Tag Archives: Jewish People

MG – Ellen Outside the Lines

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Sass, A. J. Ellen Outside the Lines. Little, Brown and Company, 2022. 978-0-759-55627-0. 331 p. $16.99. Grades 4-8.

A school trip to Barcelona is a big undertaking for someone like Ellen, who likes to be surrounded by schedules, routines, and familiar friends and family. However, with her best friend Laurel and her father, called Abba, on the trip with her, Ellen is determined to make the two-week experience work by using the rigid but safe framework of her life to cope with any challenges she might face. When her class arrives in Spain, however, she realizes her familiar routines will be disrupted with new friends, new experiences, and new obstacles, and she must work to expand her ideas about life, friendship, and family in order to grow and become a better, more complex version of herself. 

THOUGHTS: The new friends Ellen makes throughout this book really allow her to explore many preconceived notions she has always held about the world around her. Ellen’s Jewish faith also plays a big part in the story, highlighting the way her parents support her as she navigates questions about what her faith means to her, how important her culture is to her everyday life, and how she handles the faiths and cultures of those around her. Barcelona is an interesting backdrop to this story and helps to illustrate the importance of new experiences in life.

Realistic Fiction          Erin Faulkner, Cumberland Valley SD

Elem. – Eight Nights, Eight Lights

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Barnes, Natalie. Eight Nights, Eight Lights. Illustrated by Andrea Stegmaier. Kane Miller, 2022. 978-1-684-64441-4. Unpaged. $14.99  Grades 1-3.

What do Max, Lara, Ellie and Sam have in common?  They, and other characters celebrate Chanukah and share family traditions in Eight Nights, Eight Lights. On each of the first seven nights of Chanukah, Andrea Stegmaier introduces the reader to a new family and a new tradition. On the eighth night, the community gathers at the synagogue, and Rabbi Rubin tells the story of Chanukah. The story ends where it began, back at Max’s house as he watches fireworks and enjoys the menorahs in his community.

THOUGHTS: Natalie Barnes skillfully moves her readers from one home to the next as she establishes connection between her characters and shares Chanukah traditions. Andrea Segmaier’s illustrations are accessible to readers, detailing modern families celebrating their holiday in a busy city neighborhood and supporting the Rabbi’s telling of the Chanukah story. She successfully weaves a sense of warmth and community into her illustrations, which are unified throughout by shades of blue among other colors. I recommend this book for any library looking for a loving story about modern families celebrating Chanukah… and the meaning of Chanukah within families and communities.

Picture Book          Hannah J. Thomas, Central Bucks SD

YA – The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen

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Blum, Isaac. The Life and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen. Philomel Books, 2022. 978-0-593-52582-1. 218 p. $18.99. Grades 9-12.

Yehuda “Hoodie” Rosen is part of an Orthodox Jewish community that recently has relocated from Colwyn to (fictional) Tregaron, Pennsylvania. Hoodie is committed to observing the Jewish laws that govern his family’s household and their larger community, but things get complicated when he meets Anna-Marie while on a walk. Spending time with a gentile girl is strictly forbidden. However, the two discover antisemitic graffiti in a local graveyard and decide to work together to clean up the headstones. When his rabbi catches him in the act, Hoodie becomes an exile within his school and even his family. Everything is complicated by the fact that Anna-Marie’s mother is the mayor of Tregaron, and she opposes the expansion of Hoodie’s Orthodox community. Specifically, she’s fighting construction of an apartment complex spearheaded by none other than Hoodie’s father. When a series of violent hate crimes ratchets up the stakes, Hoodie finds himself questioning the rules he always has lived by. With many serious elements, Isaac Blum’s debut also is sweet and genuinely funny. Anna-Marie is a charming star-crossed romantic interest, and Hoodie’s many sisters are absolute scene-stealers. 

THOUGHTS: This timely, heartfelt debut novel is a perfect choice for fans of Jared Reck’s Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love. At only 218 pages, Hoodie Rosen will have broad appeal!

Realistic Fiction          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD