Review: Golda's Showtime Scare
Golda's Showtime Scare (Golda & Ezra series)
by Hollie Michaels, illustrated by Claudio Cerri
Picture Window Books (imprint of Capstone Publishing), 2025
Category: Early Chapter Book
Reviewer: Katie Dawson
Buy at Bookshop.org
Golda and Ezra are back, this time during the Chanukah season in Golda’s Showtime Scare. The siblings are hard at work preparing for the Chanukah play with their Tia Ilana at the community center, when the two leads playing the shamash candle and the dreidel get sick and are no longer able to participate in the play. Golda and Ezra volunteer to step in and take on the roles! But, it is not quite as easy as they anticipated. Golda and Ezra tackle their fears and practice hard for the play. Thankfully, Bubbe is also helping out, imparting lots of advice and helping to get them ready for the big day. When it is finally time to perform, Golda and Ezra take Bubbe’s advice and tell themselves what their Zeyde used to say when he was nervous for a show: ‘The hard part is over. Now it’s time to go on stage and have fun.’ Despite their nervousness they have a great time and are ready to audition for the next show.
This early chapter book is well paced and engaging. The short chapters contain lots of components for the reader to think about and talk about with an adult who might be reading the book with them. Back matter includes information about Chanukah, context and definitions for the Jewish vocabulary that appears in the text, and ideas for a winter puppet show activity so that readers can also create and participate in their own experience similar to Golda and Ezra. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and very expressive.
Golda and Ezra are back, this time during the Chanukah season in Golda’s Showtime Scare. The siblings are hard at work preparing for the Chanukah play with their Tia Ilana at the community center, when the two leads playing the shamash candle and the dreidel get sick and are no longer able to participate in the play. Golda and Ezra volunteer to step in and take on the roles! But, it is not quite as easy as they anticipated. Golda and Ezra tackle their fears and practice hard for the play. Thankfully, Bubbe is also helping out, imparting lots of advice and helping to get them ready for the big day. When it is finally time to perform, Golda and Ezra take Bubbe’s advice and tell themselves what their Zeyde used to say when he was nervous for a show: ‘The hard part is over. Now it’s time to go on stage and have fun.’ Despite their nervousness they have a great time and are ready to audition for the next show.
This early chapter book is well paced and engaging. The short chapters contain lots of components for the reader to think about and talk about with an adult who might be reading the book with them. Back matter includes information about Chanukah, context and definitions for the Jewish vocabulary that appears in the text, and ideas for a winter puppet show activity so that readers can also create and participate in their own experience similar to Golda and Ezra. The illustrations are bright and cheerful, and very expressive.
The Jewish elements of the story are balanced and show up naturally. The story feels very genuine in its representation of a 21st century blended Jewish family with diverse skin tones. Jewish vocabulary is incorporated effortlessly, appearing in the characters' daily conversation: a true representation of the vibrant language one would overhear at a community center such as portrayed in this story. Like other books in the series, this story feels plot and character driven rather than overly heavy-handed with attempts to pack in educational content. Readers will enjoy spotting this on the early chapter book shelves!
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Reviewer Katie Dawson is an MLIS student at PennWest University. Her two Jewish children keep her very busy, and her favorite part of the day is the evening ritual of “graham crackers and stories.” She blogs about children’s literature at https://pilesofpicturebooks.com/.
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