Serendipity's Footsteps

Serendipity's Footsteps is a novel that changes narrators and settings many times, all with the connection of a single pair of shoes.

Dalya's father is a shoemaker in Berlin as World War II begins, and as the family loses its business and is forced into a concentration camp, Dalya is able to hide a beautiful pink pair of shoes in her home, hoping to one day return and retrieve them.

Ray is an orphan who is fleeing to New York and is accompanied by Pinny, a girl with Down Syndrome and a permanently happy personality. Her own interest in shoes is the common thread she and Dalya share and how the stories of these three girls intersect.

I loved Dalya's story and was anxious to get back to the chapters that she narrated.  I love World War  II literature, so this was something I was excited about.  I felt less interested and able to connect with Ray and Pinny and found myself skimming the sections that focused on them.  Add in a few other characters who narrate chapters, and my disinterest grew.

This is a solid middle school book. The other reviewers who have read this book rave about it more than I do.  I loved portions of it, but felt meh about much of it.  I'm interested to hear what other readers think of this book, and realize that middle school readers aren't as critical as adults readers.