The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Wrath Becomes Her by Aden Polydoros Inkyard Press (imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org   Wrath Becomes Her is a fantasy novel about the Shoah but also a reflection upon self-determination and personhood. During WWII, Ezra hides in a barn in Lithuania. There he creates a golem, Vera. He tells her, "An ordinary golem is created from pure elements, the same dust from which HaShem shaped the first man. But to create you, it involved power gained from going against all our commandments (page 32)." Indeed, Ezra has used the eyes, nails, tongue, and teeth of his murdered daughter, Chaya, in order to fashion Vera. Why? To avenge Chaya’s death. With her incredible strength, Chaya’s memories, and immunity to many weapons, Vera was created to get even with the Nazis. However, Vera doesn't want to be a mere instrument of Ezra's revenge. She wants to know: Is she more than an unholy monstrosity, more than ...

Just One More Thing... And Then Bedtime written and illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt, translated by Romy Ronen Green Bean Books, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Naomi Morse Buy at Bookshop.org Toddler Naomi is delaying her bedtime, telling her father there is just one more thing she is thankful for. Some of her examples are far fetched: she’s glad she has two legs and not three, and she’s glad the moon is in the sky, and not down on the ground.There are more conventional thanks too: various colors and sounds, the rest day of Shabbat. Her dad looks harried as he tries to put her to bed. There’s a baby sibling in the picture too, and according to the illustrations, dad is the first to fall asleep. Colored drawings show cartoon-like children and their dad at the end of the day. The color red predominates. Illustrations and text present a lighthearted look at the blessing of gratitude for the world God created. Some families and teachers may find this reminder to be thankful to be...

The Blood Years by Elana K. Arnold Balzer + Bray (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Sarah Aronson Buy at Bookshop.org The Blood Years is a riveting, unputdownable story of love, loss, and family, based on the true experiences of Elana K. Arnold's grandmother's struggle to survive the Holocaust in Romania. Frederieke (Rieke) Teitler and her older sister, Astra, live with their grandfather and mother in wartime Romania. As the Russians and Nazis take over the city and persecute Jewish residents, Rieke experiences loss, rape, hunger, and illness, all while maintaining her hope that the sine wave that is life will shift in their favor. The source of hope is her grandfather, Opa, whose faith and resourcefulness holds them together even as fickle and selfish Astra, falling in love with a dashing philandering doctor, tests the strength of the family's fabric. Unlike in many books about the Holocaust, the family does not go to a concentration camp--bu...

Don't Want to Be Your Monster by Deke Moulton Tundra Books, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org When someone mentions vampires, the first thing that comes to mind is a scary vision of the undead drinking a person’s blood by sinking their fangs into the neck. We have learned that from watching movies. Don’t Want to Be Your Monster brings the reader a very different version of vampires. Victor and Adam are brothers but not because they were born to the same parents. They are brothers who are vampires living with their vampire mothers, and another vampire sibling, Sung. Mom is a nurse, working the night shift, in a hospital which gives her access to blood to bring home to share with her family. Mama is an astronomer at the local university. When a rash of murders start to happen in the small town where the Rossi vampire family lives, Adam and Victor both become involved in finding the serial killer. Victor seems to be interested in young murd...

Counting on Naamah: A Mathematical Tale on Noah's Ark by Erica Lyons, illustrated by Mary Reaves Uhles Intergalactic Afikomen, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org In Counting on Naamah , Erica Lyons creates a playful modern midrash, (defined in the back matter as “a tale that begins with a story from the Torah”) answering some of the questions Lyons has about life on Noah’s ark. By centering the story on a very contemporary depiction of Noah’s wife, Lyons also adds a note of female empowerment. Noah’s wife is barely mentioned in the Torah, but the back matter also notes that according to rabbinic midrashim her name was Naamah, meaning pleasant. In their midrash, Lyons and illustrator Mary Reaves Uhles make Naamah more than just pleasant. She is a STEM genius, able to facilitate Noah’s implementation of G-d’s plan through her math and science knowledge. The author imagines the building of the ark and the activities that the pair come up with to keep ...

We Belong Here by Frieda Wishinsky, illustrated by Ruth Ohi North Winds Press (Imprint of Scholastic Canada Ltd.), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Melissa Lasher We Belong Here deftly reminds readers of two simple yet essential ideas: Speak up. Be kind. Jewish Eve Bloom hates getting teased for being “born in another country.” When a new kid, Japanese Mark Nakamura, arrives and the school bullies turn on him, Eve defends Mark. The two become close friends, bonding over their outsider status and shared love of fanciful stories. But when Mark’s dad loses his job because of xenophobic co-workers/bosses, Eve worries that Mark will move away, and she’ll be plunged back into loneliness. Unless…she can find work for Mr. Nakamura. Over green tea and Eve’s mom’s rugelach, the two families commiserate about the urban immigrant experience. The Blooms offer Mr. Nakamura a job spiffing up their tired grocery store—which leads to other local businesses doing the same. The slew of jobs means ...

Hidden Junior Fun-to-Read Adventures series by Rivkah Yudasin, illustrated by Jacky Yarhi Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Leah Cypess Buy at Hachai.com Hidden is an early reader adventure story based on a true historical event. The book relates the struggles of Rav Yitzchak Zilber, a labor camp in Stalin’s USSR. His determination to keep Shabbos in the camp led to a series of trials and adventures that Yudasin deftly turns into an age-appropriate page turner. Yahri’s wonderfully-drawn illustrations work well with the text to tell the story and hold the reader’s interest. The book focuses on the immediate dangers to Rav Zilber, and includes only the historical background that is necessary to tell the story. This book should be a strong contender for the Sydney Taylor Book Award. It is an age-appropriate, fast-moving chapter book that reflects both an important part of Jewish history and a commitment to keeping Jewish tradition. Are you interested in reviewing ...