The Length of a String, Elissa Brent Weissman
The Length of a String, Elissa Brent Weissman
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The Length of a String

Author: Elissa Brent Weissman

Narrator: Tyla Collier, Carlotta Brentan

Unabridged: 7 hr 53 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/10/2021

Synopsis

Imani is adopted, and she's ready to search for her birth parents. Anna has left behind her family to escape from Holocaust-era Europe to meet a new family--two journeys, one shared family history, and the bonds that make us who we are. Perfect for fans of The Night Diary.

Imani knows exactly what she wants as her big bat mitzvah gift: to find her birth parents. She loves her family and her Jewish community in Baltimore, but she has always wondered where she came from, especially since she's black and almost everyone she knows is white. Then her mom's grandmother--Imani's great-grandma Anna--passes away, and Imani discovers an old journal among her books. It's Anna's diary from 1941, the year she was twelve and fled Nazi-occupied Luxembourg alone, sent by her parents to seek refuge in Brooklyn, New York. Anna's diary records her journey to America and her new life with an adoptive family of her own. And as Imani reads the diary, she begins to see her family, and her place in it, in a whole new way.

About The Author

Elissa Brent Weissman is the award-winning author of several middle grade novels, including the Nerd Camp series, and the editor of Our Story Begins, an anthology of writing and art by today's kids' book creators back when they were kids themselves. She is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University and earned a Master's degree in children's literature at Roehampton University in London. Named one of CBS Baltimore's Best Authors in Maryland, Elissa lives with her family in Baltimore, where she teaches creative writing to children, college students, and adults.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Emma on September 05, 2018

Well that made me cry. (But in a good way.)......more

Goodreads review by Alex on June 22, 2018

Twelve-year-old Imani Mandel was told she could have anything she wanted as her Bat Mitzvah gift. And she knows just what she wants, but she's too afraid to ask for it. Imani was adopted and now she is wondering about her biological parents and wants to know who she is and who they are. It's especia......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on February 13, 2018

This is an extremely well-written and engrossing novel connecting the past to the present. In 2014, Imani's great-grandmother Anna dies leaving all of her books to her great-grandchildren. Among the stacks, Imani discovers Anna's journal from 1941. Anna chronicles her journey from Luxembourg to Ameri......more

Goodreads review by Lavenderlimes on February 20, 2024

This made me cry, so good. So touching. A great middle grade read about intersectional identities and that representation in children's books is so needed.......more

Goodreads review by Jamie on October 15, 2020

What a powerful middle grade novel exploring themes such as family (both biological and found families) identity, religion, and the ties that bind. Imani is such a plucky and fearless young heroine. She loves her family dearly, she has great friends, and her backhand in tennis is second to non, but......more

Quotes

Praise for The Length of a String

Sydney Taylor Honor Book, awarded by the Association of Jewish Libraries
Tablet Magazine's Best Jewish Children's Books of 2018

“Told in two voices which Weissman weaves together like a double helix, this is a story of family ties, some of which are broken by war, some broken by choice, some broken by unanswered questions. But by the end, readers will see that love and faith—from strangers, from friends, and from long-gone ancestors—have the power to knit us together with strings that are so much stronger than genetics. I loved this sweet refuge of a book.” —Kathi Appelt, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Underneath and The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp
 
“You’ll yearn with this wonderful heroine as she searches for long-ago Anna and her own hidden past. The characters are unforgettable, and the ending is entirely satisfying. A book readers will love; I know I did.” —Patricia Reilly Giff, Newbery Honor-winning author of Lily’s Crossing

“The Length of a String is a resounding continuum of connection and search for self. As universal as it is personal. A must read.” —Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor-winning author of One Crazy Summer

“Weissman’s newest adds to her oevre of middle-grade novels featuring smart kids learning life lessons.” —Booklist

“Pair this with Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars for Jewish historical fiction with heart. An excellent addition with strong curricular ties.” —School Library Journal

“Both Anna and Imani are richly drawn characters, complex and sympathetic. . . . [A] moving, deftly plotted story.” —Publishers Weekly

“The reader watches as [Imani] deepens her understanding of who she is and the world around her—page by page, emotion by emotion. . . . Highly recommended.” —Jewish Book Council

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