Skating with the Statue of Liberty

Reviewed by: Laurel T. Parker - Windham Public Library, Windham, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 12, 2016

Review

Jewish Gustave has arrived in America with his parents, aunt and cousin. He struggles to fit in, as he experiences discrimination which he thought would be left behind in Nazi occupied France. Befreinding a Negro girl in his class leads to complications which he also does not understand. The Double V campaign, Victory at war, Victory at home, is well presented, as the Negro community is struggling too, to be treated fairly. With New York City as the setting, the reader is transported to a complex time where ethnic groups are working hard to be accepted as an equal part of the communities in which they work and live.

Overall Book Score: good