Review: The Effects of Pickled Herring
The Effects of Pickled Herring
by Alex Schumacher
Mango, 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus
Buy at Bookshop.org
Remember the days of trying to fit in, in middle school, trying to make friends, participate in sports and get your homework done? Reading this graphic novel will help any teenager who is grappling with the changes that are happening to them, and the changes that happen to our grandparents as they age.
Micah Gadsky and his sister Alana are preparing for their B'nai Mitzvah. As they are learning their prayers, Torah and Haftorah portions, they are also learning many life lessons. This story follows Micah as his voice cracks while practicing his Hebrew prayers, as he worries about not remembering what to say when he gets up on the bima, and as he struggles to get up the courage to ask a girl he likes to his Bar Mitzvah.
We follow Micah as he goes to school and negotiates the trials of adolescence. While Micah finds the social scene in middle school difficult, his sister is working hard to fit in, joining the cheerleading team and being careful to stay thin and wear the right clothes. Micah has one close friend who is encouraging and supportive. Omar is Mexican and together they stand up to antisemitic taunts from the bullies at the school. It should be noted, however, that Micah does not reporting the bullying and the bullies are never punished or taught better; there is no learning experience portrayed. To this reviewer, this seems like a missed opportunity.
At home, things are getting serious when Micah's grandmother, with whom he is close, starts to show signs of dementia. As Micah and Alana are getting closer to their B'nai Mitzvah date, Grams is getting more forgetful. The novel shows how the family learns that staying strong is easier together rather than divided.
The characters are drawn in colorful, exaggerated cartoon style. The fonts are easy to read on well laid out pages. Big sound effects and bold backgrounds add a pop to the story. There is even a dramatic dream scene similar to Tevye's dream scene with Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof.
This graphic novel covers the discussion about what a Bar Mitzvah is and why Jewish children have one at thirteen. Other Jewish holidays are discussed also, as the family goes through the year before the B'nai Mitzvah. The family has a Passover Seder and tells the story of the exodus. The Jewish holidays and Bar Mitzvah information is intertwined into the story naturally.
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Merle Eisman Carrus resides in New Hampshire and writes book reviews for the NH Jewish Reporter newspaper. and other publications. She is a graduate of Emerson College and received her Masters of Jewish Studies from Hebrew College. Merle is the National President of the Brandeis National Committee. She leads books discussion groups and author interviews. She blogs her book reviews at biteofthebookworm.blogspot.com.
Remember the days of trying to fit in, in middle school, trying to make friends, participate in sports and get your homework done? Reading this graphic novel will help any teenager who is grappling with the changes that are happening to them, and the changes that happen to our grandparents as they age.
Micah Gadsky and his sister Alana are preparing for their B'nai Mitzvah. As they are learning their prayers, Torah and Haftorah portions, they are also learning many life lessons. This story follows Micah as his voice cracks while practicing his Hebrew prayers, as he worries about not remembering what to say when he gets up on the bima, and as he struggles to get up the courage to ask a girl he likes to his Bar Mitzvah.
We follow Micah as he goes to school and negotiates the trials of adolescence. While Micah finds the social scene in middle school difficult, his sister is working hard to fit in, joining the cheerleading team and being careful to stay thin and wear the right clothes. Micah has one close friend who is encouraging and supportive. Omar is Mexican and together they stand up to antisemitic taunts from the bullies at the school. It should be noted, however, that Micah does not reporting the bullying and the bullies are never punished or taught better; there is no learning experience portrayed. To this reviewer, this seems like a missed opportunity.
At home, things are getting serious when Micah's grandmother, with whom he is close, starts to show signs of dementia. As Micah and Alana are getting closer to their B'nai Mitzvah date, Grams is getting more forgetful. The novel shows how the family learns that staying strong is easier together rather than divided.
The characters are drawn in colorful, exaggerated cartoon style. The fonts are easy to read on well laid out pages. Big sound effects and bold backgrounds add a pop to the story. There is even a dramatic dream scene similar to Tevye's dream scene with Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof.
This graphic novel covers the discussion about what a Bar Mitzvah is and why Jewish children have one at thirteen. Other Jewish holidays are discussed also, as the family goes through the year before the B'nai Mitzvah. The family has a Passover Seder and tells the story of the exodus. The Jewish holidays and Bar Mitzvah information is intertwined into the story naturally.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
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