The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

  She's a Mensch! Ten Amazing Jewish Women by Anne Dublin, illustrated by Ashley Wong Second Story Press, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt Buy at Bookshop.org Anne Dublin, author of a biography of swimmer Bobbie Rosenfeld, among many other titles, has brought us 6 to 9 page biographies of 10 outstanding Jewish women. Part of the “Do you Know My Name” series for middle-grade readers, the book follows the series criteria for inclusion. The women are thus from around the world, born in the 20th century, and are or were activists. And, with the exception of one woman, I did not know any of their names. This is in contrast to another recent book about menschy women by Rachelle Burk and Alana Barouch, aimed at 5 to 10  year old readers, which includes household names such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Judy Blume, as well as unknowns like judo champion Rusty Kanokogi. Dublin is an experienced writer for this age group, and the vocabulary and format are perfectly su

 Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure by Anne Dublin Second Story Press Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Buy at Bookshop.org Friendship, mandolins, and adventure are at the heart of this novel based on a true story. Jacob endures many hardships as an orphan in Mezritsh, Poland, but finds solace in participating in the orphanage’s mandolin orchestra. When given the opportunity to leave Poland to be educated at a Canadian Jewish Farm School outside of Toronto, he jumps at the chance. The children and their chaperones travel hours by train and weeks by ship, to arrive at their destination. While the journey is exciting, and not without its perils, they arrive in Canada and adapt to life at the Farm School. The story culminates in a promised trip to play mandolin at Carnegie Hall in New York. This is a well-written, well-researched historical novel about a unique event in Jewish history, and while not a Holocaust story, per se, those dark times will shadow the reader with thou