Serendipity's Footsteps

September 7, 2015
A leitmotif of shoes underpins Nelson’s novel, which unfolds over more than 60 years, jumping from the Holocaust to contemporary orphanage life in Texas, with stops in several other places and eras, including long sections in 1940s New York. The book opens in November 1938 in Berlin, when 15-year-old Dalya, daughter of a Jewish cobbler, and her family are taken to a concentration camp, leaving behind a precious pair of shoes. From there, Nelson follows Dalya through her long life while directing a much narrower lens on two runaway orphans, Ray and Pinny. These three prove to be the story’s focus, but many secondary figures are also highlighted; sometimes breaks between individuals’ tales are so long that flipping back to previous installments is necessary. Nelson (The Sound of Munich) ties up all the threads adroitly, if a little too neatly, with a heartwarming conclusion in New York City in 2013. An extensive author’s note explains the inspiration for the book and offers historical background, plus sources for further information on some of the topics explored. Ages 12–up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

September 15, 2015
A pair of handmade shoes travels through time, transforming the lives of those who come into contact with them. When 15-year-old Dalya Amschel begins work on her future wedding shoes, she never dreams that she will end up in a concentration camp and that the embroidered pink satin footwear will have a wild odyssey of their own. The shoes travel from Germany to Ohio to Connecticut to Texas and finally to New York. While the narrative shifts among multiple tales, characters, and time periods can be distracting and uneven and the repeated shoe theme becomes heavy-handed at times, the novel eventually settles into a natural rhythm, and the stories come together by the end. Nelson's characters are engaging-from Dalya, Henry, and Aaron in the World War II-era saga to Ray and Pinny in the more contemporary South-and are notable for including among the shoe-wearers sensitive portraits of a teenager with Down syndrome as well as a young boy exploring gender and sexual identity. An absorbing convergence of coming-of-age stories as well as a thoughtful meditation on shoes and all that they witness and represent. (author's note) (Fiction. 12-16)

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October 1, 2015

Gr 10 Up-Can a pair of shoes have a profound effect on a person's life? For Dayla, Ray, and Pinny, a specific pair of shoes connects them through time and place over decades and continents. One is the only member of her family to survive the atrocities of Nazi Germany and begin life anew in the United States. One is a troubled orphan who has been in and out of foster care and has decided to run away and start over in New York. And lastly, one is a quirky idealist with mild Down syndrome who believes that New York holds the answer she has been seeking. With this novel, Nelson weaves an original and unique story line using shoes as the focal point that drives the plot. The story unfolds and evolves through the alternating points of view of Dayla, Pinny, and Ray as they overcome tragedy and despair in their lives. Nelson addresses complex themes such racism, morality, discrimination, and self-esteem, all with exceptional tact and sensitivity. This uplifting story depicts the best and worst in humanity and the true strength of the human spirit. VERDICT An inspiring additional purchase for mature readers.-Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades 8-11 Part realistic fiction, part fairy tale, and part historical fiction, this novel is all heart. Dalya escapes the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and makes it all the way to New York City, but she loses her beloved shoes, which contained her mother's rings hidden in a secret compartment. In contemporary Texas, two teenage orphansRay with scars on her feet and aspirations of singing at Juilliard, and Pinny, with Down syndrome and a love of shoesrun away to New York City. With these two dominating narrative threads, as well as several others scattered throughout, Nelson shows the many feet the shoes share before finding their way back to their true owner. Quite gentle by today's standards, Nelson's story is evenly paced with winsome characters. Though some characters that appear briefly in the shoes' storied history are forgettable by the tale's end, the protagonists earn their keep, particularly Dalya. A lengthy author's note provides further context for the historical aspects. A tender novel about connections, friendship, love, and loss.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)