ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY UPTOWN finds the family settles into their new house. Mama has surgery and Ella and her sisters manage the house with some help from their family and friends. Ella’s relationship with Jules faces challenges when he enlists to fight in WWI.

I enjoyed ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY UPTOWN more than the other books as the sisters age and interact with more people outside of the family, including their first friends who aren’t Jewish. They see a Christmas tree for the first time and introduce their christian friends to Jewish traditions.

If I knew a young MG reader, I’d get her all of Sydney Taylor’s ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY books.

In this fourth book of the All of a Kind Family series, Mama, Papa, the five sisters and brother Charlie move away from New York's Lower East Side to the leafier, less-crowded Bronx, where the housing is newer and people of different backgrounds mix together a little more freely. Our observant Jewish family now lives in the second floor of a two-family house owned by the Irish Catholic Healys and there is an exchange of customs (the girls and Charlie see their first Christmas tree). Everyone is thrilled when Uncle Hyman and Lena have a baby.

World War I is imminent, Ella is in her final year of high school, and Sarah will be graduating from eighth grade. Ella becomes close friends with Grace Healy and the two families grow closer.

There are mishaps and challenges to be overcome: Mama becomes ill and must be hospitalized for an operation, Charlie has a dangerous episode while playing with matches, Sarah has a disappointment, and Jules, Ella's boyfriend, enlists in the Army. Jules befriends Bill, a fellow soldier, and just before the two ship out, he introduces Bill to Grace. They quickly fall for one another. The war news of Jules and Bill brings tears but in the end, of course, all is resolved.

As usual, author Sydney Taylor includes Jewish religious celebrations, such as preparation for the Sabbath, which the girls undertake while Mama is in the hospital, and the blessing for Hyman and Lena's son, but this time there is a little bit of Christmas included, when the family visits the Healys for the festivities. It's good to see these interactions with the wider world as the family's life moves forward.

The family has moved to the Bronx! I adore their neighbors. I love little Charlie toddling down to share his woes with the grocer below them. Henny dying Ella's dress with tea is classic. I love that all of the kids get their own stories and selves fleshed out. Just charm, so much charm and love.

Still loving the series. This broadens the life of the family into WWI.

**Again, the forward is filled with spoilers so read it last!**

Fun series that my 4 year old loves

A little more twee and a lot less unified than the other entries into this series (I haven't read the last one yet), but still an enjoyable read. Interesting view of the First World War.

Loved these books..all of them..in my youth. Loved Ella especially. I remember sitting in a library and reading. Great series.

i’m actually crying it’s so sweet

I can't believe it! I read this series way back at the onset of the 60's, when I was in third grade! One of the first Hispanic families in the Bronx neighborhood where we lived, I attended parochial school with several Italian and Irish children from the hood. There was also a large Judaic community, with a large Synagog around the corner from where we lived. The children of these families attended the local public school, which was not far from where I attended. With only my street friends to expose me to cultural differences (whether positively or negatively), there was little I could find in school that I could relate to in terms of my own, as well as their culture. As a second language learner, it took me a while to grasp reading in English. However, once I did, I took every opportunity to go to the local library and/or took advantage of the 'bookmobile' when it came onto our street. When the librarian asked me what books I was interested in, she turned me onto this series. I was able to share these stories with my friends in and out of school. They helped me to better understand the Judaic faith and their life customs. Thankfully today, there is a greater variety of books available to inner city children that covers a wide range of cultures and religious faiths. What a great medium to teach the young about understanding differences among people and how to embrace those differences! (Back in 1960, by its standards, I'm sure the series would have earned 5*****. Not sure in today's standards how many stars it would earn.)

This was full of fun adventures! The focus is definitely shifting more to Ella in this especially with the U.S.’s entry into WWI and how that affects Jules and Ella’s friend Grace, etc. But the family is still at the heart of the story. I enjoyed the beginning as the girls have to work together while their mother has her appendix out. I loved the pancake story and the singing bus ride and Sarah’s studying for a history prize. Henny is a kick with her impulsive and headlong antics. She’s a bit like Anne Shirley. I love that she’s the sister most likely to care for Charlie. There is so much to love in this story. I saw that my Libby app has the audiobooks so I’ll definitely be listening to these in future!

I had to reread this because of a random conversation about tea and clothing (this will make sense to you if you know this book). This is such a sweet series and a great way to learn about Jewish traditions and holidays.

All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown fits in with the rest of the series but strikes a slightly different, slightly less charming tone: the girls are older, the talk of WW1 grounds it more firmly into a specific year, and the family seems to be somewhat wealthier than at the start of the series.

I also think the chapter talking about  Mama's hospitalization  wasn't well introduced--I spent the rest of the book wondering if my e-book copy was missing a chapter, since she's suddenly  in the hospital  with no explanation.

Will we just never find out the family's last name?