All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown (1958)

recommended for: all readers who’ve read and enjoyed All-of-a-Kind family & More All-of-a-Kind Family

I loved being back with this family.

Hilarious first chapter!

Henny grew on me a bit in this book because she’s the one who’s so good with youngest sibling and only brother Charlie. It’s always been Sarah & Ella and Charlotte & Gertie and now I feel as though Henny has a pairing too. Also, I admired Henny’s role in the play and her ability to work with others and help implement original ideas.

It was fun to watch the kids grow up. I’m still particularly fond of Sarah, and of Ella, but all the daughters had a bit of the spotlight in this book.

I’m still deciding whether or not to read the Downtown and Ella books. I’ve loved the original, More, and this Uptown so much, and I’ve been told the other two have a different writing style. They were written long after the three I’ve read. Some people have recommended I skip them; others have encouraged me to read them. If I do read the remaining two books, it’s likely that it won’t be in the near future.

In this book, I learned a bit about what the WWI era was like in NYC.

As with the other books in this series, this book would make for a perfect family (or classroom) and/or bedtime read aloud. Each chapter works wonderfully on its own, as a short story, while at the same time contributing to the novel as a whole. ( )

Loved it! Loved it so much I started to wonder what happened to Taylor that her writing took such a nosedive in later years (when she went back to write [b:All of a Kind Family Downtown|7925|All of a Kind Family Downtown|Sydney Taylor|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298696214s/7925.jpg|2440327]?)

Such a wonderful story, with the romance and The War. I think Ella must be just a skosh younger than Betsy Ray of the Betsy-Tacy series. Henny remains, for me, the least likable of the sisters. Here she's up to her usual tricks. But Mama is magnificent, as always.

There's more of the Jewish religion explained- many customs and traditions are included here, much to the edification of young heathens like me. One assumes there are still young heathens to be edified.

Highly recommended! ( )

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The five sisters (whose surname is never mentioned - how odd) are growing up. Ella, the oldest, has a boyfriend, and all of the girls have school adventures and go to parties. The stories still show us what Jewish life was like at that time and place - although the place has changed from the East Side to the Bronx.

Part of the story arc concerns Ella and a boy she meets named Jules. She and Jules and her friend Grace and his friend Bill have a glorious day sightseeing in New York before the boys ship out for France in World War I. Ella's efforts to occupy her time with a boyfriend "Over There," and her increasing family responsibilities when Mama is ill show her maturing into a well-rounded young lady. By the end of the book, Bill is missing in action and Jules is wounded. The homecoming chapter is especially well done, and happy endings seem assured. ( )