The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz by Diana Harmon Asher PJ Publishing, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Esty Schachter             Buy at Amazon.com   It’s hard to know where to start in describing the depth and heart of delightful must-read, Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz . The characters are highly engaging and relatable, managing serious themes but also infusing humor throughout. Evie is interesting and complex, and so are her friends and classmates, which is, in fact, one of the many themes of the book. Other themes include coping with grief, bullying, ignorance and intolerance, as well as finding strength and understanding in unexpected ways and more. The book deftly explores the idea that sometimes taking a stand for something that feels right may lead to a bit of trouble, but is nonetheless a risk worth taking. Jewish themes are woven into the book naturally because they are key elements of Evie’s life. From reflecting on having been a canto...

The Daughter of Auschwitz: The Girl Who Lived to Tell Her Story by Tova Friedman Quill Tree Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus   Buy at Bookshop.org   Tova Friedman was four years old when her family was moved to a Jewish Ghetto in Poland and just six when they were forced into a cattle car bound for Auschwitz concentration camp. Tova is one of the youngest survivors of the horrendous death camp. As time passes and the survivors of the Holocaust atrocities are fewer and fewer, Tova feels it is her obligation to tell her story. She must keep sharing her experiences so that the world will not forget what happened in World War II Germany and Poland.   Tova tells the story from the perspective of a young girl of twelve talking to a classmate. This makes the story easier for young readers to understand and relate to the details. We meet Tova when she comes to New York City and is starting her new life in America. It...

Across the Jewniverse: 180 Totally Random Jewish Facts by Kerry Olitzky and Deborah Bodin Cohen Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz   Buy at Bookshop.org The newest nonfiction book from Kerry Olitzky and Deborah Boden Cohen, Across the Jewniverse , gives middle grade readers “180 totally random facts” about Jewish culture, people, geography, and history. And, boy, do the authors deliver on the random facts! Each spread offers several sometimes loosely-, sometimes closely-related tidbits of information. In one spread, for example, readers learn about the flavor of Moroccan challah, the length of the world’s longest challah, and fact that Ugandan challah is baked in banana leaves. Across the Jewniverse is a feast for the eyes, loaded with bold graphics and playful juxtaposition of photos and text. Brightly colored text boxes are layered over modern stock images and historical photos. Taken all together, the boo...

Bedtime Stories for Strong Jewish Girls: Tales of 50 Jewish Heroines Who Changed the World by Melanie Goldberg Silver, illustrated by Jess Goldsmith Gefen Publishing House, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Belinda Brock   Buy at GefenPublishing.com   This books highlights the lives of 50 Jewish women who made significant contributions. The author has curated a diverse group across the ages representing various fields and professions. Some are more well-known and others have been overlooked or forgotten. For instance, while I was familiar with Eliezer Ben Yehudah, who revived the Hebrew language for modern times, I never knew about the part played by his wife Hemdah Jonas Ben-Yehudah. The author has crafted entertaining and informative narratives for each woman. One element that keeps the mini-biographies interesting is the generous use of dialogue and the subjects' thoughts. This does not detract from the stories, but a librarian might classify this book as historical fic...

The Discovery of Dragons (Miriam's Magical Creature Files) by Leah Cypess, illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul Amulet Books (imprint of Abrams), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner   Buy at Bookshop.org   Miriam's Magical Creature Files: The Discovery of Dragons is a middle-grade novel which follows a young Orthodox Jewish girl, Miriam, who has decided that all statements of her family members must be investigated to be believed. This decision followed several incidents in which claims made by her mother, father, and sister later proved untrue. In this volume of the series, Miriam’s sister says there is a dragon at the zoo. (This is the second book in a series which started with The Truth About the Tooth Fairy .) Today is Miriam’s field trip to the zoo, so she will be in the right place to investigate. Miriam is a funny and appealing narrator. Despite the magical nature of dragons, Cypess grounds the story in authentic childlike behavior and concrete details li...

Max and Emma Discover the Meaning of Manna by Carl Harris Shuman, illustrated by Leo Trinidad Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Carrus   Buy at Bookshop.org   Max and Emma are back for another adventure. Traveling back in time, they visit historical characters who help them understand a Jewish holiday or concept. It is the holiday of Sukkot, and the Rabbi is teaching Max and Emma’s class about the lulav and etrog. They discuss the Israelites traveling in the desert. The Rabbi explains that there were not actual huts but protective clouds that hovered over and around the Israelites as they traveled across the desert. That is why today we recreate that effect by erecting a Sukkah in our yards. As the children imagine the Israelites traveling they wonder what they ate along the way. The Rabbi explains about the manna falling each day. Emma wonders what manna was and what it tasted like. Emma, Max and their friend Eita...

Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Sarah Green Holiday House, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Jeanette Brod   Buy at Bookshop.org   If the title Days of Awe: Stories for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and its selection of stories seem familiar, it is because they are. The book is a new edition of an old favorite with all new illustrations. The three stories included represent the important Jewish concepts of Charity, Prayer, and Repentance. The classic retellings remain the same. The fully saturated color pages and evocative new artistic motifs provide new possibilities for engagement with a High Holiday standard. The first story involves Elijah the Prophet, disguised as an officer posted to a distant province. He leaves Rivka with a very tarnished samovar she is unable to clean. Rivka discovers that the samovar brightens with each act of Charity she performs. Over the next seven years, she and her husband take only wha...

Lilac and the Switchback by Cordelia Jensen Holiday House, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Mozer   Buy at Bookshop.org   This beautifully written novel in verse is a heartwarming must-read. After her mother’s death, Lilac moves in with her aunt and uncle, who have treated her with kindness, but she’s never truly felt at home. Her cousin has never welcomed her, and now, with twins on the way, Lilac feels more like an outsider than ever. As she starts middle school, things get even harder when her best friend joins the popular crowd, alongside her cousin, leaving Lilac behind. When she discovers a long-lost letter and a check from her father, Lilac realizes he may have wanted to be part of her life all along. Hoping for the sense of belonging she's always craved, she reaches out to him, wondering if he might finally be the one to offer her a real home. Judaism plays a meaningful and authentic role in Lilac’s journey as she seeks connection to her father and a deeper...

The Incorruptibles by Lauren Magaziner Aladdin (imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein   Buy at Bookshop.org Thirteen-year-old Fiora lives in Barrowburgh with her Uncle Randal, in a dystopian former United States. Sorcerers have taken over, controlling and terrorizing the town and beyond. Fiora's parents were brutally murdered and she is both enraged and deeply frightened of the Sorcerers and their powers. During an unfortunate meeting and subsequent battle with one, Fiora is rescued by Quinn, a member of the Incorruptibles, a rebel group working to defeat their cruel overlords. Taken to Inc Academy, their training school, Fiora begins to learn her own strengths, both physically and emotionally. Life at the school brings friendships, rivals, and a little romance. And also danger, with the book ending on a cliffhanger, leaving readers wanting more. Characters are diverse: skin color and hair texture is described, as are physical disa...

Scattergood by H.M. Bouwman Neal Porter Books (imprint of Holiday House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Ellen Scolnic   Buy at Bookshop.org This historical novel takes place in 1941, as the United States prepares to enter World War II. Thirteen year old Peggy grapples with daily chores and farm life while her town welcomes refugees and her cousin and best friend is dying of leukemia. "Authentic" is the word that comes to mind when describing this book. Bouwman has a solid grasp of her teenage protagonist’s point of view. Dialogue rings true. Peg’s ideas and hopes are valid. She is rational and very talented in math, so she tries desperately to save her cousin’s life - or find a doctor who can care her. Peg’s ideas – ambushing a visiting professor or praying because that’s what some adults have said they are doing - seem like ideas a real teen would come up with. This book is beautifully written. Peg is a self-described nerd who enjoys playing chess with an elderly re...

Speechless Aron Nels Steinke Graphix (imprint of Scholastic), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Kathryn Hall   Buy at Bookshop.org   This middle grade graphic novel's main character is Mira Toledano-Stone who is hoping for a better year as she starts 6th grade at a new school. Her anxiety and selective mutism prevent her from speaking in school despite her best efforts. At home she is quite able to argue with her younger sister and parents. Chloe, Mira's best friend from preschool to second grade, is now popular but Mira has no friends and blames Chloe. Mira spends all her free time alone creating short stop-motion films. Mira's busy, loving parents do not seem to understand how much her anxiety is interfering with her life until her grades are affected. Then they eliminate her film making and start taking her to a therapist. Mira's mother had invited Mira's nemesis Chloe to live with them until the end of the school year as her family, has had to move to Montan...

Interrupted Lives: Nine Stories of Child Survivors of the Holocaust by Amanda Friedman and Kelley Szany Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco   Buy at Bookshop.org This book is an inspiring collection of autobiographical stories developed using insightful interviews. A note from the authors even before the opening page speaks to a powerful purpose: “For all the survivors. Thank you for your strength, courage, and resilience, reminding us of the need to remember the past in order to transform the future.” The nine stories also remind us that it won’t be long before hearing directly from survivors, in their own words, is a thing of the past. Authors Amanda Friedeman and Kelley Szany bring their expertise as Holocaust educators to this powerful work as they frame each story with an optimistic life lesson of relevance to the interviewee. These include: "Try to be Optimistic In Life," "Learn fr...

Spark by Chris Baron Feiwel & Friends (imprint of Macmillan), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laura Schutzman   Buy at Bookshop.org Writing about wild fires is not a new concept. What makes this novel in verse unique is the sensitive writing and descriptions that Chris Baron includes in his story. It begins with Phineas Katz (aka Finn), and his friend Mirasol (aka Rabbit) putting hidden trail cameras in the local California forest to monitor animals. They create a field journal to document their observations, especially as the drought spreads and affects the flora and fauna. When the small brush fires begin to spread and change the landscape, Finn and Rabbit are determined to document everything, even as they escape from a massive wildfire with their lives.  The story is divided into segments that document the progression of the destruction, beginning with the “spark” in the air, the fast and destructive power of fire, and the aftermath of fire. Each section is beau...

Beinoni by Mari Lowe Levine Querido, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Leah Cypess   Buy at Bookshop.org In this unique take on the “chosen one” trope, 12-year-old Ezra has been trained since birth to fight a monster. If he succeeds, he will keep the world “beinoni”—in an in-between-state in which nothing terrible can happen. But after Ezra is nearly kidnapped at a classmate’s bar mitzvah, bad things begin to happen in his neighborhood and in the larger world—things that should be impossible in a “beinoni” time. Meanwhile, Ezra himself is falling out with his best friend, falling behind in school, and falling in with a bad influence—foster kid Aryeh, who spreads chaos wherever he goes. His life feels like it’s spiraling out of control, and no one will tell him why. But his pursuit of the truth will make him question everything he’s been told about his place in the world. Ezra, his family, and his friends are all Orthodox Jews, and the depiction of his community is deep and aut...

GLITCH GIRL! by Rainie Oet Kokila (imprint of Penguin Young Readers), 2025 Category: Middle Grade  Reviewer: Esty Schachter   Buy at Bookshop.org GLITCH GIRL! is a heartbreaking verse novel by Rainie Oet that begins with a content warning: "This book contains depictions of difficult subjects that some may find triggering. These include trauma, physical abuse, emotional abuse, violence, self-harm, misgendering, transphobia, homophobia and bullying." This is important, as Oet’s book, taken from personal experiences, is a painful exploration of a child experiencing emotional and physical abuse at home, and the significant impacts that result. The main character, J—, uses a crossed-out name in reflecting on the past because she identifies as a nonbinary girl and uses she/her and they/them pronouns interchangeably. Oet acutely shows J— from 4th to 7th grade as they struggle with rejection, very low self-esteem and isolation, finding some respite through a video game they play. J...

All the Things We Found by Joanne Levy Orca, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Lisa Trank   Buy at Bookshop.org In Joanne Levy's All the Things We Found , 11-year-old Ruthie is navigating big, difficult changes from the aftermath of her baby brother’s stillbirth and her mother's subsequent postpartum depression, to her parents' divorce, new stepfather, and standoffish older stepbrothers. When Ruthie’s mother announces that she is pregnant, Ruthie’s grief and anxieties about her baby brother’s passing are reignited. Ruthie finds solace with her dog Izzy, and her best friend, Jenna, and their shared passion for the fantasy book series Unicorns of Faravelle . The two girls eagerly anticipate book number eight, but when they learn it's been canceled, Ruthie is determined to uncover why, even attempting to write the book herself. On a walk with Izzy to the cemetery where her brother is buried, Ruthie encounters an older woman sitting on a bench, writing in a red noteboo...

The Sky Was My Blanket: A Young Man's Journey Across Wartime Europe written and illustrated by Uri Shulevitz Farrar Straus Giroux, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein   Buy at Bookshop.org Employing a conversational, first-person narrative, the late author and illustrator Uri Shulevitz writes in the voice of his uncle, Henri, whom he met after both survived World War II. Born Yehiel Szulewicz in early 20th century Poland, Szulewicz showed early on that he was curious about the world beyond his Polish village and wouldn’t let obstacles get in his way of seeking adventure. Striking out from home at 15 ½ years old, thinking he would walk to the Holy Land, he traveled through Poland, much of central and southern Europe, eventually landing in Spain and joining the fight against Franco, all the while either staying with fellow Jews and earning small amounts of money to help him get by, or sleeping outside, “with the sky as my blanket”. When money or official papers were...

So THAT Happened... But Maybe You Already Knew That by Tami Sussman Walker Books, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rochelle Newman-Carrasco   Buy at Bookshop.org   So That Happened…But Maybe You Already Knew That? is more than a title. It’s the inner voice of the delightfully unsure protagonist Natalie Sellek, known as Nutty to her family and friends because of a love for Nutella. She is constantly coming up against intense or puzzling things that would make a person want to say “so that happened.” But, because Natalie is aware that what might be a novel observation or idea for her may or may not be commonplace to you, the reader, she's quick to add the disclaimer: "but maybe you already knew that?" Natalie is also a lover of new words, and cultural exchange – which also prompts a “maybe you already knew that?” as she brings in Hebrew words, Yiddish words, and other cultural ideas from her homeland Australia and more. In other words, she is a curious, empathetic youn...

Neshama by Marcella Pixley Candlewick (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Heather Matthews   Buy at Bookshop.org Sixth grader Anna Fleischman has a "Shayna Neshama," a beautiful soul, according to her Bubbe Esther. Anna, however, is more focused on the souls of those around her – more specifically, the ghosts that she can see and hear. As she interacts with these spirits, her classmates deem Anna as scary, leading to social isolation and bullying. Anna’s home life isn’t much better, with an emotionally distant and cruel father. Anna finds solace spending Shabbat and the weekends with Bubbe, learning about her aunt Ruthie. Ruthie, who died at eleven years old, appears to Anna and requests to enter her niece’s body to “finish what [she] started,” in exchange for giving Anna “the strength [she] need[s] to stand up to [her] father, to the horrible girls and shortsighted teachers,” so that both girls can “find some peace.” Upon striking the de...

The Girl with the Secret Name: The Incredible Life of Doña Gracia Mendes Nasi by Yael Zoldan Green Bean Books, 2025 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy at Bookshop.org   Although The Girl with the Secret Name refers to a girl in the title, this inspiring book is about the life of Dona Gracia Nasi well beyond her youth. It is the year 1522 in Lisbon, Portugal and the night before Beatriz (Gracia) de Luna's twelfth birthday. Like most girls her age, she is excited about her party the next day, as well as the new dress she has been waiting to wear. Her whole world shifts, however, when her parents reveal to her that their family are secret Jews. This is shocking and terrifying news to Beatriz who is told that the punishment will be death if the truth is discovered. Drawing on the strength of her parents and grandmother, however, she bravely faces her new reality. By age 18, Gracia has married and soon suspects that her husband's business is not...