This book focuses on their Uncle Hyman’s relationship and wedding and the family’s interaction with that. It also has some more serious themes as infantile paralysis becomes an epidemic which I had never heard of before but is a true historical fact.

Another delightful installment in the series. I was not quite as enthralled by it as the others for some reason, but it is still very good with a satisfying outcome for the love story. The only almost complaint I have is that I wish Charlotte, Sarah, and Gertie had more episodes devoted to them. Most chapters focus on Ella or Henny.

Perhaps my FAVORITE book when I was about 10 years old!! So happy to have found it again the year we did Sonlight!!

I can't say enough about this series of books. I read them all as a child and we just finished listening to this one on audiobook. My two sons LOVED it and I enjoyed it just as much as when I was little. The story holds up well and my sons asked many wonderful questions afterward about the different ways that various religions celebrate. My favorite part of these books as a child was learning about all of the Jewish holidays.

I rated this book so high largely for the sake of nostalgia. I remember reading this book (well actually the whole series) more than once as a child and being fascinated by a family full of five girls...just like mine.

Each book in the series is just getting better and better. I just love this family to pieces! And the stories are so fun, many are light-hearted and all of them possess little nuggets of valuable truth.

Ages: 9 - 12

Cleanliness:

Children's Bad Words
Mild Obscenities & Substitutions - 1 Incident: Aww heck
Religious Profanities - 9 Incidents: Goodness, For Heaven’s sake, Gee, Where in Heaven’s name, My gracious

Religious & Supernatural - 1 Incident: The Jewish family celebrates Yom Kippur. They discuss their traditions, the Bible and why they fast.

Romance Related - 9 Incidents: There is dancing mentioned here and there throughout the book.
Ella is excited to go to the library each week because there is a boy there that she can tell likes her. She likes him. A relationship develops (they date) but it is told more matter-of-fact than mushy. An older man asks if he can invite a special lady friend to the celebration. A girl gets giddy and giggly around a boy. Boys and girls are hanging out and dancing together. A boy and girl go on a date together. They hold hands, he holds her arm, they link arms. A bride and groom kiss. Of an older woman: “She pulled the torn and soiled blouse down over her full bosom.” Girls make a joke about how a woman is big-chested.

Attitudes/Disobedience - 2 Incidents: A girl argues with her father about curfew and learns a lesson. A girl lies about knowing how to tell time and learns a lesson.

Conversation Topics - 5 Incidents: Mentions snuff and schnapps. There is a fake cigar mentioned.
A family, including children, drink wine to celebrate an engagement. Two children wear a red devil costume and a witch costume. A third is Puss-in-Boots. Mentions Halloween candy.

Parent Takeaway
A sweet story about a loving family and how the father and mother purposefully run their home. They are devout Jews so the mention and explanation of their celebrations and feasts is part of the story. The narration includes comments in the style of, "Henny knew she was being naughty and felt bad afterwards." There is always conclusions to wrong behaviors. There is dating and dancing in the book. The boy/girl mentions are not fantasized or lengthy.

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The second published but the third chronologically, this book takes place around 1914. The girls--Ella, Henny, Sarah, Charlotte and Gertie--are now fourteen, twelve, ten, eight and six respectively, while their younger brother Charlie is about two, making him just old enough to get into trouble. In fact, the first story involves him nearly getting run over by a horse and carriage while he's crossing the street.

This book also introduces Lena (Charlie's rescuer--come on, you knew he had to have one), a relatively new immigrant who becomes the sweetheart of the girls' Uncle Hyman. During an epidemic, as was common before the polio vaccine was invented, she is disabled by what was then called infantile paralysis. Taylor was amazingly accurate in her depiction of someone dealing with a new disability, for Lena is depressed, is easily exhausted by simple tasks (like walking a few feet), and is appalled at the prospect of being pitied, especially by Uncle Hyman. Yet at the same time, it doesn't feel insurmountably dark--perhaps because the family supports and loves Lena so thoroughly.

Other stories in the book feature the observance of Yom Kippur, the celebration of Hanukkah, Gertie claiming that she can tell time and then having to do so, a May Day party (portrayed on the cover) that gets rained out but still manages to be a success, and Ella's introduction to Jules, who will become her boyfriend.

One warning. In the story "A Friend in Need," the girls' father delivers a spanking. It's quite literally the only time that any child gets hit in the books, and the girls, Charlie and their parents are shown to be an exceptionally loving family. However, whereas in the 1910s spanking would have been seen as normal parental behavior, it is often seen as abuse nowadays. So, if you can, put this in the context of the times and remember that this family does love each other.

This was another great read in the series. I love these books, they're so heartwarming, child-like and adorable. I really love all of the characters, and this family-they are such great people. I love the blending of American pride and the Jewish culture. More than previous installments of this series, this had a more consistent plot, rather than being merely a collection of short stories.

I recommend this book to all readers, particularly those that have enjoyed previous books in the series.

This is listed as the 2nd book in the series. It may have been written in that order but it is the 3rd in chronological order and should be read after All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown. The whole series is so lovely and I have not been disappointed in any that I have read so far. I love the way children of today get a glimpse of early 20th century life in NY’s Lower East Side iwith no electricity and crowded housing, and yet with the family all working together they experience great love and joy.

Happy 2019 everyone. After struggling to find the perfect happy medium between life and reading last year, I decided to set my Goodreads challenge to one book. I can use this challenge to track my reading and also to gauge my pace for the year. Each year per my own tradition I read a childhood favorite on January 1 to get that first book out of the way. This year’s choice was More All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor, a series I read so many times as a kid that I have it memorized.

The year is 1915 which falls during my favorite era to read about (1870-1920). The United States changed much during those years, from a primarily rural society to a modern, urban one. Immigrants from all over Europe have flocked to America searching for a better life. Jewish families including the protagonists in this book pack into New York’s Lower East Side. Yet, life is changing. Family members have voiced intention to move uptown, to larger apartments or homes with gardens, more space, a better life for the next generation. A war is raging in Europe, and Americans hope that they will not get involved in it. Despite not having much, most immigrants were for the most part care free and happy with their lot in life. Although it was a struggle to get by, riches were measured in family and the all of a kind family appeared content with their portion.

As a Jewish girl, I loved reading about a historical Jewish family, now one hundred years in the past. The father owns a junk shop, just like my own great grandfather, and the family observe all the Jewish festivals throughout the year. This book includes chapters on Yom Kippur and Chanukah whereas others feature holidays as Sukkot and Purim. The daughters are getting older. Ella is nearly sixteen and has her first boyfriend, Jules Roth. Henny is nearly fourteen and would rather hangout with friends rather than family. Only Sarah, Charlotte, Gertie, and young Charlie spend most of their time with the family. The big news is that their bachelor uncle Hyman will finally be getting married. The entire book is centered around the family’s preparations for his marriage to Lena Cohen, who naturally fits into the family from their first meeting. Even more than thirty years later, I still get giddy when Hyman brings Lena to visit the family for the first time and tears of joy when they get engaged. Because so much of Jewish life is centered on celebrations and festivals, these middle grade books stand the test of time nearly seventy years after their first publication, a classic series for Jewish girls from all walks of life.

It is always a pleasure for me to revisit the favorite fictional family of my youth. The family is on their way uptown to the Bronx with only one book in the series remaining. Both the parents and girls have one eye on the future and the other on the past, and, as a reader, I always hoped that Ella and Jules would eventually get married, even though Taylor never wrote more books in the series to follow through with that story arc. Being that I have owned the series since I was able to read- the first chapter books I ever owned- I can revisit these treasures whenever I want. I usually save my time with them for gloomy and snowy days. And now my Goodreads challenge for the year is completed.

5 stars

I am thoroughly enjoying these books. I think that I read only the first book as a kid, and now I’ve just read book 3 and I plan to read book 4 soon. For now I’m skipping 2 and 5, though I might go back and read book 2 at some point.

I love this family. I especially loved Sarah in the first book, and in this book I loved Sarah and Ella, and Charlotte too, and Mama and Papa of course, as well as assorted other relatives, friends, and neighbors.

The experience of Jewish culture and life in NYC’s lower east side of nearly 100 years ago is lovingly captured. In my opinion, this is the best kind of historical fiction, a wonderful story with interesting characters (based on the author’s family) and getting a feeling for how they lived in another place & time.

Even though this book works fine for a standalone book, I really feel that the first book should be read first. A lot of intro material is left out, including the ages of the daughters.

This book would make for a perfect family read aloud book. Each chapter manages to stand on its own, telling its own story. It’s a perfect book for a chapter a night bedtime reading. Each chapter is a gem. If I’d read this at ages 8-10, I think I would have loved the telling time clock chapter the best; I’d have felt superior since I learned to tell time as soon as I turned 5, at the beginning of kindergarten, but I know many students in my 3rd grade class still didn’t have that ability.

My borrowed library copy has a photo of Sydney Taylor. I love how the pictures of Sarah in the book look a bit like her.

The illustrations are delightful and capture scenes right out of the story.

Fabulous book and series! I can’t wait to get to book 4; it’s already on reserve at the library. I can tell there are going to be some major changes for the family and I’m eager to read about what happens in their lives.

This 3rd book of the series holds together as a story more than the previous one of situations. Uncle Hyman meets Lena and a relationship develops; Ella meets Jules and a relationship develops. The family spends the summer at the beach to get out of the East End and the book ends with a move out to the Bronx. Throughout there is a focus on Jewish traditions. I can imagine that reading this as a child it would be a good introduction to Jewish life.