lack of individuality that you feel when your family is large. You appreciate the times when an adult really sees and hears you. The author captures this feeling excellently through the vignettes. The verse reads easily and concisely.
A verse novel about the author's mother's childhood as one of 12 children in a Jewish Family. It's a reallife "Cheaper by the Dozen" accept her dad doesn't seem to want kids and her mom never gets a break.
It's a heartfelt story that is easy to understand. Verse novels are very good at emoting and, as are their wont, I ended up crying. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it, because it is very worth the read.
It's a heartfelt story that is easy to understand. Verse novels are very good at emoting and, as are their wont, I ended up crying. That doesn't mean you shouldn't read it, because it is very worth the read.
This story ,told in verse, is based on the experiences of Ms. Rosenthal's mother, Edith Paul. The story is about the trials and tribulations of growing up in a large family during the late 1930's. It is difficult to understand your uniqueness when you are the middle child of 12. Edith's narration allows us to see the joys and frustrations of being part of a large family and gives us a glimpse in to our own history.
Edith is the fourth child in a family of 12 children. Her father owns a diner and her mother works long hours there, so Edith gets to be "the little mother" and help care for her brothers and sisters. When tragedy strikes the family, Edith's mother decides to stay home with the children and Edith must work long hours at the diner instead. Edith tells her story using poetry - a format that suits this book perfectly.
Rosenthal uses her mother as inspiration for main character Edith. A slice of life story which I loved... reminded me of listening to my grandmother tell stories about her life growing up. Written in verse, the story moves along seamlessly and conveyed so well how I imagine it would have felt to BE Edith. The nostalgic feel makes this another one I wonder how kids will take to.
2.5.
Short, sweet, book written in verse from the point of view of Edith Paul, a member of a family of 12 growing up in the 1930s, struggling to find her place in her family and the world. The rating should be taken with a grain of salt because not only am I not in the target age group, I normally can't stand books written in verse. Not for me now, but I can see my seven-year-old self (or another shy, historically minded bookworm) enjoying it.
Short, sweet, book written in verse from the point of view of Edith Paul, a member of a family of 12 growing up in the 1930s, struggling to find her place in her family and the world. The rating should be taken with a grain of salt because not only am I not in the target age group, I normally can't stand books written in verse. Not for me now, but I can see my seven-year-old self (or another shy, historically minded bookworm) enjoying it.
good story about young Jewish girl living in a large family in Baltimore circa 1936, 1937. the story tells of a year of her life in 6th grade. I was entranced by the story in short simple prose at the beginning but became less interested as time went on. seems like too many dropping of holiday names to mark time and religion and not enough depth and inner life of the main character.
I read this book because I'm leading a reading group with it in my daughter's class, but I really liked it. The format is different, and the story is told through a series of poems. As one if seven kids, there were so many aspects of growing up in a large family that I could totally relate to. The author really hit the ups and the downs perfectly. Definitely recommended.
Told in free verse, this novel focuses on a Jewish family in Baltimore during the Great Depression. Based on the author's mother, Edith is the fourth child in a family of twelve children, and she wonders who she is in the world. A nice combination of the day-to-day life of a child in the 1930's with some heart-wrenching as well as uplifting moments.
So I'm reading this book. And loving the poetry. And I'm thinking it's all sorts of cute and sweet and interesting, with splashes of history, with a few moments of sadness. And then one poem crushes me. And the next one twists the hurt a little bit. And then it all sinks in. And wow.
What a great book told in verse.
Very well done.
What a great book told in verse.
Very well done.
This one may have been better marketed as simply a book of poems instead of as a novel in verse. There wasn't a whole lot of plot. The poems were good, and Rosenthal gives us a good look into her childhood, but in the end, the whole book was kind of forgettable.
What I liked: Historical fiction in verse, strong heroine with a distinctive point of view, pathos.
What I didn't like: I didn't feel like I was in the hands of an experienced poet (compare with Paul Janeczko's Requiem [Candlewick, 2011]).
What I didn't like: I didn't feel like I was in the hands of an experienced poet (compare with Paul Janeczko's Requiem [Candlewick, 2011]).
Quick read in verse about a girl who is trying to find her place in a very large family. Surprisingly high Lexile level, likely due to the cultural vocabulary words used throughout. Based on the author's mother's life.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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| What's The Name o...: Girl feels ignored in big jewish family in the 1950's (?) U.S. little brother dies, JFICTION [s] | 3 | 120 | Dec 27, 2012 08:03pm |
