Faraway Summer

Dossi #1

by Johanna Hurwitz, Mary Azarian (Illustrations)

Jewish New York City orphan Dossi is sent by the Fresh Air Fund to spend the summer of 1910 in a small Vermont town, during which she records her experiences with new friends and the rural environment in her journal. Reprint.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Middle Grade, Childrens

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Johanna Hurwitz is an American author of more than sixty children's books. She has sold millions of books in many different languages.

Reviews

[Linda Spear · Rating 4 out of 5]

I especially liked the autograph album.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple, nice, wholesome historical fiction. Might be special for the right child at the right time, but I guess I'm too jaded.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose to read this series of novels because the main character, Dossi Rabinowitz, lives in New York City in 1910. My maternal grandmother was born in New York City in 1910.
The level of detail and snippets of history will certainly give readers a clear view of how life was back then. Readers will also learn about the Fresh Air Fund.
People certainly wrote differently in 1910 than we do now. But I often felt that, even cloaked as a fictional diary, the language seemed a bit stiff and dialogue was recounted at length. Most 12-year-olds wouldn't write like that even in 1910 if their second language was English, no matter how many books they had read or how good they were as students.
Even so, the book was all right, and since I had the other two books that fill out the loose trilogy covering the stories of Dossi and Emma Meade, a girl Dossi meets during her Fresh Air vacation on a farm in Vermont, I moved on to the next volume.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dossi Rabinowitz is a 12-year-old Jewish orphan, living in New York City with her older sister Ruthie, after the death of their parents. Ruthie works in a garment factory to make ends meet, but she doesn't make much money and conditions are bad. In the summer of 1910, Dossi gets the opportunity to spend two weeks on a Fresh Air Fund summer vacation in Jericho, Vermont. She is excited, of course, but also nervous about leaving the familiar behind. She meets Emma Meade, daughter of the Christian host family and is immediately drawn to her. Can they be friends despite their differences?

[Yaqueliné · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hadassah is a girl from the city moving into a farm in Vermont with the Fresh Air Fund. I never knew such a fund existed so it's interesting to learn about that. When Hadassah is welcomed to the family the main difference is that she's Jewish while the Meade family is Chrisitan. I like how the author incorporates the differences into understanding one another despite the differences. Although, at the beginning, there was a small conflict between Hadassah and Emma, soon Emma grow to like Hadassah. In the end, they both became very good friends.

Overall, it's a very good book for all readers!

[Melanie Forbush · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a childhood favorite that I want to keep and pass down to my children. I’ve owned it since I was 11-12, and loved it very much. I read at a much higher reading level, since it only took me an hour or so to read, but I always love going back to my childhood favorites and rereading them.

[Tara]

This was a lovely, innocent book. I really enjoyed all the characters and the descriptions of places it was based around.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was quite interesting from what it was based in. The year 1910 must have been rough, but enjoyable

[Scott Grenier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

This book was really cool and interesting and it was cool that they put real places and people my rating would be 100

[Melea Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Leah Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, simple story 😊

[Katharine Ott · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Faraway Summer” – written by Johanna Hurwitz and published in 1998 by Morrow Junior Books, a division of William Morrow and Company. This quiet little middle-grade chapter book imagines the two-week visit of a young New York City girl to the farmlands of Vermont in 1910 in conjunction with the Fresh Air Fund. I was interested to learn that this program, which allows needy children to experience rural life, is still in effect. Hurwitz is well-versed in telling light, engaging tales that appeal to young readers, and I enjoyed this one with its historical connection. She places the action in Jericho, Vermont, and includes a minor, but real character, Wilson aka Snowflake Bentley. This prompted me to re-read “Snowflake Bentley” by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Mary Azarian, who also provided the little woodcuttings at the start of each chapter of “Faraway Summer.” Another plus is a mild introduction to the differences between Christian and Jewish faiths. A nice, easy read.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gr 4-6 155 pgs


1910, lower East Side, NYC/ Vermont. 12 year old Hadassah "Dossi" Rabinowitz can't believe her older sister has signed her up for the Fresh Air Fund. Two weeks away from home and everything she knows. How will she survive?! Despite her concerns, Dossi finds most of the Meade family very welcoming and enjoys all the new sights and sounds of the country. She even enjoys listening to the Meads' neighbor "Snowflake" Bentley talk about snowflake photographs!

Great story. Continued in the sequel "Dear Emma"

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book aloud to my kids. We really enjoyed the story. The characters were well developed and the author left you wanting to know what happened next (and there is another book to read about Dossi!), but ended at a logical place. The story is written like a diary, but the author chose to have the diary be a place where Dossi's experience came to life as she (from NYC) visited a farm for two weeks in 1910.

[AllyBananaKing · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really interesting... Read it!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old favorite

[Rose]

JF Hur