Reviews
Fly Back, Agnes
“Fly Back, Agnes is a charming novel that I read in one sitting. Elizabeth Atkinson has crafted a quirky yet tender story that also manages to explore some of the deep challenges faced by today’s youth. I loved this book and am ready to pack my bags and head off to… View →
Baby's Blessings
“Overall, this book would make a wonderful gift for a Jewish family welcoming a new addition, as it certainly conveys the excitement and joy of having a little one in the house. A sweet celebration of a baby, full of Jewish tradition.” —Kirkus Reviews View →
Chelm for the Holidays
“Chelm is a real Polish town in Poland, but more importantly, it is a mythical place where some very silly things happen. This collection includes stories about 10 Jewish festivals, including the weekly Shabbat. Some are adaptations of Jewish folktales, and some are original, but… View →
Kol Hakavod: Way to Go!
“The message is clear: How one conducts oneself throughout life is important—at school, in the community, and beyond.This expression of a core Jewish value should resonate with readers of all ethnic groups and faiths. (Picture book. 4-7)”―Kirkus Reviews View →
The American Dream?: A Journey on Route 66 Discovering Dinosaur Statues, Muffler Men, and the Perfect Breakfast Burrito
“A lovely, deceptively simple road trip memoir that revels in quirky discovery and quiet adventure while grappling with the anger and longing of one immigrant’s experience.”—Greg Pak, comic book writer View →
A Scarf for Keiko
“It’s 1942 and America is at war with the Empire of Japan. Sam’s elementary school class is knitting socks for soldiers and Sam is a terrible knitter. Keiko is a good knitter, but some kids at school don’t want anything to do with her because the Japanese have… View →
A Time Traveler's Theory of Relativity
“This is an incredible book, no matter which time universe you’re in. I couldn’t put it down. One of my favorite debut novels of the year.”—Erin Entrada Kelly, New York Times bestselling author and 2018 Newbery Medal winner View →
Raisins and Almonds: A Yiddish Lullaby
“Raisins and Almonds: A Yiddish Lullaby is highly recommended for children ages 3 to 8, as well as for anyone who loves the original song, and for fans of distinguished picture book art. An author’s note describes the song’s origin and a scannable QR code is View →
A Hoopoe Says Oop!: Animals of Israel
“Any author can find a rhyme for ‘cow’ or ‘moo.’ By the time they start school, most kids have read dozens of books about farm animals, but they may not have seen an ibex or a hyrax or a hoopoe. This board book would make an excellent compendium for children View →
Mitzvah Pizza
“This book may bring a surge of business to the Philadelphia pizzeria that inspired it. The walls of the Pizza Corner are covered with sticky notes, and at first Missy can’t figure out why. ‘Each sticky note,’ her father explains, ‘represents a piece of… View →
Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons
“Salas’s innovative language steals the show. . . . Multiple readings are in order: the first few may revolve around riddle solving, while subsequent ones will allow readers to savor the imaginative language and illustrations.”—The Horn Book Magazine View →
Light the Menorah!: A Hanukkah Handbook
“After so many years of celebrating Hanukkah, I thought there was nothing more to learn about the holiday but I was wrong. Jacqueline Jules has written an engaging picture book that I could easily see using with my grown-up family every year. There’s an introduction,… View →
All Eyes on Alexandra
“The Crane family wonders what to do with Alexandra Crane. She doesn’t follow in formation. She doesn’t march correctly. Instead, she likes to explore and flirt with danger. Saba Crane goes along with her and begins to understand Alexandra’s strengths. He sees that she correctly… View →
The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project
“How long has it been since you had a good laugh? This book is the one you’ve been waiting for. Witty, sharp, surprising—a refreshing read.”—Martha Brockenbrough, author of The Game of Love and Death View →
The World Needs Beautiful Things
“Bezalel and the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. But young Bezalel had an eye for beauty and loved to collect pretty things like shiny stones and colored strings, and place them into his ‘Beautiful Things Box.’ When it’s time to escape Egypt and wander through the… View →
And There Was Evening, And There Was Morning
“In the beginning, the world was created one day at a time, according to the Creation story of the Jewish tradition. Day by day, employing simple, descriptive, accessible language, Helfand and Zager describe the first seven days of our world. The first five days are each recounted… View →
The World of Minecraft
Booktalk: Explore the history and culture surrounding the Minecraft games, books, toys, and more. Snippet: Minecraft fans play in a vast world with almost unlimited freedom to be creative. But would you believe that the basic elements of Minecraft were created in only a… View →
http://asianreviewofbooks.com/content/production-line-china-fiction-two-new-novels/ For most people in the West, the relationship with China is one based on products—clothes, shoes, mobile phones—or, should the rumbling trade war materialize, the lack of them. But the people who… View →
The Monarchs Are Missing: A Butterfly Mystery
Blending crisp full-color photos with accessible text, Rebecca E. Hirsch explains how modern-day citizen scientists of all ages are helping researchers solve the mystery of why The Monarchs Are Missing (Millbrook, Jan. 2018; Gr 3-7). This engaging book grabs readers right from… View →
I Got a Chicken for My Birthday
Laura Gehl is the author of the popular PEEP AND EGG series. When I saw she had written about getting a chicken as a birthday present I knew I had to read it. My nieces love their chickens and even take them… View →
The Family with Two Front Doors
“How can a family have two front doors? Easy – if they live in 1920s Lublin, Poland, have nine children, and need two apartments – one to live in, the other in which the rabbi/father studies and conducts business. Based on Ciddor’s grandmother Nomi’s reminiscences, this View →
Search for the Shamir
“Twins Scarlett and Sam are off on another adventure; this time, their destination is King Solomon’s kingdom. They arrive to find the young king with no money and a dictum from God to build a temple. Despite Solomon’s reputed wisdom for solving all problems, building the… View →
The protagonists of these feminist YA novels do not let their ’’imperfections’’ stand in the way of taking action as they work to save themselves and, oftentimes, other young women. At fourteen, Macy Cashmere, star of The Disturbed Girl’s… View →