Review of The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman

Authors

Erin E. Kloosterman, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Dial Books For Young Readers

City

New York, New York, United States of America

Date of Publication

2018

ISBN

9780735229471

Date of Review

2019

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

young adult literature, reviews

Review

Imani’s always known she was adopted, and as she’s grown older, she’s found herself increasingly more interested in finding out more information about her birth family. When her great-grandmother dies, Imani finds an old diary, and suddenly, Imani finds herself interested in learning more about her adoptive family. The diary tells the story of Imani’s great-grandmother right after she came to America at the start of World War II. As Imani learns more about her great-grandmother’s past, she realizes that she might have more in common with her adopted ancestors than she first believed. The book switches seamlessly between two time periods, and the break in the narrative increases the sense of urgency in the novel and makes the reader want to keep flipping pages. Imani is an incredibly likeable protagonist, and many young children will relate with her feelings of being an outsider and her desire to understand her past. The history presented in the book is easily understood, making this book a perfect companion to history lessons about World War II. Recommended. Erin Kloosterman, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Kloosterman, Erin E., "Review of The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman" (2019). Library Intern Book Reviews. 235.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/235

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