Review: Festival of Lights
Festival of Lights: 16 Hanukkah Stories
Edited by Henry Herz
Albert Whitman, 2024
Category: Middle Grade
Reviewer: Rebecca Greer
Buy at Bookshop.org
The short stories in this anthology cover Hanukkah traditions, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, along with newcomers to the holiday and the creation of new traditions. In the first story, “Ewa and the Five Sites” by R.M. Romero, Ewa Nowak finds her grandmother’s house spirit after she passes away. The spirit leads her on a journey throughout Krakow, Poland where she uncovers her Jewish roots, taking her to a Jewish Community Center for her first Hanukkah. Similarly, in “The Luck of the Irish” the discovery of distant relatives has a family find out they are part Jewish. Bridget Hodder’s “The Thing about Stars,” depicts the misadventures of eighth grader Coco Hanan and South Korean Shin Kim as they get into repeated misunderstandings. When she sees him wearing a six-sided star necklace she presumes he’s Jewish and invites him to celebrate Hanukkah with her family. While he knows Hanukkah traditions, the necklace represents a K-pop group. This time the pair finally get to know one another and form a friendship. There are stories about feeling like the odd one out during massive Christmas celebrations. “Dancing on Hanukkah” by Nancy Holder has Girl Scout Rachel performing at a holiday party at a Senior Living facility. There she befriends a senior who encourages her to embrace and share her Jewish traditions with her troop. “The Gift of Gift-Giving” tells the true story of the evolution of author Alan Katz’s family traditions. Each story adds color to the rainbow of diversity and unique traditions that make up Hanukkah.
The Jewish representation in this book is extremely diverse, and feels authentic. Readers will see that the meaning of the holiday may be different to each individual and each family. Non-Jewish readers will be able to understand and enjoy the stories, and there is a glossary at the back for any terms that may not be familiar. This collection of short stories will be a fantastic way for readers to understand the Jewish experience and how it’s different from family to family as well as to each individual.
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Rebecca
Greer is currently a High School Library Media Specialist for Manatee
School for the Arts. In her previous life, she was a Young Adult
Librarian for almost ten years where she specialized in running
large-scale programs, including Teen Lit Fest, an author festival in
Tampa, FL. Rebecca writes book reviews for School Library Journal
focusing on books for Young Adults, and several of her programs have
been published in "Think Big!: A Resource Manual for Teen Library
Programs That Attract Large Audiences".
The short stories in this anthology cover Hanukkah traditions, both Ashkenazi and Sephardic, along with newcomers to the holiday and the creation of new traditions. In the first story, “Ewa and the Five Sites” by R.M. Romero, Ewa Nowak finds her grandmother’s house spirit after she passes away. The spirit leads her on a journey throughout Krakow, Poland where she uncovers her Jewish roots, taking her to a Jewish Community Center for her first Hanukkah. Similarly, in “The Luck of the Irish” the discovery of distant relatives has a family find out they are part Jewish. Bridget Hodder’s “The Thing about Stars,” depicts the misadventures of eighth grader Coco Hanan and South Korean Shin Kim as they get into repeated misunderstandings. When she sees him wearing a six-sided star necklace she presumes he’s Jewish and invites him to celebrate Hanukkah with her family. While he knows Hanukkah traditions, the necklace represents a K-pop group. This time the pair finally get to know one another and form a friendship. There are stories about feeling like the odd one out during massive Christmas celebrations. “Dancing on Hanukkah” by Nancy Holder has Girl Scout Rachel performing at a holiday party at a Senior Living facility. There she befriends a senior who encourages her to embrace and share her Jewish traditions with her troop. “The Gift of Gift-Giving” tells the true story of the evolution of author Alan Katz’s family traditions. Each story adds color to the rainbow of diversity and unique traditions that make up Hanukkah.
The Jewish representation in this book is extremely diverse, and feels authentic. Readers will see that the meaning of the holiday may be different to each individual and each family. Non-Jewish readers will be able to understand and enjoy the stories, and there is a glossary at the back for any terms that may not be familiar. This collection of short stories will be a fantastic way for readers to understand the Jewish experience and how it’s different from family to family as well as to each individual.
Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze? Click here!
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