The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

Strange Creatures by Phoebe North Balzar + Bray (imprint of HarperCollins) Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Valerie Estelle Frankel Buy at Bookshop.org Is Phoebe North’s Strange Creatures a fantasy novel? Well, is Bridge to Terabithia ? Both feature  children’s imaginary worlds, used as a coping mechanism for everyday struggles. North’s other offerings were spaceship fiction (in fact, on a specifically Jewish generational ship, a delight for readers seeking representation). It’s easier to group an author’s books in the same category, mentally or otherwise. But the fantasy here is deniable in a “maybe the magic was coincidence or a dream” sort of way.   Big brother Jamie and younger sister Annie are devoted to each other. They spend years exuberantly building a magical fantasy world called Gumlea in the woods near their house. After Jamie breaks some of its laws, he vanishes, and Annie struggles being the sister of a public tragedy and a personal devastation. While others come

 The Candy Man Mystery by Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, illustrated by Christina Mattison Ebert Kalaniot (imprint of Endless Mountain Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Dena Bach Buy at Bookshop.org For many children who regularly attend services at a synagogue, the person that makes them feel most welcome is not the rabbi or cantor but is instead the time-honored “Candy Man” or “Lollipop Lady,” the regular attendee who hands out free candy to any child who approaches. Though the idea of giving candy to entice children could be problematic, in The Candy Man Mystery , Rabbi Kerry Olitsky, author of Where's the Potty on this Ark? does a good job of showing that the reward is actually in the relationships and in the community, and not in the sweets.    With the "mystery" of where the missing Candy Man went, the young reader is guided through the narrative in an age-appropriate manner, and is introduced to the people, places, and prayers that can be found and hear

 A Queen to the Rescue: The Story of Henrietta Szold, Founder of Hadassah by Nancy Churnin, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Creston Books (imprint of Lerner Publishing) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Beth Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org Growing up the daughter of a Rabbi in Baltimore just after the Civil War, Henrietta Szold saw many people in need and wanted to help. She took particular inspiration from the Purim story she heard every year. Queen Esther - Hadassah in Hebrew - was her model of a brave woman standing up for her people and making a difference.   Opportunities for women to help others, though, were limited. Szold was not interested in the expected path of marriage and children. She became a teacher, opened a night school for new immigrants to learn English after work, and started the Jewish Publication Society.   After the turn of the century, she visited Jerusalem and saw children in need of food and medicine. This was a job far too big for one person, so Szold c

Gitty and Kvetch by Caroline Kusin Pritchard, illustrated by Ariel Landy Atheneum (imprint of Simon & Schuster) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Ruth Horowitz Buy at Bookshop.org Gitty, an ebullient little girl with unruly curls and overalls, gets her name from Gittel, Yiddish for “good.” Kvetch, which means to complain, isn’t usually a name. But it perfectly suits Gitty’s bird pal, who wears an old man’s hat and has a band-aid on his beak, and finds the cloud behind Gitty’s every silver lining. The contrast between the two provides the backbone of Gitty and Kvetch, a picture book about friendship and framing experience. What makes this book Jewish is Kvetch’s use of Yiddish words, defined in an appended glossary. (Other than one “oy vey,” Gitty speaks entirely in English).   The story opens with Gitty producing a swooping, splattering painting. Declaring the picture perfect for her “perfect, purple tree house,” she races off to find Kvetch, who warns that it might not

 Journey on the C&O Canal by Tovah S. Yavin Menucha Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judith S. Greenblatt   Buy at Menucha Publishers Journey on the C & O Canal is a warm and loving story. In 1909, twelve year old Orthodox Gabe is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah and eager for adventure. Two weeks on the C & O canal, helping Mr. Brent with his boat and mules, especially lame mule Rosy, sounds like a perfect escape from the drudgery of school, homework, working in the Mr. Lichtenstein’s pharmacy and chores.  Once on the canal, Gabe has his moments of boredom plodding alongside the mules, but he also learns how to speak mule, how to rescue a doll, and how to help a 7 year old learn to read.  Most importantly, he learns a lot about himself.    The essence of the story is its positive and authentic Jewish content. Before Gabe's adventure is allowed to start, several questions must be answered. To honor Gabe's parents, must their permission first be secured? Will Gabe hav

 The Rabbi and the Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr., and Their Fight against Silence by Audrey Ades, illustrated by Chiara Fedele Kar-Ben (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Book Reviewer: Rachel Simon   Buy at Bookshop.org The Rabbi and The Reverend: Joachim Prinz, Martin Luther King Jr. and Their Fight Against Silence   tells the story of two men in their fight for civil rights in the 1960’s. Readers have the pleasure of getting to know a little backstory of King and Prinz’s lives before they met, as well as their interactions together. Prinz left Germany when things began to become difficult for Jews with the Nazis’ rise, and even talked about leaving before things got worse. The picture book is filled with strong illustrations that help enhance the text. The mood varies between hopeful and somber, portraying the struggles Prinz and King encountered as they fought against silence. Overall, The Rabbi and the Reverend is a great introduction

 The (Un)Popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez Katherine Tegan Books (imprint of HarperCollins) Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Valerie Estelle Frankel Buy at Bookshop.org Mark Adams is a born politician. The son of a California congressman near San Francisco, he runs for student body president when a gay kid is bullied, and he wants to change the system. That’s the big story arc—his campaign, supported by his friends. The complication is that Mark is in hiding. His father’s constituents think he’s still Madison, and his father has threatened to disown him if he tells his story to anyone. Thus the tension with his father, his religion, and his self-doubt are personal, adding to the struggle of keeping this secret from all his friends and his new Jewish love interest.    It’s a charming book—Mark is endearing and very honest. He’s committed to his politics—even over-committed as he refuses to compromise on perfection. This of course can become a fatal flaw as he pushes himself to in