The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

A Bear for Bimi by Jane Breskin Zalben, illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Rachel Simon Buy at Bookshop.org A Bear for Bimi , written by Jane Breskin Zalben and illustrated by Yevgenia Nayberg, is an accessible and important picture book. It follows the story of Evie (white and presumably Jewish), who lives in America, and her new friend, Bimi (brown, and presumably Muslim), who has immigrated with his family to Evie’s neighborhood. Bimi and his family are greeted by diverse neighbors who welcome them and of course some who don’t, like Mrs. Monroe. Throughout the story, neighbors help Bimi and his parents, and Evie even gives him her teddy bear. Their neighbor Mrs. Monroe is the only one who does not take to their family, though ultimately she comes around when the children help her with her fallen groceries. The illustrations are simple, but delightful. The colors are vibrant and I particularly love

Bluebird by Sharon Cameron Scholastic Press Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Meg Wiviott Buy at Bookshop.org Sharon Cameron’s BLUEBIRD begins in August 1946 with Eva arriving in New York City from war-torn Berlin. Chapter Two begins in February 1945, where sixteen-year-old Inge steals her father’s car to go on a joy ride and giggles with her friend Annemarie about kissing her mother’s chauffeur, even though she’s all but engaged to Rolf, a friend of Papa’s. In America, Eva is on a mission—not the one the US government assigned to her—to mete out justice for the innocent. In Germany, Inge’s world falls apart with the Führer’s death and her discovery of the truth of her father’s work in his camp. These seemingly separate stories are soon braided together into one cohesive storyline.  An idea for a story often begin with the question, “What if?” What if a German girl, an active member in the League of German Girls, though she never seems to measure up to pure Nazi standards, discovers the

The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell by Jordan Sonnenblick, illustrated by Marta Kissi Scholastic Press Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Beth L. Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org Jordan Sonnenblick takes us back to his childhood with this lightly-fictionalized account of his own fourth-grade year. It gets off to a rough start. He doesn’t get past the first day before breaking one of Mrs. Fisher’s Rules for Successful and Mature Fourth Graders. He has always had trouble sitting still and paying attention, and his new asthma medication has made it worse. His pet garter snake, Hector, unexpectedly gives birth to a whole bunch of baby snakes that need new homes. And his parents sign him up for drum lessons, but he doesn’t have a drum at home - he has to practice on a large dictionary.   Jordan faces indignities and setbacks with determination and wry humor. He is a good-natured, likable tween boy trying to figure out the sometimes baffling world around him. Marta Kissi’s black-and-white d

Sorry for Your Loss by Joanne Levy Orca Book Publishers Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Bookshop.org   Evie Waldman's family runs a Jewish funeral home, and Evie is eager to help in the family business. When a car accident kills both of Oren's parents, Evie is given the assignment of keeping the boy company during the summer. Still pained by the earlier loss of a friend, Evie has sworn off friendship to avoid the hurt, but mourning, injured, silent Oren turns out to be good company. Evie learns that everyone grieves at their own pace, and finally accepts that loss and life are inextricably intertwined.    Jewish funeral and mourning customs are demystified in a matter-of-fact, respectful manner, as Evie learns new information or shares her knowledge with Oren. Other Jewish practices, such as Shabbat observance, are woven naturally into the narrative. Evie attends a Jewish day school, and it is clear that the Waldman family is active within the Jew

Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) by Svetlana Alexievich, Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky Delacorte Press (imprint of Penguin Random House) Category: Young Adults Reviewer: Meg Wiviott Buy at Bookshop.org In August 1939, Nazi Germany and the USSR signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, an unofficial agreement in which the two countries agreed to stipulations of non-aggression against one another and to partition and divide Poland. Despite this agreement, German invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941. Last Witnesses (Adapted for Young Adults) presents an oral history of the children of the Great Patriotic War (what we in the West know as either Operation Barbarossa or the Eastern Front of WWII). Originally published for adults in Russian in 1985 as Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II , Penguin Random House has now made both adult and a young adult adaptation available in English.   Nobel Prize winning author Alexievich’s i

They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman Razorbill (imprint of Penguin Random House) Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Michelle Falkoff   Buy at Bookshop.org   Sisters Stella and Ellie Steckler share an alcoholic mother, a love of cross-country running, and an unwillingness to disclose anything about their romantic lives with one another. Their hometown is best known as the place where a series of murders happened a few years ago, and both are desperate to leave. Running seems to be the only way out, but competition for scholarships is fierce, and Stella may have already lost her chance because of an incident at a competition that got her sent to anger management.   The competition heats up when Mila Keene moves in. Mila was one of Stella’s biggest competitors, and now she could take the scholarships that Stella so desperately needs. When Mila disappears after Stella sends her a series of angry texts, it’s not long before the town jumps to the conclusion that anger manage

Hannah G. Solomon Dared to Make a Difference by Bonnie Lindauer, illustrated by Sofia Moore Kar-Ben Publishing (imprint of Lerner Publishing Group) Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Beth L. Gallego Buy at Bookshop.org The 1893 Columbian Exposition - better known today as the Chicago World’s Fair - introduced many inventions and innovations, including electric lamps and the Ferris wheel. It was also the birthplace of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), thanks to the efforts of Hannah Greenebaum Solomon.   Born to German immigrant parents in 1858, young Hannah grew up encouraged to treat all people with respect and to help those less fortunate than herself. Her parents set the example, working to aid new immigrants, impoverished families, and people fleeing slavery. In the aftermath of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, Hannah’s parents opened their home to those who had lost theirs.   As an adult, Hannah was among the first Jewish women admitted to the Chicago Women’s Cl