The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow HarperTeen (imprint of HarperCollins), 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org After a bad breakup with her now ex-girlfriend, all Shani wants to do is escape to Washington DC during winter break for her dream internship: studying prehistoric fish at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. As Shani heads to DC with her mother behind the wheel, things go from bad to worse. She and her mother spend the drive arguing. That is, until their argument is silenced by a terrible snowstorm. When they leave the highway in the blizzard to head to the house where Shani will be staying during her internship, they start arguing again. Distracted, Shani’s mother doesn’t see a girl crossing the road, and hits her with the car. After making sure that the girl is not hurt, Shani can’t help noticing that she’s also very cute. Literally running into May becomes Shani and May’s, “meet cute” in this Jewish, queer, YA “Hallmark Holiday Roma...

Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger Abrams, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Sarah Aronson Buy at Bookshop.org Who likes to hear no? Nobody, that’s who. And luckily for our country, Judith Heumann didn’t stop when all she heard was no. Because of her and many others, people with disabilities finally got the yes they deserved—the yes of equal rights. Since I’m a former physical therapist with a firsthand look at how people with disabilities are treated, I was already a fan of Judith Heumann, and I couldn’t wait to read Maryann Cocca-Leffler’s FIGHTING FOR YES, THE STORY OF DISABILITY RIGHTS ACTIVIST JUDITH HEUMANN, illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger. Judith’s is a story of activism. It’s a story about learning. It’s a story about the determination that people like Judith needed to fight for equality—and get it. The text begins with Judith’s Jewish upbringing and the early obstacles sh...

My Name Is Hamburger by Jacqueline Jules Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Naomi Morse Buy at Bookshop.org My Name is Hamburger tells the historically accurate experiences of a lone Jewish child in a small Southern town in the 1960’s. Children were expected to be quiet about being Jewish in 1960’s, as Jews and foreigners were not welcomed in many small towns. Fourth grader Trudie Hamburger is the only Jewish child in her small town school. The class bully teases her hatefully about her foreign sounding Jewish name, while her teachers look the other way. She is quiet while her classmates sing Christmas Carols, and is sent to the library, where she helps shelve books and talks to the librarian. She doesn’t return to music class until long after the Christmas season. Trudie excels in spelling and reading, and wins a trophy with her name, Trudie Hamburger, engraved on the base. She finds a way to quiet the bully and to feel proud...

A Place to Belong: Debbie Friedman Sings Her Way Home by Deborah Lakritz, illustrated by Julia Castano Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ronda Einbinder Buy at Bookshop.org Author Deborah Lakritz brings the young reader into the warm Jewish life of singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman, who uplifted Jewish synagogues around the world with her music.   Little Debbie Friedman’s Jewish life in Utica, New York is full. Her singing is sweet, and her comical expressions bring laughter to her entire family. Debbie is where she belongs. When her parents move her to Minnesota she thinks St. Paul is lonely. No laughing with aunts, uncles, and cousins. No lighting candles with Bubbe. Debbie wonders, Will I ever belong? There is a feeling of inclusion for the reader when Debbie sings with campers around the campfire. Her voice rises with the campers and counselors. The songs aren’t Jewish, but they feel like prayers. Her voice soars with...

Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World by Samara Shanker Atheneum Books for Young Readers (imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World is a fast paced, captivating story for every Bar/Bat Mitzvah student. Naomi is studying and preparing for her upcoming Bat Mitzvah along with her two best friends, Eitan and Becca. They are excited about the parties they will have with delicious food and presents. As the gift checks arrive in the mail, their mothers remind them to not forget the religious and communal significance of the ceremony. When Naomi opens a mysterious gift with a small clay doll in it, her friends urge her to follow the directions in the package.    Naomi instructs the small Golem, but she does not realize the power she holds over this tiny creature. At first, the magical gift seems entertaining and fun, but things soon get out of control. With each simple command from Naomi, ...

Awe-Some Days: Poems About the Jewish Holidays by Marilyn Singer, illustrated by Dana Wulfekotte Dial Books (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dina Herbert Buy at Bookshop.org Awe-Some Days is a collection of short, delightful poems about each of the major and minor holidays of the Jewish year, with accompanying text explanations. The poems and text provide helpful history and traditions for the holidays. The book follows a white-presenting family celebrating with extended family and friends at synagogue and school. Celebrants include diverse faces and abilities. The narrator of the poems, one of the children, also compares notes with cousins in Israel for holidays: Tu B’Shevat has almond blossoms in Israel, while it’s still cold in United States; the cousins trade pictures of flags on their respective Independence Days; the narrator learns that during Lag B’Omer they shoot bows and arrows in Israel. It’s a lovely connection, and relatable for re...

Bubbie & Rivka's Best-Ever Challah (So Far!) written and illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org Anyone who has ever attempted to bake home-made challah and received undesirable results, will appreciate and relate to author / illustrator Sarah Lynne Reul’s latest title, Bubbie & Rivka’s Best-Ever Challah (So Far!) . Bubbie is “not the cooking kind of Bubbie . . . she’s more of a get-takeout-or-microwave-something kind of Bubbie” but she and her granddaughter Rivka join forces to establish a “new tradition to make challah every Friday.” The humorous, expressive illustrations are warm with a traditional feel to them, striking a complimentary balance to Rivka’s modern Bubbie. Readers will root for them to succeed, especially as they demonstrate a "growth mindset" and transform into superheroes determined to make the perfect challah. A detailed challah...