The Tree of Red Stars (3)

Magdalena and Emilia get a new neighbor, the Allenbergs. A little girl named Cora lives there. The Allenbergs are Jewish refugees, and the only person the girls have ever feared is Mrs. Allenberg. They fear her because she fears them. It is unknown to them. They have never seen someone like Mrs. Allenberg.

The poinsettia tree may be another significant location in this book. Magdalena has mentioned it several times in her memories from childhood. Emilia and Magdalena watch Cora and her family from the poinsettia tree.

" 'During the war, Madalena,' my father said, 'the Nazis did some terrible things to the Jews. A lot of Nazis escaped to South America. So did a lot of the Jews they had persecuted. Every so often, the Jews find the Nazis and revenge themselves'
Emilia's father, I discovered, was convened that Mr. Allenberg has been involved in the murder and looked at his small neighbor with increased respect " (25).

The children are introduced to the problems in government at an early age. Tensions are high with the current problems in their own government.

Myriads- Myriad is a classical Greek name for the number 104 = 10 000
"Every midsummer the tipa shed its myriads of tiny flowers, carpeting the street all around it in brilliant yellow and casting a golden glow onto the front of the house" (23). Beautiful imagery.

Immaculate- completely neat and clean
"She walked between them, eyes lowered, dress immaculate and starched, a perfect rose protected on both sides of her small parents with their half smile, afraid to offend" (24). This was describing Cora as she walked out of her house with her parents. This shows the Allenbergs are a very reserved, cautious family.

Gregarious- tending to form a group with others of the same species
"Josefa, the family cook, who had lived with us since my parents' marriage, was a most gregarious person, but refused to make a spectacle of herself before the grim Russians and made my mother go herself to retrieve the bird, leaving Josefa at the kitchen door, her thermos of hot water under her arm,and her gourd, packed full of green mate tea, steaming in her hand" (26). Josefa sounds like a very laid back, maybe "adjustable", friendly.