The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Magician's Visit  by I.L. Peretz, adapted by Barbara Diamond Goldin, illustrated by Eva Sánchez Gómez Green Bean Books Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Kathy Bloomfield Buy at Bookshop.org The classic I.L. Peretz story of a penniless street magician who assists a poor couple in celebrating a truly miraculous Passover has been revised by Barbara Diamond Goldin from her 1993 edition. The language of this version has been brought up to date, for example, the couple Hayim-Jonah and Rivkah-Bailah are now Jonah and Rebecca, and the story text has been tightened. Instead of the dark, oil-based illustrations by Robert Andrew Parker in the 1993 edition, we have lighter, brighter illustrations by Eva Sánchez Gómez, using colored pencils on a white background. This is an excellent update of her earlier work, with all the charm and miracles of the first version. While this may be the classic version of this classic Passover story, and one that should find a place on the Sydney Taylor list

A Basket Full of Figs retoldby Ori Alon, illustrated by Menahem Halberstadt Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili Buy at Bookshop.org Originally published in Hebrew, A Basket Full of Figs is a retelling of a Midrashic tale, in which Emperor Hadrian visits a quiet little village. He sees an old man, who is nearly one hundred years old, planting a fig tree sapling. Emperor Hadrian is astonished at this as he tells the old man he won’t be alive to eat the fruit from the tree. The old man tells him, “Well if I don’t, then my children will. The tree that I am planting is a gift. For years to come, children will visit this place and find a fig tree full of sweet fruit.” He goes on to explain that when he came in to the world, he found lots of trees, wonderful gifts from earlier generations. But the story doesn’t end there. Three years pass and Emperor Hadrian revisits the village, and the old man. The reader then gets to see what indeed happened with the fig tre

Calling Cobber by Sheri Sinykin Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org   Early on in Sheri Sinykin’s middle grade novel,   Calling Cobber , 11-year-old Jacob “Cobber” Stern’s English teacher asks him to compose a haiku about himself and his family history. Cobber writes:   Me? I am nothing./No culture, no heritage./I am just Cobber . He is a boy adrift, without an anchor to steady him in his uncertain world. Cobber doesn’t know how to communicate with his emotionally distant, workaholic father since his mother’s death six years ago. He’s not sure if his friendship with BFF Boolkie Berman can survive now that Boolkie has “abandoned” him for Hebrew School and bar mitzvah studies. And he feels increasingly responsible for his great-grandfather, his Papa-Ben, who still lives on his own but is becoming more and more forgetful. All of this uncertainty leaves Cobber feeling grief-stricken, fearful, and defeated. Underpinning Cobber’s troubles is his contentious

Striker Boy by Jonny Zucker Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org After touring the world for seven years, thirteen-year-old Nat Levy and his father finally return to England to settle down. It is rough going at first; they live in a dump, and have no money, family, or friends. The one constant in Nat's life is soccer, or rather, football, as it's referred to in this British novel. Nat's amazing soccer skills are scouted at a community event for his favorite team, and, incredibly, the team's management illegally arranges for young Nat to get a place on the first team squad. But will Nat be able to save the struggling Hatten Rovers from bankruptcy? There are suspicious, even illegal, undercurrents behind the team's poor performance, and Nat must face danger both on and off the field in order to save his beloved team.  Striker Boy 's strength is as a sports novel, with lots of play-by-play commentary. There is suspense and some espio

Benny Feldman's All-Star Klezmer Band by Allison & Wayne Marks Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org This book has 'everything' in it! Everything wonderful! ... Friendship, Judaism, life lessons, music of all kinds, angst of sixth grade first love, shyness, overcoming stage fright, honoring family, how to deal with bullies, jealousy... and even redemption. And all of this 'wonderfulness' is via music, and Benny's ragtag band of friends, who come together in amazing ways. It's about the love of music and how "All music is connected... and how music connects us all." (Even and especially klezmer music) There is so much about Judaism and Jewish history in this fiction book! Via Benny's Uncle Maxwell, he comes to realize his love of, and talent for klezmer music which finds him and binds him to his new friends... and even helps him earn the respect of his arch enemy from a miserable second grade Hebrew school expe

Going Rogue (at Hebrew School) by Casey Breton Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Mozer Buy at Bookshop.org Going Rogue (at Hebrew School) is a heartfelt look at the age old question asked by many modern Jewish children, "Why do I have to go to Hebrew school?" Ten-year-old Avery has spent years wondering why he has to skip out on "fun" things, like football league, in order to be one of the few kids he knows who has to spend his Sunday and weekday afternoons at his synagogue learning about being Jewish. When a new interim Rabbi uses the ways of the force and a love of Star Wars to connect with Avery, he begins to learn that Hebrew School is not just about learning old traditions, it's also about learning how to be a good person and a better friend to those around you. The book meets the Sydney Taylor Book Award criteria because it has positive and authentic Jewish religious or cultural content and is appropriate for the intended grade level in style, vocabu