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Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust by Neal Shusterman, illustrated by Andrés Vera Martínez Graphix (imprint of Scholastic), 2023 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Stacie Ramey Buy at Bookshop.org In the author’s note, Shusterman discusses why he wrote this graphic novel despite his concerns about his ability to bring something new to this important subject. While it’s true that there are many other works dedicated to the Holocaust, Courage to Dream is a standout in a crowded field. It is an important read: entertaining, thought provoking, and evocatively drawn by an illustrator who lists his Tejano family’s violent struggles with white supremacy in Texas as a relatable factor in his background. Courage to Dream looks at hope through the lens of storytelling, but is also supported by carefully researched historical facts and drawings. It is told in parts, each delineated by a Hebrew letter, with an explanation at the back of the book as to the specific meanings of each of

Rebecca Reznik Reboots the Universe by Samara Shanker Atheneum Books for Young Readers (imprint of Simon & Schuster), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Rebecca Klempner Buy at Bookshop.org Rebecca Reznik Reboots the Universe is a sequel to Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World . It follows Becca Reznick, a supporting character in Book One. While the plot focuses again on fantasy elements from Jewish legend and folklore, the focus of this book is the significance of becoming “a spiritual adult” after one reaches bar or bat mitzvah. Early on in the book, Rabbi Levinson visits the kids' post-b’nai mitzvah class at Hebrew school. He suggests that having reached their teenage years, the members of their class are developing the ability to see morality with greater nuance and subtlety. Becca struggles with this as a young person on the autism spectrum. Despite her age, she tends to see issues as black and white. Does this mean that she’s doomed to remain immature? Since the events of

Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship by Barbara Krasner Calkins Creek (imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy at Bookshop.org Facing the Enemy is a book written in verse about a time in American history that should not be forgotten. Written in an easily readable poetic style, Krasner tells the story of two friends who are growing up near Newark, NJ during the rise in power of Adolf Hitler in Germany. It is the summer of 1937. Benjy is turning 14 this summer and looking forward to spending it with his best friend Thomas before they enter high school in the fall. Benjy is from a loving Jewish family, living with his mother and father. His father is a member of the Newark Minutemen, a group of former prize fighters who are working to dismantle the Nazi Bund growing around New Jersey. Thomas lives with his timid mother and his frustrated father, who misses Germany and the life he left behind

Yosef Medelevich: Leader of Soviet Jewry by Leah Sokol Menucha Publishers, 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Merle Eisman Carrus Buy from Menucha This is a fabulous book written for middle school readers, but also terrific for adults who are looking to learn about the life of Yosef Mendelevich and more about Soviet Jewry. It's the story of the first Refusenik who helped educate the world about the plight of the Jewish people in Russia. He lived his life as a religious Jew and survived many Russian prisons to finally realize his dream to live in Israel. This book is written in a simple style that explains the life of Yosef Mendelevich, from his childhood growing up in a Jewish home in the Soviet Union. In 1968 Yosef read Leon Uris’, Exodus and found a deep tie to Judaism and the Jewish state. His goal became to leave the Soviet Union and fly to Israel. He was part of the “Operation Wedding,” a wild scheme that he and ten other Jewish activists created to commandeer a small Russi

I Am a Tree: A Playful Action Rhyme by Hindy Feldman, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Heidi Rabinowitz Buy at Hachai This simple board book shows an Orthodox Jewish girl and her two younger brothers, enjoying the great outdoors and enacting a fun rhyming game that represents the life cycle of a tree. On each spread, we see the natural growth from seed to tree alongside the children's movements. For instance, "I am a seed, so tiny and small" shows a variety of seeds on the left side, and the children crouched down pretending to be tiny seeds on the right. The illustrations are bright, cheerful, and outdoorsy. The children are depicted in casual Orthodox dress (with the youngest in footie pajamas), and credit is given to Hashem for helping the trees grow. This action rhyme will work well with young children and be welcome at Tu B'shvat or any time of year. Are you interested in reviewing books for The Sydney Taylor

Shabbos Guess Who? A Lift-the-Flap Book by Ariella Stern, illustrated by Patti Argoff Hachai Publishing, 2023 Category: Picture Books Reviewer: Freidele Galya Soban Biniashvili   Buy from Hachai Shabbos Guess Who? is the latest installment in Hachai Publishing's lift-the flap series. Through twelve rhyming riddles, the story centers around a presumably Ashkenazi Orthodox family, beginning with preparations before the onset of Shabbat, including cleaning the house and getting dressed up. It then proceeds throughout Friday night and Saturday, ending with a melaveh malkah after Havdalah at the conclusion of Shabbat. Where there are two pronunciations for a given answer, both are included, i.e. zmiros / zmirot, seudas(t) shlishis(t). The detailed cartoon illustrations are bright and colorful in keeping with the lively and joyous atmosphere of the book. Even though this is a book geared towards the youngest of readers, it contains an impressive amount of information. Little hands wil

Run and Hide: How Jewish Youth Escaped the Holocaust written and illustrated by Don Brown Clarion Books (imprint of HarperCollins), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Judy Ehrenstein Buy at Bookshop.org Employing his signature angular, thin-line style and a subdued palette of grays and browns with effective pops of red, orange, and yellow, Don Brown presents the rise of the Nazis and the devastation they brought to the world, succinctly and powerfully. Beginning with the end of WWI and the economic woes of post-war Germany, he traces Hitler’s rise to power with a rhetoric of blame that is eagerly accepted by Germans. Moving through restrictions on Jewish life and employment, Kristallnacht, and roundups of adults, Brown keeps his focus on the lives of children: those sent on Kindertransports; those who were hidden; and those who survived by their own wits. While concentration camps are mentioned, this is not a book about those children sent to the camps. The work of resistance groups