A little boy is really angry. First, his baby brother spills his blue bubbles, then sits in his new red wagon even after he tells him no. Next, he discovers his sister using his building blocks without asking—and she loses his favorite one! The little boy is so upset that night that he asks G-d to make the world upside down. And, lo and behold, “I woke up for school that very same night, and found that the whole world had changed./The dark sky was colored with polka dots and stripes, and the big, round moon was a bright, purple square…It was really cold on that summer day./So I put on my snow boots, my scarf and my hat./Once I was dressed and ready to go, I ran upstairs for supper.” But things get stranger yet. His parents are playing with his toys, his sister is washing dishes in the bathtub, and his fish is in a cage—until it takes off and flies out the window! What can the little boy do to make things normal again?
The Gordon family will not go to America. At least, that is what Tcharna’s Tatte insists. Not even a pogrom will change his mind. But when his eldest son Elya (who volunteered for military service as a teenager so a yeshiva student would not be drafted) is in danger of being called up again, it is too much. The Gordon males—Tatte, Elya, and young Hershel—will go first, using Tcharna’s dowry to pay for tickets. As soon as they earn enough for Mamme, Tcharna, and little Bina-Gittel to make the trip, they will follow. And so, the family leaves Zelmya behind forever.
Meet Victricia Malicia Calamity Barrett. With a name like that, you’d think she would live up to her family reputation: “a tradition since sixteen-o-three/for every last Barrett to set out to sea,/plund’ring and looting/and pirate pursuiting.” But despite her family’s best efforts, Victricia has no taste for the buccaneering life. No matter that a parrot taught the young pirate-in-training her first words, or that she learned to read (on her own) by spending many months in front of Ye Olde Pirate Creed. Victricia has absolutely no talent for seafaring skills: “She fell from the rigging,/Tied knots that would slip./Her cooking caused rats to abandon the ship.” She’d rather be reading books that have nothing to do with her currently lifestyle anyway, much to her relatives’ consternation.
Eva Ibbotson fans, rejoice. The master of unforgettable children’s literature’s second-to-last published novel is a worthy addition to her repertoire.
“When I daven [pray], do you know what I am doing?” With this question, young Jewish girls and boys describe what prayer means to them. From the moment they awaken in the morning, through mealtime, school, and play, the children show us what they do when they daven. For one little girl, prayer is about singing “about how beautiful the world is.” A young boy asks “Him to help me learn Torah and do mitzvos.” Another child sums it up succinctly: “When I daven, I’m talking to Hashem. And I know that He is always listening, because He loves me. And He especially loves to hear me daven!”
The year is 1975, and the month is Tet. It is the beginning of the new year, when everyone–regardless of when their birthday is–becomes a year older and looks forward to a fresh beginning.
“In art class, I painted a picture of my world. My teacher mailed it across the oceans.”
Ella is telling a story, and she knows what it needs to be perfect. Of course, it has to have words like Once upon a time. Ella also knows what it does not need: “I’m tired of bears. Every time you read a book, it’s just BEARS BEARS BEARS–horrible furry bears slurping honey in awful little caves. You don’t need BEARS for a book.” That said, our budding young author lists all the important things a story should have–fairies, princess, funny and exciting things, and so on–and begins her tale.- About: We feature professional reviews of books for young readers! Let a professional librarian help you select great books for children, adolescents, and teens!
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