The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Harboring Hope: The True Story of How Henny Sinding Helped Denmark's Jews Escape the Nazis by Susan Hood HarperCollins, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Meira Drazin Buy at Bookshop.org Toward the end of Harboring Hope there is a quote attributed to the Israeli-Danish journalist Herbert Pundik: “About 99 percent of the Jews in Denmark survived while 98 percent of Poland’s three million Jews perished.” Harboring Hope is the story of how the Danish people saved the Jews of their country. The nonfiction middle grade book written in free verse is anchored by the story of 22-year-old Henny Sinding, who with the crew of the small but intrepid Gerda III, successfully smuggled more than 300 Jews across the water to Sweden— ten to fifteen men, women and children at a time in the fish hold. The breadth and extent of research, including oral testimonies and other primary sources, is ambitious and expertly integrated, not only into a cohesive and riveting story, but also into free verse...

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli Balzer + Bray (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Emily Roth Buy at Bookshop.org Imogen Scott is many things: a people-pleaser, a loving friend, and hopelessly heterosexual. She is a proud member of her school's pride club, but she tries to avoid centering herself in queer spaces. When Imogen visits her best friend, Lili, at college, who is newly out as pansexual, Lili admits a secret: in an attempt to seem more experienced, she told her friends that she and Imogen used to date and that Imogen is bisexual. Imogen agrees to go along with the story, but things get complicated when she starts to feel a confusing spark with Lili's charming friend Tessa, who is a lesbian. Imogen feels like she has to come clean; after all, the last thing she wants is for her behavior to be seen as queerbaiting. But what if Imogen isn't as straight as she thought she was, and what if she has years of evidence to back this up? And ...

Hidden Truths by Elly Swartz Delacorte Press, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Lisa Trank Buy at Bookshop.org About-to-be-sixth-graders Dani and Eric are lifelong best friends and next door neighbors. Dani looks out for Eric, who struggles with ADD and being bullied; Eric supports Dani’s dream of pitching for the all-boy baseball team. When Dani finally achieves her goal, Eric is the first one there for her with their favorite treat, donuts: glazed for him and Boston cream for Dani. On their annual summer camping trip, Eric insists on making their traditional mac and cheese, despite Dani telling him she just wants to head to bed. The next morning, when Eric is outside relieving himself, (because Dani has fallen asleep in front of the bathroom door), the almost-new camper bursts into flames. Eric risks his life and runs back inside and pulls Dani out. Dani survives, but a broken tibia and nerve damage to her pitching arm means that she won’t be on the baseball mound this season, an...

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson Roaring Brook Press (imprint of Macmillan Publishers), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Cheryl Fox Strausberg Buy at Bookshop.org The best way to get what you want in the fantastical land of Enderlain is to win the Illinir - a magical horse race that is as dangerous as it is prestigious. Win this race and anything you want, you shall have - even a boon from the King, himself. With such rewards on the line, it’s hard to resist putting your life on the line to win. Enter the team of outcasts - Mikira (the rider), Arielle (the magician), and Damien (the mastermind) who know that they can win because they have huge things to lose and a lot riding on victory. For Mikira, winning the Illinir will not only bring her the fame and fortune to keep her family’s farm, but will give her the ability to free her father from forced indentured servitude. For Arielle, a Kinnish refugee, winning means having the ability to earn an honest living as a licensed encha...

Impossible Escape: A True Story of Survival and Heroism in Nazi Germany by Steve Sheinkin Roaring Brook Press (imprint of Macmillan), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Emily Roth Buy at Bookshop.org When Rudi Vrba decides to escape from Auschwitz in 1944, the 19 year old has already defied death many times, so he figures, why not try again? In the two years that he has been imprisoned at Auschwitz, Rudi has not only survived daily unspeakable horrors, he has also gleaned crucial information about how the camp operates. By befriending Filip Müller, another prisoner who works in the gas chamber, Rudi has obtained detailed notes about how Auschwitz functions--information that proves, once and for all, that the camp's purpose is to murder as many people as possible. Along with his friend Alfred Wetzler, Rudi develops an incredibly complicated plan for escape, and eventually becomes one of the first whistleblowers to alert the world to the atrocities of the Holocaust. Impossible Esca...

Latke's First Hanukkah written and illustrated by Alan Silberberg Viking Books for Young Readers (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Elizabeth Suneby Buy at Bookshop.org While Latke’s First Hanukkah is Alan Silberberg’s first board book, it is not his first book for young children that combines food with fun. Through animated latkes and other holiday food characters and objects—including jelly donuts, chocolate gelt, spinning dreidels, and wrapped gifts, he includes highlights of the holiday: lighting the menorah for eight nights, welcoming friends, celebrating light, and even the applesauce versus sour cream latke topping debate. Simple counting, bright colors, and cheerful illustrations make for an inviting introduction to the Festival of Lights for little ones. Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor Shmooze?  Click here! Reviewer Elizabeth Suneby is an award-winning children's book author whose Jewish-themed titles...

A Walk in the Woods by Chani Altein, illustrated by Miri Rooney and Marc Lumer Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Marcia M. Rosenthal Buy at Hachai A Walk in the Woods is the latest picture book of the Benny and Tzvi Adventures. This time, the characters are joined by Benny’s bubby as they take a walk in the woods. The woods provide an ideal setting for Bubby to explain an important Jewish concept: every creation can teach us something and thereby inspire us to do a mitzvah. She says, “Because every creation that’s under the sun/Has something important to teach everyone.” This lesson is repeated each time the boys make a discovery: a school of fish; a forest of trees; a deer; and a stream. Each of these is an example of a creation and therefore presents an opportunity to do a mitzvah or a good deed. But how can the boys know where the mitzvah is within each discovery? With Bubbie’s guidance, Benny and Tzvi figure it out together. What is particularly impressive...