PUBLICATIONS

REVIEWS IN THE NATIONAL MEDIA

The story deals with racial and religious relations, but is also a book that looks at pride and dignity. It shows the kind of emotional strength needed to survive an urban ghetto and the value of community. Beautifully written, it will appeal to a wide audience. A memorable and moving book.
                                --School Library Journal

Some of the best scenes revolve around Opal's sharing of Sabbath dinners in Solomon's apartment. The coming together of cultures is expressed in Opal's feeling about the food as she tries soup that has 'big round white klunkers floating" and in the conversation that mixes Solomon's Yiddish phrases with Opal's hard-boiled street speech. The pace is quick and the characters pulse with life. The books teeming vitality will hook young readers and keep them reading from beginning to end.
                                      --Horn Book Magazine

The novel offers a slice of urban life as blacks, Jews and Hispanics struggle for survival in New York's angry streets. The language packs an honest, urban punch; the city's tension fairly pulses through the book. A valiant attempt to address the urban dilemma.
                                                    --Kirkus Review

The story is provocative and suspenseful and its message--Solomon's conviction that 'we are all the same' --is worthwhile.
                                           --Publisher's Weekly

The action is nonstop and the ending uplifting. Opal is an introspective, multidimensional character who will appeal to teens across ages and cultures. The picture of her neighborhood with all of its tension and all of its pride will draw readers into a world they will be able to understand regardless of socio-economic background.
                                                                 --Booklist