``This rich story reminds us that America can be at its best as a melting pot.
A sweet book that readers will find sneaks up on them.``--Kirkus Reviews``Well paced with fully realized characters, this provides a textured look at race, refugees, war, and the process of creating a new lif.
The conflict might feel like it\'s happening to people the readers have always known. . . .
Strong historical content, rich descriptions, and smart subtleties about the links between history and current events.``--School Library Journal ``Readers may gradually start to think of the characters as close friends. . . .
Simply put, this heartfelt book is a masterpiece.``-SHANA BURG, author of A Thousand Never Evers and Laugh with the Moon ``The everyday details of the story guide readers, allowing them to enjoy following Gustave\'s entry into the United States and his growth toward appreciating all that\'s ahead for him in his new home.
A Junior Library Guild Selection``I love everything about this poignant story, especially the gorgeous prose, which brings to life such an important slice of American history in a way I haven\'t seen before.
But he isn\'t giving up.
Gustave is starting to notice that not everyone in America is treated equally, and his new country isn\'t everything he\'d expected.
Then there is September Rose, the most interesting girl in school, who doesn\'t seem to want to be friends with him.
Gustave\'s clothes are all wrong, he can barely speak English, and he is worried about his best friend, Marcel, who is in danger back in France.
But life is not easy in New York.
After escaping the Germans in Nazi-occupied France, Gustave and his family have made it to America at last.
A page-turner for all the right reasons.`` --VINCE VAWTER, Newbery Honor-winning author of Paperboy In this gripping and poignant companion to Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner Black Radishes, Gustave faces racism and anti-Semitism in New York City during World War II, but ultimately finds friendship and hope. ``This rich story reminds us that America can be at its best as a melting pot
