Review: The $150,000 Rugelach
The $150,000 Rugelach
by Allison and Wayne Marks, illustrated by Ariel Landy
Yellow Jacket (imprint of Little Bee Books)
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt
Jillian Mermelstein and Jack Fineman
both love to bake, and they are both Jewish, but Jillian is somber,
while Jack is a goofy extrovert. Their similarities and their differences
are the key elements in this charming, well-told tale. The story
revolves around a baking contest that will garner much publicity as well
a $150,000 prize. Will Jack’s parent’s let him enter? Will Jill allow
her story to be told? And will they go along with the villainous plans of creator of the
contest, Phineas Farnsworth III? You will
guess the outcome, but there are many smiles along the way. Among the
other well drawn characters are the back-up players, Jack’s parents and
brother, Jill’s father, and especially her grandmother. The path to the
prize is strewn with lies, half-truths and difficulties which must be
overcome. Under the wackiness is an important message about
understanding and respecting those who are different, listening to
others with an open mind, and supporting friends and family.
The style, vocabulary, and format are very appropriate to a middle grade
book. I am fascinated by the names Jack and Jillian, which bring to my
mind both the nursery rhyme and the Lousia May Alcott book, Jack and Jill.
Illustrations in the pre-pub pdf that I saw are limited to small
sketches at the beginning of each chapter, and capture the spirit of the
text. Stir well, and enjoy.
The $150,00 Rugelach is about food – what could be more Jewish? The
most important food is chocolate rugelach, and the recipe is included!
Jewish baking is part of both Jack and Jillian’s backgrounds.
Jillian’s late mother was a baker who put love in all her cooking - a trope
found in folktales about recreating food. Jack’s grandmother baked
challah on Friday, “hamantaschen for Purim, macaroons for Passover, and
sufganiyot for Hanukkah.”
Cooking is a way of getting to the heart of the matter. The story is
about a girl struggling to help her father, to honor her father –
what could be more Jewish? It is about a girl struggling with her
identity after the death of her mother – what could be more Jewish? And
it’s about love being an essential part of successful cooking, which
is a trope found in Jewish folklore. The villain of the piece is also
tied to Jack’s family. He had the city tear down the building which
held Jack’s grandparent’s bakery, ending the production of challah,
hamantashen, macaroons, and sufganiyot. Jillian and Jack win the
contest by outwitting Farnsworth and defeating him with his own
memories. What could be more Jewish?
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