The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Two Tribes written and illustrated by Emily Bowen Cohen Heartdrum (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Eva L. Weiss Buy at Bookshop.org This middle-grade graphic novel is a creative reimagining of the author's life story. Emily Bowen Cohen was born to a Jewish mother and an indigenous American father, a member of the Muscogee Nation. The author's real-life father died when she was nine years old, but in the novel, the father of Mia, the 12-year-old protagonist, is alive and well in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The plot turns on Mia's decision to run away from her mother and stepfather's home in California to visit her father in Oklahoma after her bat mitzvah. She resents their sincere but heavy handed efforts to immerse her in Jewish culture to the exclusion of the other half of her identity. The narrative authentically unfolds the raw conflicts of Mia's dual identity as she comes of age and fiercely desires to renew her ties with her father, his fa...

Going Bicoastal by Dahlia Adler Wednesday Books (imprint of Macmillan), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Emily Roth Buy at Bookshop.org The summer before her senior year of high school, Natalya has a choice to make. She can stay with her dad in Manhattan, find a part time job, and maybe flirt with the Redhead she’s been running into all over town. Or, she can move to LA for the summer to live with her estranged mom, accept an internship at her mom’s marketing firm, and have an entirely new adventure.  In a clever stylistic choice, Going Bicoastal splits off into two alternate realities, showing how both of Natalya’s possible choices would play out.  In New York, Natalya does flirt with the Redhead, whose real name turns out to be Elly, leading to a very sweet romance. Natalya also discovers that she has a talent for working with children and reconnects with her mom through a two-person book club. In California, Natalya discovers a passion for graphic design and has an ene...

Big Bad Wolf's Yom Kippur by David Sherrin, illustrated by Martin Morón Apples & Honey Press (imprint of Behrman House), 2023 Category: Picture Books  Reviewer: Doreen Klein Robinson Buy at Bookshop.org Big Bad Wolf’s Yom Kippur is a delightful story that twists the conventional tale on its… tail! Author David Sherrin does a clever job mashing up two favorite fables: Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs. The story takes place during Yom Kippur, but for Big Bad Wolf it’s just another day of being bad, until he accepts Raccoon’s invitation to go to synagogue. Rabbi’s hug and Cantor’s cheerful singing might just make a big bad wolf change his ways. But then he remembers that wolves don’t like hugs, or singing, or changing. Big Bad Wolves like being bad. His encounter with Little Red Riding Hood and her Granny has him almost apologizing, a sign that he is starting to change. As he heads home, he feels something warm in his heart. Then he sees the Three Little Pigs, but...

Rivka's Presents by Laurie Wallmark, illustrated by Adelina Lirius Random House Studio (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Shirley Reva Vernick Buy at Bookshop.org Rivka, a girl growing up with her (presumably immigrant) family in the tenements of New York City, can’t wait for her first day of school. But since her father is ill from the flu pandemic of 1918, and her mother is forced to go back to work in a factory, she has to stay home to watch her little sister. Hungry to learn, Rivka resourcefully trades chores for reading, arithmetic, and history lessons from her neighbors. When Papa is well again, her "teachers" throw her a party as a send-off to her long-awaited first day at school. This moving tale blends a family story with accurate historical context to illustrate the importance of family, community, and education. The text, combined with the detailed, realistic illustrations, gently transports readers to Jewish life on the L...

Margo Zimmerman Gets the Girl by Brianna R. Shrum & Sara Waxelbaum Inkyard Press (imprint of HarperCollins Publishers), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org Margo Zimmerman thought she knew who she was and who she would be. She was the popular, high-achieving, fashion-loving, student council president, champion swimmer, and future veterinarian, who's dating the quarterback of the football team. That was until a game of spin the bottle sends her into a tailspin. When Margo ends up kissing a girl, she has an epiphany — she’s gay. Margo has always been well prepared for every aspect of her life, but she has no idea “how to be gay.” After failing with the advice given to her by her queer brother Mendel, Margo approaches Abbie Sokoloff, a fellow swim team member who is decidedly not one of her many friends. Uncharacteristically awkward, Margo says to Abbie “You’re gay…I want you to teach me…how to be gay.”  In this zippy, readable, queer rom-com, once A...

Ruth First Never Backed Down by Danielle Joseph, illustrated by Gabhor Utomo Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group), 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Jeanette Brod Buy at Bookshop.org In this picture book biography, Danielle Joseph tells a seminal story from her own birthplace in South Africa. Ruth First was a South African social justice warrior in the early days of the anti-apartheid movement. She was a journalist, writer, lecturer and professor who used her voice at great personal peril to speak out against racism and injustice. An illustration depicts a young Ruth eavesdropping on the anti-Black racism meetings that took place in her parents’ home. A teenage Ruth started a secret book club with friends to discuss inequality. In high school, Ruth goes public with her beliefs at protests. At university, she begins to write for the college newspaper and meets others, including Nelson Mandela, who will become leaders in the anti-apartheid movement. Ruth’s early i...

The Secret of the Dragon Gems by Chris Baron & Rajani Larocca, illustrated by Sam Dawson Yellow Jacket (imprint of Simon and Schuster), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Stacy Mozer Buy at Bookshop.org When Sam and Tripti find two special rocks during a meteor shower at sleepaway camp, they cannot imagine how life changing the moment will be for both of them and the "rocks" they've found. But Sam and Tripti are not the only ones interested in the rocks. The sleepaway camp owner, Sanford P. Dilloway, is also after the stones and he has his mind set on getting them. As Sam and Tripti learn more about the mysteriously active stones, which they've named Jasper and Opal after the living rocks in their favorite book series, The Dragon Gems, they also learn more about each other and what it means to be a true friend.  While Judaism is not the main focus of this book, it is woven into each of Sam's communications. Sam's Bubbe is an important supporting charact...