The bare outline of facts about the lost colony of Roanoke is familiar. In this substantial, well-researched novel [Roanoke: A Novel of the Lost Colony] the facts are spun out and woven into an absorbing narrative in which what is known to have occurred and what could well have occurred are inseparable…. Characterization is convincing, historical background detailed, and the reasons for the colony's disappearance well within the realm of credibility. Beryl Reid, "Early Fall...

An historical event interlaced with a fictional account of what might have happened is a popular and advantageous way of creating interest in a subject for all readers but especially for younger ones. If done properly, this type of novel allows more familiarity with the characters and content than a footnoted academic work. The No-Return Trail is done properly, and its intended adolescent audience will not be disappointed. The novel is about a covered wagon expedition to California in 1841. The journey was ...

[The No-Return Trail] is told from the viewpoint of Nancy Kelsey…. Unfortunately, what should be rattling good historical fiction comes off as only modestly interesting due to a few improbabilities (jelly made of crabapples and choke-cherries in May; poor travelers having rubberized sheets and matches) and a lot of talk taking the place of suspense. (pp. 94-5) George Gleason, "Book Reviews: 'The No-Return Trail'," in School Library Journal (reprinted from the ...

Rigors of the trail are the storytelling mainstay for Levitin's re-creation of the Bidwell—Bartleson expedition [in The No-Return Trail]…. The reactions of … Nancy Kelsey provide emotional substance as she watches the struggling group dwindle and worries over her strained relationship with husband Ben. The mood is generally intense, particularly near the conclusion when illness and approaching winter threaten to finish the weakened travelers. A sober undertone encourages respect ...

"Journey to America" describes the [Platt family's] escape from Nazi Germany in direct, unsentimental prose. The author briefly sketches the humdrum background of Lisa's life: the ballet lessons, skating parties and schoolgirl pranks. Firmly anchored to reality by the warmth and devotion of her family, the girl succeeds in transforming fear into action, pain into humor as she is plunged into a nightmare world of storm troopers, indifferent bureaucrats and extortionists who prey o...

[The Mark of Conte] is a spoof, of course, but it's a spoof just this side of reality, because all of the daft, hilarious things that happen and the people in Conte's life could be true. [Sonia Levitin] writes with zest and vitality, poking fun at everything in sight, but doing it with affection, and while Conte's rocky path is strewn with some peculiar stony obstacles, the problems he and his friends cope with are very real concerns for most adolescents. Zena Sutherland, &...

A very moving though never maudlin story with good characterization and a fast pace, [Journey to America] will be a definite asset to any collection. Young Lisa Platt tells of her family's fortunate escape from Nazi Germany…. There is not a great deal of information about what happened to the Jews in Germany, but the terror and hopes of the people are very realistically portrayed. Terry M. Cole, "The Book Review: 'Journey to America'," in School Library...

[The] extrasensory perceptions that Daria has always known she's had develop into a psychic ability to communicate with her long-dead grandmother [in Beyond Another Door]…. Too many themes and personal implications crowd the plot; and Grandmother's appearances, "looking very much like white cheesecloth a trifle damp" and accompanied by silvery angels, push the credibility factor. However, Daria's search for expression through art and her troubled situation with her ...

Levitin's wacky story [The Mark of Conte] will appeal to any students who have ever been hassled by a school computer…. Every character is a caricature—the paranoid school counselor, scheming students, programmed computer science teacher, liberated artist mother, and psychologist father—but this zips along at a remarkably brisk pace. Just the ticket to provide laughs between [Jay Williams's and Raymond Abrashkin's stories about] Danny Dunn and Donald Westlake'...

The strength of Sonia Levitin's story [in Jason and the Money Tree] lies in the way in which she realistically works out the unforeseen complications which being the owner of a money tree brings and she spices this with sharp-edged humour and characterisation…. The problem eventually resolves itself and Jason of course learns that money can't buy the really important things in life, but nevertheless this is a lively and entertaining story competently told and with some keen observation ...

Although Levitin throws a monkey wrench into this entertaining fantasy [Jason and the Money Tree] with a confusing discussion of dollar devaluation and the mechanics of the I.R.S., her characters—especially Jason and Mr. Matroni, an understanding shopkeeper—are all believable, and readers will be kept guessing as to the outcome of Jason's unusual predicament. Elizabeth A. Marafino, "Book Reviews: 'Jason and the Money Tree'," in School Library Jou...

A Jewish girl tells the story of her family's escape from Nazi Germany [in Journey to America]…. This warm, moving story of kindness and courage, and family love, is the first book by a new author. One of the best books of the year, indeed of any year, I hope it will be followed by a long string of others. Elizabeth Minot Graves, "A Selected List of Children's Books: 'Journey to America'," in Commonweal (copyright © 1970 Commonweal Publish...

Lisa's experiences at a refugee camp for children and her happier time staying with a Catholic family [in Journey to America] are vivid and poignant. This reads more like a documentary script than a novel, but it is a dramatic script, well-written and perceptive in describing the tensions and reactions of people in a situation of stress. Zena Sutherland, "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'Journey to America'," in Bulletin of the Center for Children&#x...

The treatment of psychic phenomena [in Beyond Another Door] is never heavy-handed but is used as an effective device enabling the author to explore the relationship between the girl and her mother and to bring Daria an awareness of herself. The reader can easily identify with the mature, individualistic protagonist as she probes the complexities of love and friendship. Sally Holmes Holtze, "Stories for Intermediate Readers: 'Beyond Another Door'," in The Horn Book Ma...

The realistic background [in Jason and the Money Tree] is convincing, the writing style and dialogue acceptable, but the fantasy and realism don't mesh, and there are several aspects of the story that seem to have been contrived so that Jason's secret can be maintained. (p. 181) Zena Sutherland, "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'Jason and the Money Tree'," in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (© 1974 by the University o...