The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women of the Holocaust by Sarah Silberstein Swartz, illustrated by Liz Parkes Second Story Press, 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Jeanette Brod Buy at Bookshop.org Sarah Silberstein Swartz brings a unique set of professional credentials and personal experiences to the researching and writing of Heroines, Rescuers, Rabbis, Spies: Unsung Women of the Holocaust . As a daughter of survivors, she fulfills her objective of providing role models and inspiration for a new generation. She gives the reader an opportunity to engage with many aspects of the Holocaust in many European countries from an avowedly feminist perspective. This is an eclectic assemblage of biographies that follows nine women from childhood through the Holocaust and postwar rebuilding of the rest of their lives. A few of the women reflect that their most difficult times came after the war with the realization of the loss of family and the despair of not knowing where to go. It...

Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson Delacorte Press (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org Annabella Ballinkay is a 13-year-old girl with the ability to -- with a single touch -- see deaths which have been witnessed by others. Each member of her family has their own magical ability. She lives at her family's inn, Ravenfall, which sits at a spot in Oregon where the Shield guarding the "normal" world from the Otherworld is thin enough for magic and magical beings to spill over. Shortly before Samhain, 14-year-old Colin Pierce shows up at Ravenfall. He's been on the run from the murderers of his parents for weeks. Since he's been separated from his older brother, Liam, Colin follows the directions he'd received for such an eventuality: go to Ravenfall and wait for Liam to arrive. Newly introduced to the world of magic, Colin soon learns that he's a Raven, a guardian of the Shield. Anna and her fa...

Alte Zachen / Old Things by Ziggy Hanaor, illustrated by Benjamin Phillips Cicada Books, 2022 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Dina Herbert Buy at Bookshop.org At first, Alte Zachen seems like a story of a stereotypical Bubbe shopping for Shabbat with her grandson, Benji. Bubbe, living in New York City, constantly reprimands Benji for living in the now: bringing reusable shopping bags, not understanding what it means to be Jewish. Benji takes this all in stride; it seems Bubbe is getting forgetful and rude in her old age. She expects time to stand still in 1950s New York City. Bubbe cannot accept that things have changed in the world and keeps throwing in Yiddishisms and stereotypical Jewish ideas. When Bubbe calls the butcher a ganef (thief) after being told brisket is $20 a pound, Benji reminds her that’s what things cost these days. He apologizes to the butcher and everyone else Bubbe is rude to that day. By the end, it is a warm story between a modern grandson and his aging B...

A Whale of a Tale: A Sabbath Summer Solstice Story by Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky, illustrated by Krystyna Nowak Relevant Publishers, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org When Tova travels to Alaska with her mother during the summer solstice, she wonders how they will know when the Sabbath ends in a land where the sun never sets. She asks native Alaskan animals one by one for a solution but none can help. Finally, a wise orca explains how the position of the sun tells us when the day is over, and reminds Tova of the magic of the Sabbath day. The illustrations are vividly colored and mostly realistic, but are sometimes blurry and unformed. Preschoolers will enjoy hearing Tova consult each native animal, but those same young readers may find the explanation of the sun's positioning and the summer solstice confusing. A Whale of a Tale would be a fine supplement to a Jewish school or synagogue library paired with another nonfiction book that expla...

Professor Buber and His Cats by Susan Tarcov, illustrated by Fotini Tikkou Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org A whimsical fictional story based on the real life of philosopher Martin Buber, this picture book will delight all readers, from the children hearing it to the adults reading it. The illustrations of the cats are so expressive that it seems perfectly reasonable when seven street cats start talking to Ketem, the cat protagonist of the story. Ketem is looking for a new home with lots of books. Her home in a book store was perfect, but the store is closing. Professor Buber’s house on Hovevei Zion street with its thousands of books would be ideal, but the street cats tell Ketem that the professor doesn’t want any cats in his house. He loves animals, but he cannot be distracted by their conversation when a person comes to him for advice; he needs to concentrate on that person’s problem. ...

Honey and Me by Meira Drazin Scholastic, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jacqueline Jules Buy at Bookshop.org We meet eleven-year-old Milla on a Saturday morning as she follows Honey through the men’s section of their Orthodox synagogue. The two girls are long-time friends and neighbors. Milla loves spending time at Honey’s house with her large bustling family and easy-going mother. Even though they are only a few months apart in age, Milla looks up to Honey, admiring her social skills, even with adults. In the opening scene, Milla reflects that she would never have the chutzpah to ask an adult for what she wants the way Honey does. Later in the story, Milla compares her own outlook to Honey’s: “where I see roadblocks, she see different routes, or that a roadblock might really only be those orange traffic cones that can simply be picked up and moved away.” Milla’s reluctance to assert herself is an important part of this friendship story. Milla worries that she is like the willow...

The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor by Amanda Panitch Roaring Brook Press (imprint of Macmillan), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Beth L. Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org Ruby Taylor’s father is Jewish, and her mother is Catholic. To her paternal grandmother, Ruby is not really a Jew. Grandma Yvette blatantly favors Ruby’s four-months-older cousin Sarah who, in addition to being the sort of tidy, polite, and helpful girl adults adore, has a Jewish mother. Afternoons at their grandmother’s house see Sarah cozy in the kitchen, learning to cook, while Ruby is banished to the living room with her homework. There is a growing distance between the once-close cousins, and Ruby might not be all that interested in closing it. Maybe it is just time for the two of them to make new friends and pursue different activities. Then Sarah starts behaving strangely, acting out in ways that are downright dangerous. Ruby thinks she knows why, and it might be a little bit her fault. Possibly, she accidenta...

Dance the Hora, Isadora! by Gloria Koster, illustrated by Barbara Bongini Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Arlene Schenker Buy at Bookshop.org This is a joyful book that captures the delight of dancing the hora at a Jewish wedding. Isadora is a spunky little girl who takes ballet classes. At the end of each class, the students can share a favorite dance. Isadora doesn’t have a special dance of her own, but her grandma tells her that she will have one soon. Isadora knows that her grandma is referring to Cousin Rachel’s wedding, which they’ll both be attending on Sunday. At the wedding celebration, when the band starts playing Hava Nagila, Grandma makes a space for herself and Isadora in the dance circle. With no time to learn the hora, Isadora is swept along with the others—and so is the reader thanks to the lively language describing the music and dancing. The illustrations exude laughter and joy and make the wedding come alive...

Lines of Courage by Jennifer A. Nielsen Scholastic Press, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Meira Drazin Buy at Bookshop.org Lines of Courage is a sweeping, ambitious middle grade novel about World War I. The book follows young adolescents Felix from Austro-Hungary, Elsa from Germany, Juliette from France, Kara from Britain, and Dmitri from Russia. Their lives criss-cross and overlap in "deus ex machina" kinds of ways—including through a war medal, a knitted hat, a stitched red star, and homing pigeons—and the reader is shown how even people whose countries are at war with each other do not need to be enemies. The novel begins with Felix Baum witnessing the assassination of crown prince Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. As the war starts and his father, a sergeant in the Austro-Hungarian army, goes off to fight, Felix's hometown of Lemberg becomes occupied by the Russians (who have joined Bosnia against Germany and the Austro-Hungarian empire). As the Russians be...

Repairing the World by Linda Epstein Aladdin (imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Bridget Hodder Buy at Bookshop.org ...maybe there really was magic here, things that were beyond what she thought, beyond what she already knew about the world. Daisy and Ruby are such close friends, they might as well be sisters. And like the best of sisters, they give and take from each other's strengths. Ruby's daring spirit and magical way of seeing the world give Daisy courage and inspiration. But when Ruby is suddenly torn from Daisy's life by a car accident, Daisy loses that courage and inspiration just when she needs it the most.   All the magic seems to have gone out of the world. Daisy will never regain what she has lost. But in the spirit of tikkun olam, she discovers that healing can spring from finding community in the wider world. Working together with new friends, she rekindles the magic for others that Ruby was so good at discovering for hers...

What's in Tuli's Box? by Ann D. Koffsky Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Belinda Brock Buy at Bookshop.org In What's in Tuli's Box? the reader meets a cute, curious kitten and his wise, nurturing mama. Tuli discovers a tzedakah box and finds out that it's not a toy, but a tool to collect money and help people. Author/illustrator Ann D. Koffsky has created a book that is perfectly suited for the youngest readers. The adorable cover will attract a child's interest and the title will pique their curiosity right along with Tuli's. Using sparse text, Koffsky has managed to tell an entertaining story while presenting a gentle introduction to the important concept of tzedakah—charitable giving. She also seamlessly integrates a lesson about opposites (light/heavy, empty/full) into the story. Some spreads are laid out vertically, requiring the book to be rotated; this may serve to keep young readers engaged....

Deborah's Tree by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Cosei Kawa Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org This poetic recounting of the story of the Biblical Deborah’s life is stunningly beautiful, in both text and illustrations. The dreamy, lush illustrations by Cosei Kawa have a “Chagall in the Middle East” feel to them, with their motifs of pomegranate, figs, the scales of justice, circles, and spirals, and, of course, trees and leaves, among others, along with a touch of surrealism. As Deborah grows into womanhood and becomes a judge and then a general, she learns why she has been blessed with the gift of foresight and what her purpose is. Because of the poetic nature of the language, this book may be best suited to readers who are familiar with the story of Deborah. It would be perfect for teachers to use with middle-grade or even middle school students in Jewish day schools or Hebrew schools t...

The Book of Elsie by Joanne Levy Orca Currents (imprint of Orca Book Publishers), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rachel J. Fremmer Buy at Bookshop.org When Elsie’s synagogue threatens to close due to financial problems - and therefore cancel the Purim party that Elsie has been so looking forward to - she comes up with a plan to save the shul. Elsie's two dads, already sensitive to discrimination as gay men, are concerned about her plan to invite the wider, non-Jewish community to the party, but she wins them over and her plan is a go. But when antisemitic vandalism threatens the party a second time just hours before the event is set to begin, the community must rally together even more. This is a sweet story which addresses both antisemitism and homophobia and empowers readers to fight such discrimination. The book was specifically designed to appeal to reluctant readers and those with learning differences, including dyslexia, by using a dyslexia-friendly font and larger t...

Hidden on the Hire Wire by Kathy Kacer Second Story Press, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org Hidden on the High Wire tells the story of a traveling family circus. Author Kathy Kacer begins the story in November, 1939 in Germany. Irene Danner is 13 years old and the star performer on the high wire for the Lorch Family Circus. She learned her balancing act from her grandfather, who has recently died. He passed the family business to her father, as the first Danner to run the Lorch family circus in four generations, as the ringmaster. These are difficult times for the Jewish people living in Germany and it is becoming dangerous and ultimately impossible for the Lorch Family to continue traveling and performing. The circus is sold and Irene's father is sent to serve in the army. Irene and her mother are hiding from the Nazis. Reading a circus poster, Irene discovers the perfect way to protect herself and her mother. She approaches a German f...

Sukkos Guess Who? by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt Buy at Hachai.com Sukkos Guess Who? is a rhyming story that poses questions, with answers hidden under flaps. The rhymes are short, generally in language that is well within the comprehension of the picture book crowd. Children will enjoy the game of being asked a question, and finding the answer under the flap. The holiday is thoroughly explored, including aspects that are less familiar to many, such as Chol HaMoed (the intermediate days of the week-long holiday), and Simchas(t) beis(t) HaSho'eiva, the modern celebration commemorating an ancient ritual at the Temple in Jerusalem. Descriptions of such activities are difficult to find in children's books, so are a welcome addition here. Hebrew and Yiddish terms are included in the text, and will be familiar to the target audience of Orthodox readers. Most terms are translated on the pa...

The Stars Will Be My Nightlight: A Sukkot Story by Jen Halpern, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org This fine bedtime story by educator and first-time author Jen Halpern begins with a mother and her young son talking about the meaning of the holiday of Sukkot as they make decorations for their sukkah. After the boy convinces his reluctant mother to spend the night in the sukkah, Halpern uses the tradition of saying the Sh’ma prayer before bedtime to add a spiritual side to the narrative. While the narrative centers on the relationship between mother and son, the history and traditions of Sukkot are deftly explained through the words and pictures, and in the back matter. Adding a mystical quality to the narrative are Chiara Fedele’s illustrations, suffused with so many different kinds of light, from the setting and rising sun, to the electric lights in the sukkah, to th...

Jonah by Tammar Stein, illustrated by Sabina Hahn PJ Publishing, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Amazon.com In time for Yom Kippur and its focus on atonement, PJLibrary presents this early chapter book about responsibilities, repentance, and second chances. Based on the Bibical Book of Jonah, read in the synagogue on Yom Kippur afternoon, the narrative tackles the tough subject of the consequences of our actions and our obligations to make the world a better place. Author Tammar Stein begins Jonah’s story in his “classroom” under a tree, grounding the narrative in the child’s world. There Jonah teaches his students about making good choices in their treatment of others. Because of these teachings, God picks Jonah as the best messenger to convince the people of the city of Nineveh to repent their wicked actions. The narrative shows that even a great teacher like Jonah can make wrong choices. When Jonah runs away from his task and is swallowed by the whale, and la...