The House on Walenska Street

Leah lives with her mother and two sisters in a small Russian village in the early 1900s. Leah’s father recently died, and her mother supports the family by baking bread and renting out part of her cottage to a cobbler. This book is a delightful look into a Jewish child’s life in a different time and place and in different circumstances. Leah, who is a talented writer, reads and writes letters to her cousins in America, has little adventures in her daily life, and experiences soldiers raiding her family’s home. Nearly every chapter starts with, “Mama, come quick!” as Leah’s little sister Esther has gotten into some predicament. This book is not only wholesome, fun, and well written, but also gives worthwhile insight into history, cultures, and human nature.

(Reviewed by Jenny Phillips)