The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Dream Big, Laugh Often, and More Great Advice from the Bible by Hanoch Piven and Shira Hecht-Koller, illustrated by Hanoch Piven Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Ann Koffsky Buy at Bookshop.org Dream Big, Laugh Often explains its mission on its first page, saying that, “even though the stories of the Bible are very old, there is still a lot that we can learn from each of these characters." With that premise set up, the book describes fourteen biblical characters. Each one has an illustration and a brief text. The headers include the character’s name, followed by the lesson to be learned. (For example: Noah: Be Good. Abraham: Trust the Journey.) The text references the traditional bible stories, but does not retell them. Instead, it uses them as jumping off points, highlighting the “advice’. So for example, In the profile of Jonah there is no mention of Nineveh. It instead focuses on Jonah needing a time out (inside the fish!). Most times, this appro

Golem Goes to Camp by Todd Gutnick, illustrated by Ruth Bennett Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org Emmett Cohen, a 10-year-old from Philadelphia, spends the summer at Camp Teva in Upstate New York. While he's generally excited about camp, he's annoyed that his artist parents signed him up to take a week of art classes, since Emmett is entirely disinterested in art. He spends his first day in the art shed making a clay monster. When he carves his name in Hebrew letters -- alef, mem, tav -- onto the sculpture. Later, we learn those letters also spell the Hebrew word EMET, "truth." At first, Emmett sticks it in a corner of his bunkhouse, Cabin 15. But then, it winks and smiles at Emmett's pal, Jake. When Jake freaks out about that, Emmett and Jake's conversation is overheard by Reisha, a particularly smart girl. She explains what a golem is and how Emmett accidentally mad

Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros Inkyard Press, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Laurie Adler Buy at Bookshop.org When twelve-year-old Zach Darlington buys a magical antique ring for his mother’s birthday, he unwittingly unleashes an egotistic and snarky demon king, some terrifying mythological monsters, and a nefarious secret society. Zach, his best friend Sandra, and demon Ashmedai, or Ash, must struggle within themselves and with each other in order to vanquish ancient beasts and foil a deadly apocalyptic prophecy. Strong sub-plots include Zach’s trepidation about coming out, antisemitism, homophobia, bullying, and navigating a first crush. Ring of Solomon is a well-paced, action-packed mythological adventure that fits snugly into the popular genre of Percy Jackson and the Rick Riordon Presents imprint. It will have strong appeal to middle grade readers between 8-12 years, especially those who enjoy mythology and monsters. As evidenced by his other books, most notably The Cit

Not So Shy by Noa Nimrodi Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Twelve-year-old Shai (pronounced "shy") relocates with her family from Israel to California so that her Abba can pursue a job opportunity in a science lab developing GMO non-browning avocados. She thoroughly resents the move and resists making new friends, but ends up creating strong relationships with Korean American neighbor Kay-Lee, white non-Jewish cute geek Chris, and Muslim Hakim. After a rocky start, when Hakim assumes that an Israeli will automatically dislike him, the two realize that Shai's Iraqi-Jewish heritage bears similarities to Hakim's family background. Together, they work on science projects, deepen their friendship, and face Islamophobic and antisemitic bullying at school. Shai and her family bond with Kay-Lee's family and find ways to support each other. Shai misses her Saba and Savta deep

The Royal Recipe by Elana Rubinstein, illustrated by Jennifer Naalchigar Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org Saralee Siegel is back again in The Royal Recipe ! We last met Saralee with her super nose at Hanukkah, when she traveled back in time to meet her great grandmother, in A Donut in Time . Now we are back at the Siegel House Restaurant with Saralee and her family. Her grandfather, Zadie owns the restaurant and Saralee assists him in the kitchen. In this novel the family is getting ready to hold a Purim banquet at Siegel House. Zadie wants everything to be authentic to the historical time of Esther and Mordechai in Shushan, Persia. He asks Saralee to use her special nose to figure out the most genuine hamantaschen recipe she can create. As Saralee starts sniffing, she feels herself connecting with the Purim story. Then an unusual and very controlling party planner named "Herman"

Duct Tape Purim by Carolyn Bernhardt & Jill Collela Bloomfield Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org The title of this book expresses exactly what it offers. It's a lovely craft book perfectly suited for Jewish children in grades 2-3, especially children who are excited about creating Purim costumes of their own with a bit of help from their parents. Though some of the text is a bit above the readability level for those grades, the colorful and attractive illustrations perfectly suit the skills of children eager to create costumes in unusual ways - using duct tape! Most families have that standard silver roll, and the authors add additional colorful tape options in addition to directions for every possible costume, from crowns to rings and bracelets, hats and shields, horses and robes, bows and carry totes. Woven throughout the directions for each costume is the Purim story and all the

My Sister's Girlfriend by Gail Marlene Schwartz, co-written and illustrated by Lucie Gagnon Rebel Mountain Press, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Kathryn Hall Buy at Bookshop.org Fifth grade student Talia Cohen-Sullivan lives with her father and sixteen year old sister Jade in contemporary eastern Canada. Talia likes math, art, and her best friend Carmen, but she does not care much for boys yet. Talia’s mom died from cancer three years ago and Talia is used to being the most important person to her sister. When Talia sees her sister kiss another girl she is first jealous and then anxious that Jade will be hurt when people find out that she is gay. Talia’s reluctance to communicate with her family and friends leads to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. As everyone is well-intentioned, and as they are willing to get therapy, learn more, and reach out to each other, it ends happily. This book captures the nuances of tween thoughts, feelings and actions in a realistic way and m

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Couldn't Drive? (Wait! What? series) by Dan Gutman, illustrated by Allison Steinfeld Norton Young Readers, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss   Buy at Bookshop.org This engaging biography of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is told by by fictional siblings Paige and Turner, names which foreshadows the sly and playful tone of the book. The dialogue between the brother and sister is intended to make the young storytellers relatable, and include high-minded quotations ("You can disagree without being disagreeable") to bring to life the sturdy values which characterized the life of RBG. There is a timeline for context. The light-hearted exchanges between the siblings reveal period detail and the inequities of an American era remote from the experiences of twenty-first century middle grade readers. (In 1956, there were only nine women in the Harvard Law School class of 552, and the absence of ladies' bathrooms meant a

The Lost Spy and the Green Dress by Alex Paz-Goldman, translated by Linda Yechiel Green Bean Books, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Beth L. Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org The world around Motti Friedman is full of intrigue. It is 1964, he is 12 years old, and he is absolutely certain there are spies living in his neighborhood outside of Ramat Gan. With his best friend Reuven, he will follow in the footsteps of the heroes of his favorite books - The Secret Seven, The Young Detectives , and Eight on the Track of One - and reveal at least one hidden spy. Trailing a suspect through the streets is much more exciting than doing his homework in the tiny, run-down apartment where his mother is forever at her sewing machine, and his father, unable to work since his recent stay in a convalescent home, sits reading the newspaper. Embarrassed by what he sees as the weaknesses of his parents, Holocaust survivors who rarely speak of the past, Motti wants to prove himself brave, strong, and cleve

Best Wishes by Sarah Mlynowski Scholastic Press, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacey Rattner Buy at Bookshop.org Becca lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her mom and brother, Brahm. Her parents have been divorced for a while but her Dad moved recently to California and this will be Becca’s first birthday without him. She also seems to be losing her best friend Harper, who is becoming more interested in chess,n ew friend Georgette, and Friendstagram than hanging out with Becca. But when Becca receives a mysterious box containing a magical bracelet, her life changes instantly. “Speak one wish to make it true,” the note attached to the bracelet says. “I wish I had friends. Not just one friend. But lots and lots of friends. So many friends,” Becca wishes. Suddenly, everyone, including her principal and teacher, wants to be her friend. At first, of course, it’s great. The wish worked! Best present ever! “Better than a gift certificate…better than a phone,” thinks

The Prisoner and the Writer by Heather Camlot, illustrated by Sophie Casson Groundwood Books, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Emily Roth Buy at Bookshop.org The Prisoner and the Writer recounts the famous Dreyfus Affair of late 19th century France, in which military officer Alfred Dreyfus was falsely accused of sharing confidential information with the Germans. After Dreyfus was sentenced to life in prison on an island, writer Emile Zola published a now-famous opinion piece in a French newspaper titled “J’Accuse…!” stating that Dreyfus' imprisonment was a blatant act of antisemitism. Although the two men never met, these events inextricably bind them together. The Prisoner and the Writer focuses more on the emotional journeys of Dreyfus and Zola, jumping right into the action of the story and weaving back and forth between their points of view to highlight the contrasts between their lives and their perspectives. Camlot's spare poetic verse does a remarkable job of gett

A Donut in Time: A Hanukkah Story by Elana Rubinstein, illustrated by Jennifer Naalchigar Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org In A Donut in Time , Saralee helps out in her Zayde's restaurant, Siegel House. Noses play a very important role when Jewish holiday meals are involved. Saralee knows very well how important it is to distinguish the different smells when you work in a restaurant kitchen. Especially for Hanukkah, there are all the delicious fried foods with very distinctive smells.Everyone in the Siegel family joins in to get ready for customers on the first night of Hanukkah. They are cooking latkes and sufganiyot. This year they are going to use Saralee's original recipe for peanut butter and jelly donuts.  Saralee has an unusual talent, a super nose, which Zadie says she inherited from her great grandmother, Golda or Gigi. Saralee has always felt unusual because of her extra

The Big Dreams of Small Creatures by Gail Lerner Nancy Paulsen Books (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org This fantastical story, told from multiple viewpoints, offers a vision of hope for human/insect communication. Eden (a biracial interfaith girl), August (a white, presumably Christian boy), a paper wasp queen, and an ant named Atom all contribute their perspectives as the story unfolds. August seeks to destroy insect life after his big moment in the school play is ruined by a cockroach inside his costume. Meanwhile, Eden, a budding entomologist, discovers that she can communicate with paper wasps via radical empathy and a kazoo. With opposing purposes, both children head for the Institute for Lower Learning, "Where Humans and Insects Intersect." August wants to find the deadly insecticide invented by the Institute's founder before he saw the light, and Eden wants to help insects educate humans ab

Where You've Got to Be by Caroline Gertler Greenwillow Books, 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Nolie has always felt like she lives in the shadow of her accomplished older sister Linden. Though Linden is just 12 years old, she’s ambitious and well on her way to becoming a star ballerina (and a really moody pre-teen). Eleven-year-old Nolie, on the other hand, feels adrift as she hasn’t yet discovered anything she’s passionate about, and her busy parents fuss over Linden all the time. Adding to her worries is Nolie’s best friend Jessa, who wants to be “cool” in sixth grade and seems willing to leave Nolie behind to do so. Caroline Gertler’s second novel, Where You’ve Got to Be , is a compassionate story about adolescence, identity, and the bonds that both heal us and challenge us. Nolie, in her quest to have something of her own, steals items from friends and family members. She knows what she’s doing is wrong, but she is desperate to find som

Monster Bar Mitzvah by Josh Anderson, illustrated by Dustin Evans Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Nockowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Josh Anderson’s slim graphic novel, Monster Bar Mitzvah , presents the story of Eli, one of those kids who can’t seems to get out of his own way. It’s summertime, and Eli is feeling lonely and bored because his older brother Adam is so busy preparing for his bar mitzvah. Every time one of his parents gives Eli a task to help around the house, he gets distracted and messes things up, whether it’s putting together a table, sorting response cards, or simply getting a bag of flour down from a high shelf. Feeling sorry for himself, Eli retreats to his room where he meets one of his stuffed animals come-to-life, a friendly monster named Brisket. Brisket is out to prove to Eli that his summer can still be fun. The story is light on explanations– readers never find out how Brisket becomes animate or why

Dear Student by Elly Swartz Delacorte Press (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Sandy Wasserman Buy at Bookshop.org Dear Student is the perfect book for any middle school child, boy or girl. It takes place in Grade 6, where even the most perfect-appearing, self assured kid is not! NOT at all! Autumn is anxious and thinks she's weird and doesn't have friends, never says the right thing, always second guesses what she might say or ought to have said. Author, Elly Swartz lets us in on all of Autumn's thoughts, her conflicts, her attempt at emergence into the world of her new school, her new home, and her family angst. Everyone else seems so in-the-know, even her kindergarten sister. Surprising herself, she makes a friend, Logan, relatively quickly. And the boy-without-a-name she met on her first morning heading to school, Cooper, becomes her friend, too. The reader comes to know what a great writer Autumn is, as we are witness to the creat

Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack Versify (imprint of HarperCollins), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judy Greenblatt Buy at Bookshop.org Warning - difficult territory ahead. However, if you don't mind a graphic description of leprosy and how to treat it, and you are not afraid to think about death, you may well find Black Bird, Blue Road a fascinating, thought provoking book.    In this historical fantasy, 12 year old Ziva runs away with her invalid twin brother Pesah by hitching two of her family’s horses to their disused wagon, loading it with provisions for the horses, herself and her brother, including his wheelchair, and taking off into the night, in what she thinks in the direction Constantinople. They soon join forces with Almas, a half demon who has some remarkable skills. We also meet the Angel of Death – who may turn out to be a little different from what you would expect. The characters are well rounded, thoughtful, and clearly differentiated. This is

My Name Is Hamburger by Jacqueline Jules Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2022 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Naomi Morse Buy at Bookshop.org My Name is Hamburger tells the historically accurate experiences of a lone Jewish child in a small Southern town in the 1960’s. Children were expected to be quiet about being Jewish in 1960’s, as Jews and foreigners were not welcomed in many small towns. Fourth grader Trudie Hamburger is the only Jewish child in her small town school. The class bully teases her hatefully about her foreign sounding Jewish name, while her teachers look the other way. She is quiet while her classmates sing Christmas Carols, and is sent to the library, where she helps shelve books and talks to the librarian. She doesn’t return to music class until long after the Christmas season. Trudie excels in spelling and reading, and wins a trophy with her name, Trudie Hamburger, engraved on the base. She finds a way to quiet the bully and to feel proud