The Length of a String

The Length of a String | Elissa Brent Weissman

so-so

This is a cute story about what makes us who we are, and I'm glad I read it, but it doesn't hold together as tightly as it might. There were some opportunities for tension that I think the author missed out on, and I'm not keen on seventh graders dating each other. I did, however, enjoy learning about Luxembourg and Luxembourgish. I read this with my son as part of Build Your Library homeschool curriculum, level 6.

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Daisey

The Length of a String | Elissa Brent Weissman

“It was her real life, Imani,” she said apologetically. “It‘s not some book we read in school with, like, symbols and themes. She didn‘t have to end with any closure.”

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Daisey

The Length of a String | Elissa Brent Weissman

pick

This book weaves together the story of Imani, an African American girl adopted by a Jewish family, with her great grandmother Anna‘s story of leaving Luxembourg to live with a couple in New York City in 1941. I enjoyed the way the diary made the past real to Imani and also helped her better understand her own adoption. It is a wonderful combination of historical fiction and the reality of family as more than genetics.

#TRS2019 #MiddleGrade

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Daisey

The Length of a String | Elissa Brent Weissman

I settled in for a little bit of cozy reading this evening with Gandalf. This story alternates between the perspective of an adopted Jewish girl in the present and her great grandmother‘s diary from 1941.

Branwen Your kitty is lovely and your mug is awesome! 😁😻💕 5y

Crazeedi Sounds good! 5y

sprainedbrain Is that gorgeous kitty named Gandalf? 😻 5y

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Daisey @Branwen Thank you! 5y

Daisey @Crazeedi The book is great so far, but I also don‘t want to say too much until I get further. 5y

Daisey @sprainedbrain Yes! 5y

sprainedbrain @Daisey Love that! We had a cat with a different name years ago that always sat on the stairs and wouldn‘t let the other cats past him. We started calling him Gandalf and there were lots of ‘you shall not pass!‘ jokes. 😂 5y

Daisey @sprainedbrain What a great story! 5y

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megnews

The Length of a String | Elissa Brent Weissman

pick

There was a lot going on in this book. Adopted black daughter of Jewish parents preparing for her Bat Mitzvah finds her recently-deceased great-grandmother‘s diary and begins a search for what happened to her family during the Holocaust while simultaneously trying to find a way to tell her mom she wants to search for her biological parents. The alternating present day and historical storylines was right up my alley.

#MiddleGradeMay