THE PLACE WHERE NOBODY STOPPED

Told in the rich, well-honed style of a practiced storyteller, a sturdy yarn about a Jewish family taking refuge with a Christian baker in a backwater Russian village while they await passports to America, for which they've paid a cousin their life savings. Segal never says that the lazy, scholarly Mordecai and his hard-working wife Ginzl are Jewish, nor does he address anti- Semitism directly. Rather, the entire population is persecuted by the czar's search for unwilling army recruits. The soldiers' annual visits are comically depicted—even to the brutality with which they repeatedly bludgeon Yosip, who persists in hiding Mordecai and his family. Meanwhile, Ginzl bears ten more children; Mordecai (despite his monumental uselessness when it comes to anything practical) becomes a local favorite with his storytelling; lonely Yosip takes on the entire family as his own; the mendacious cousin finally turns up, but without the promised passports; the eldest daughter falls in love with a local boy; and Mordecai, reaching age 45, is at last safe from the draft. A wonderful story—abundant with warmth, generosity, and the poignant humor that flourishes where people have learned that laughter can temper sorrow and injustice. Colorful characters, delightful dialogue, and lively action following a repetitive folkloric design should make this a readaloud winner. (Illustrations not seen.) (Fiction. 8+)