I really enjoyed this book. I think it would be a great book for all children to read in order for them to understand that boys and girls have not always had the same rights. I loved the information the author supplied throughout this text. It was taken place back when females were not allowed to go to school, and shows a lot of issues and situations that most families do not have to deal with these days. For example, at one point the author says, "Sarah found it hard to believe that she would ever have enough fish and chicken to eat, or that she would not be just a little hungry all the time." She also explains the struggles that the family went through to pay for schooling for Sarah. These are all things that most families don't worry about in this time period. I think it's great for children to learn about the past and understand that things were a lot different in previous years. I also enjoyed the language the author used. Although it was taken place a long time ago, the author still uses words and phrases that children can understand. When Sarah's older brother forgot that she was attending school the author wrote, "He forgot! How could anyone forget such a thing." This book was very relative and informative to students. The main idea of this story is to show students how important it is to learn. Students are amazed when they learn about the differences between the past and the present, and to think that someone could not go to school in the past would hopefully teach them to appreciate every learning opportunity that they have. ( )

Fictionalized picture of Eastern European life