Skating with the Statue of Liberty

Black Radishes

by Susan Lynn Meyer

"This rich story reminds us that America can be at its best as a melting pot. A page-turner for all the right reasons."  —VINCE VAWTER, Newbery Honor–winning author of  Paperboy  

In this gripping and poignant companion to Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner  Black Radishes,  Gustave faces racism and anti-Semitism in New York City during World War II, but ultimately finds friendship and hope.
 
After escaping the Germans in Nazi-occupied France, Gustave and his family have made it to America at last. But life is not easy in New York. Gustave’s clothes are all wrong, he can barely speak English, and he is worried about his best friend, Marcel, who is in danger back in France. Then there is September Rose, the most interesting girl in school, who doesn’t seem to want to be friends with him. Gustave is starting to notice that not everyone in America is treated equally, and his new country isn’t everything he’d expected. But he isn’t giving up.

Julia Ward Howe Honor Award
Sydney Taylor Notable Book
Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
Junior Library Guild Selection 

"I love everything about this poignant story, especially the gorgeous prose, which brings to life such an important slice of American history in a way I haven't seen before. Simply put, this heartfelt book is a masterpiece." -SHANA BURG, author of A Thousand Never Evers and Laugh with the Moon

“The everyday details of the story guide readers, allowing them to enjoy following Gustave’s entry into the United States and his growth toward appreciating all that’s ahead for him in his new home. . . . Strong historical content, rich descriptions, and smart subtleties about the links between history and current events.”— School Library Journal

“ Readers may gradually start to think of the characters as close friends . . . . The conflict might feel like it's happening to people the readers have always known. A sweet book that readers will find sneaks up on them.”— Kirkus Reviews

"Well paced with fully realized characters , this provides a textured look at race, refugees, war, and the process of creating a new life."-- Booklist 

 
Praise for Black Radishes
 
A Sydney Taylor Honor Award Winner
A Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Book of the Year
An Instructor Magazine Best Kids’ Book, Historical Fiction
A Massachusetts Book Award Must-Read Book
 
“ An empowering, suspenseful story of a unique young boy with cunning, patience, and courage.”—Francisco X. Stork, author of Marcelo in the Real World
 
“ A fascinating, deftly gripping tale that reminds readers, young or old, of events we must never forget. ”—Zilpha Keatley Snyder, three-time Newbery Honor winner and author of The Egypt Game
 
“A vivid and moving story about a Jewish family’s efforts to escape the Nazis, seen through the eyes of a clear-signed and sensitive young boy.”—Annika Thor, winner of the Mildred L. Batchelder Award
 
“ Black Radishes transforms the past into a gripping story. ”—Kit Pearson, winner of the Governor General’s Award for Awake and Dreaming

Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Childrens, World War II, War, Jewish, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[Cynthia Levinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This seamless historical novel is populated with a diverse array of thoroughly believable characters and events drawn from the author’s own family and additional impeccable research. Candid about race relations and anti-immigrant bias in America during the early 1940s as well as about Nazism and fascism in Europe, the book is nevertheless hopeful and encouraging for middle-grade readers, who will come away deeply informed about a generally unexplored period. Skating with the Statue of Liberty deserves every award Meyer’s previous novel, Black Radishes, received—and then some.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book in a YA series, this one was better than Black Radishes. I loved the raw stories around the melting pot of Manhattan and hearing the dissent among the children. Uplifting read. Highly recommend!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this follow-up to her earlier Black Radishes, twelve-year-old Gustave finds that the United States is not quite as welcoming as he and his family had expected it to be. While worried about his friend Marcel, who is still back in France under the Nazi regime, he corresponds with his friend Nicole whose father is involved in the French Resistance movement. Gustave also faces bullying due to his clothing, his language, and the fact that he is Jewish. His friendship with September Rose, an African-American girl with an extraordinary voice, also raises many eyebrows. The author has woven in many anecdotes from her own father's life that add to the story's appeal and authenticity. Readers will find it easy to empathize with Gustave's confusion over his new language with its confounding idioms and how hard he works to afford a pair of long pants so he can fit in with his classmates at Joan of Arc Junior High. They will also wince at the realization that his parents have no choice but to work at jobs that are far beneath their skill level since they don't speak English well. Set in 1942 in New York City, the book takes readers back in time through details such as the can drives, an innocent boy scout camping trip that reveals hidden levels of prejudice, and Gustave's teacher who insists on speaking loudly to him--as though volume will somehow help him understand English better. The inclusion of scenes focusing on Chiquita, September Rose's sweet potato-loving dog, and her suspicious family provide some humor to the story, even while affording readers a glimpse into the budding civil rights movement as some Americans became frustrated about hiring practices at stores quite willing to take their money for products being sold. Readers unfamiliar with the earlier book will want to seek it out. This is a well-written, engaging, and important book that could provide an introduction to WWII and the Holocaust with some teacher support. Although the war was an important concern during the time in which the book was set, the focus for most Americans was a completely different one than that of Gustave's family, an important point worth discussing with students to provide different perspectives on the conflict for them.

[Joanna Marple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel is pertinent to many present day political discussions my students are having. This middle grade novel contains many topics about which I am passionate: France, New York, race relations/immigration and diversity. The main and secondary characters are utterly believable from the time period, 1942, and their cultural background (Jewish refuges from the Parisian suburbs, the rabbi and catholic priest running the French-speaking scout troop, the African Americans (Negros) and their fight for equality. The author's note at the end reflects the personal family history from which much of the narrative is drawn as well as the very extensive research the author carried out. While Europe is facing the threats of Nazi Germany and its fascist allies, and the imminent German occupation in France in the zone libre, the USA is credibly not as tolerant as these early fleeing war immigrants were led to believe. Tense moments of anti-Semitism spill onto the pages as well as the young protagonist, Gustave's concern for the unknown fate of his best friend and resistance fighter left back in France. The choice of making Gustave's closest new friend on the Upper West Side a young negro girl is perfect to mirror the same bigotry both races experience. The 1940's New York setting in neighborhoods I know was wonderful to read about, escpecially the Jeanne d'Arc connection. Despite the weighty at times themes, this novel remains full of hope and kindness. I have most happily placed it on my next order for the French American School of New York, as it will make a pertinent read for my 6th to 8th graders. And how excited I was to discover that there's a prequel with the fabulous name of BLACK RADISHES (a veggie I discovered through my CSA box in Nice), which I have also ordered.

[Patt Mccloskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of current relevance, this book gives a young reader an opportunity to live in the skin of a refugee, in this case a Jewish boy escaping from Nazi occupied France in 1942. And it contrasts the promise of "all men are created equal" with the reality of prejudice. It conveys that it requires kindness and courage to push humanity toward its promise.

[Celeste_pewter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular.

[Karen West · Rating 4 out of 5]

I totally enjoyed this book. Look forward to passing it on to my grandkids. Deals with immigration, being out of step in a new culture, racism and bigotry from a kid's POV.

[Kyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be fair, this book is on a more unusual element of history than Black Radishes and, as such, has a fairly intriguing premise. As I mentioned in my review of Black Radishes, I read loads of books about European Jewish kids avoiding Nazis as a kid, but I don't remember reading any about the experiences of Jewish refugee kids in the US during WWII, or anything, even nonfiction for adults, about black anti-discrimination in NY in the 1940s, which is fascinating beyond the scope of its presentation in this book and something I wish I knew more about. So, again, there is nothing wrong with this book's content or plot, which is on some level even more interesting than Black Radishes'. But I still found it took me forever to read and was just really hard to focus on.

I really liked how Gustave, as a French kid in the 1940s, was basically unaware of the extent of American racism at the start of the story and therefore relatively oblivious to its expressions. But, as the book got towards its end and Gustave ended up fairly publicly dating his black friend, I actually felt somewhat tense because I wasn't sure if he was fully aware of the extent of animosity towards interracial dating and the fact that, even in NYC, he and his girlfriend really were putting themselves in danger. I mean, at least he was male and the black kid was female. I can only imgine if it had been the other way around. Nevertheless, I would have felt less tense if Gustave had thought a bit more explicitly about exactly how much of a risk he and September Rose were taking, although as long as he knew what he was getting into I don't have an issue with then taking it!

[Maria . · Rating 4 out of 5]

An EXCELLENT book! Skating with the Statue of Liberty, by Susan Lynn Meyer, was an outstanding book. This is a must-read for tweens/ younger teens!
Plot: Gustave Becker is new to America. The Becker family and a set of their relatives, who are Jewish, leave their beloved homeland of France because of the Nazi occupation there. Gustave is hesitant to leave, because this is a different continent, after all, and especially since he's leaving his best friend, Marcel. Once in America, Gustave is astounded by how different it is from France! Finally, after a long process, the Becker family settles down. Mr. and Mrs. Becker both find a job and Gustave goes to middle school. There, he meets September Rose, who might just change his life. This very good book is about friendship, prejudice, and and hope.
Positive elements: Read what I said above! This has good lessons in it, plus it's page-turning, interesting, and well-written.
Negative elements: The first "group" Gustave meets talks a little too brazenly about girls/ crushes. Luckily, Gustave doesn't stick with them.
Conclusion: What a great read!

[Audrey Ettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent middle grade historical fiction courtesy of PJ Library. Gustave is a new immigrant to the US from France and must learn English, adjust to being poor, help his parents negotiate English and American life, etc. slightly contrived interaction with a "Negro" friend lets Gustave understand racism in the US, and he is quick to draw parallels to the treatment of Jews in France; there's a subtle message about September Rose having a clearly nicer apartment and quality of life than Gustave's family. And a nice exploration of both Franco-American Boy Scouts (with discussion of how to have a hyphenated identity) and the Double V movement, wartime predecessor of the civil rights movement (that I knew about from Hidden Figures, although not before). Looking forward to reassign the prequel -- I picked up this one from Julian's pile and couldn't resist finishing it!

ETA: loved the French priest and Rabbi working together; also, humorous and serious treatment of the various teachers' reactions to a new immigrant.

[Thư · Rating 4 out of 5]

A subtle yet poignant anecdote of a French-Jewish immigrant in America has exposed all the unfolded and ironic sides of the so-called system '' with liberty and justice for everyone.'' Skating with the Statue of Liberty has portraited vividly the lives of the underrepresented minorities in a society where people are discriminated based on how white they looked rather than how shining their souls are. Besides from the main flow of the story regarding the prejudices against the immigrants that Gustave and his family had to shoulder , the author also alarmed us about the downsides of an overtly appearance-oriented society. Especially when September Rose was not singled out for a soloist position in a public chorus merely because she didnot possess an angle-like appearance compared to her counterpart. This scene has got me thinking:''How could human wish to be surrounded by angles when we already broke their wings before they even realize that they could become one?''

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good sequel to the book Black Radishes. It shows that just when refugees from France escape the Nazis, they have to adjust to a whole new culture and new country. It also shows how badly Black people were treated back then, and also how the war altered many daily facts of life, such as having to turn lights off on the coast to avoid Nazi U-Boats. I hope the author makes the third book in the series.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from the author of Black Radishes. Gustave's struggle to adjust to New York city as a refugee from Nazi-occupied France is emotionally packed and engrossing. I especially liked Gustave's growing awareness, through his friendship with an African-American girl, that his new country was not free of the prejudice he encountered in Europe. This is a realistic journey into the heart of the immigrant experience in the 1940's.

[Catherine Petrini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare sequels that is even better than the book it follows. In Black Radishes we met Gustave, a French Jew who flee Paris before the Nazi occupation to settle in a small village in the countryside. That book ends with Gustave and his family boarding a boat to immigrate to America. Now, Meyer describes the process of acclimating himself to a new culture and realizing that the United States is not the egalitarian paradise he had imagined.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so drawn into this book. It was fascinating to see history through the eyes of a child new to America, and all of the triumphs and difficulties of learning to adapt to a new culture. The books deals sensitively with issues of race, religion, and acceptance. It felt like a window into a part of history.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The companion work to Meyer’s Black Radishes, Skating with the Statute of Liberty follows Gustave, a 12 year old Jewish immigrant and his family from France in 1942, as he begins his new life in New York. After escaping the Nazis in France, Gustave is surprised to encounter racism and anti-Semitism again in his new country. But friendship and the hope of new beginnings shine through in this work.

[Xaanua · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a real page turner. I love the development and evolution of Gustave and how he is able to understand that equality doesn´t exist. The conversation and the way that everything suroprises him is so real that i tought that it was base on real events,.¡

[Addy G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skating with the Statue of Liberty is a wonderful way to teach people about segregation and how anyone can be friends, no mater what.

[Amy Scheck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story and will be very appropriate for my higher-level fourth graders studying immigration!

[Sheela Bhat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gripping story of struggle, adjusting in a new country with a new language, of friendship and finally finding your place. A beautiful book from start to finish.

[Jay747 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its a great book that shows off one of the main principles of america. This book is a great book about what its like to move to america.

[Tam Newell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the comparison between different types of prejudices during WW2, but that’s where it ended. The characters, relationships, and plot were too weak to be engaging.

[Kristen DeBart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sequel to middle-school novel, Black Radishes. This novel is about WWII in USA and follows French-Jewish boy who escaped the Nazis and deals with fitting in.

[Joanna Warrens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical fivtion for kids.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skating with the Statue of Liberty continues the story of Gustave Becker begun in Black Radishes. Gustave, now 12, and his family, along with his cousin Jean-Paul and his mother, all French Jews who have finally gotten American visas to leave Nazi-occupied Europe and sail to America. It's January 1942, and the ship the family is sailing must dock in Baltimore to avoid the Nazi U-boats patrolling the waters around New York City. Gustave is disappointed that the Statue of Liberty won't be his first view of America, but arriving in the US is his first taste of freedom since before WWII began.

However, life isn't all that easy for the Becker family in NYC. After staying with kind relatives, they find a small, affordable one room apartment with a shared bathroom on West 91st Street in Manhattan. His father must settle for a low-paying job a as janitor in a department store, and his mother ends up sewing decorations onto hats. Gustave begins school at Joan of Arc Junior High school, hoping the name is fortuitous for him in his new school, home and country.

School issn't too bad for Gustave, who already knows a little English, with except for his homeroom teacher, Mrs. McAdams, who believes that raising her voice at him will make Gustave understand her better. And she also decides that his name is too foreign and begins to call him Gus. He does have one African American student in his class, September Rose, but he doesn't understand why she keeps her distance. Eventually they do become friends, and face some nasty physical and verbal incidents because of it.

Gustave's English improves quickly, and he even gets an after-school job delivering laundry. He and his cousin Jean-Paul, who now lives with his mother at a relative's home in the Bronx, join a French boy scout troop run by a French priest and a French rabbi, the same rabbi who has begum preparing the two cousins for their Bar Mitzvahs. And through his friendship with September Rose, Gustave learns about the Double V campaign in which her older brother Alan and his friends are involved.

But Gustave also worries about his friend Marcel in hiding back in France. Luckily, he is able to write to his friend Nicole in Saint-Georges, France, whose father is in the French Resistance, so there is always hope that there will be good news about Marcel.

I had very mixed feelings about this novel. There is no real conflict in it, really. It is mostly about Gustave assimilation into American life. And while that is very interesting and realistic, it isn't very exciting. In fact, the whole issue around the Double V campaign, including the demonstration staged by Alan and his friends outside a department store in Harlem that refuses to hire African Americans is actually the most exciting part of the book and, I think, it should have been a story in its own right.

On the other hand, and perhaps because my dad was an immigrant, I personally liked reading about Gustave's life in America, perhaps because it is inspired on the author's father's real experiences after arriving in this country. For sure, America isn't portrayed perfect and even Gustave faces incidents of racism and anti-Semitism, but for the most part, he does make friends and has a nice support system in his family, Boy Scouts and school. I certainly appreciate his mixed feelings about which country to give his loyalty to and how that is resolved.

Themes of friendship, family, refugees, racism, hate, and acceptance make this historical fiction novel as relevant in today's world as in 1942. It is a quiet, almost gentle novel that will give young readers a real appreciation of what their family may have lived through coming to a new, unfamiliar country, finding a place in it and giving back as productive members of society.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

This review was originally posted on The Children's War

[Yapha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this sequel to Black Radishes, Gustave and his family have escaped Nazi-occupied France and made it to America just in time. Settling into New York is much different than he expected it to be. He must learn to navigate a new city with a new language and different cultural expectations. Although he did not expect to see it, he faces discrimination as a both a Jew and a foreigner. Things get worse as he makes friends with an African-American girl and sees the restrictions that are placed on both her family and their friendship. The juxtaposition of this against what he just escaped in Europe should be jarring to all young Americans who read this book. Ultimately a hopeful story, Gustave's eyes are open to both the potential and the problems he sees in America. Highly recommended to grades 4 & up. (I suggest reading Black Radishes first to fully appreciate Gustave's story.)

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction, including some little known historical aspects, such as the Double Victory movement. This was very much a slice of life novel, with the focus more on Gustave's gradual adjustment to life in the US after fleeng Nazi France. His worry about his friend Marcel helps to frame the story, as does, to a lesser extent his new friend's brother's civil rights work, but that acts as more of an emotional through-line than a true plot. The setting is excellently done, and I would highly recommend the book to those who are interested in some lesser told tales of life on the US homefront during WWII. Someone looking for a lot of action or clear plot arcs, however, may find the book meandering.

[Mary Louise Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author delves into his family history again to continue the saga of Gustave, a French Jewish boy, who fled his Parisan home with his family to find safety in the European countryside during WWII. Now Gustave is twelve and the family has arrived in New York City, via the port in Baltimore, to start their lives anew, away from the Nazis. But, Gustave can't escape all persecution, especially when his clothes don't allow him to blend in with his American classmates, and his new friend, September Rose, is a Negro girl.

I appreciated that the author shared aspects of Gustave's life from taking a job delivering clean laundry on a bicycle, to being the spokesman for family transactions that demanded a knowledge of English.

[Connecticut Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gripping story of a boy's coming of age in a new city and a new world, during a time of war. The growing friendship between Gustave, a Jewish refugee from Nazi-occupied France, and September Rose, an African-American classmate, is beautifully drawn. Every story of immigration to America is both particular and universal. Meyer's book is an ideal choice for any middle or young adult reader (or parent, like me) interested in the struggles and triumphs of "new Americans," past and present.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timely and well written middle grade historical fiction that explores the experience of a family of Jewish refugees in New York during World War Two. The book is a perfect lead in to discussions about why people become refugees and if and how we should help, as well as the history of the relationship between the police and African Americans in this country. Put it on school lists everywhere!