(2) YA Edited by Katherine Locke and Laura Silverman. This anthology by Jewish authors and about Jewish teens matter-of-factly reflect details of Jewish life rarely seen in mainstream YA. The fourteen short stories also acknowledge the variety of Jewish experience, including some diversity beyond religion, mostly in terms of sexuality. A refreshing opportunity for Jewish teens of many beliefs and backgrounds to see themselves--and for others to see them--in stories that are as much about entertainment as they are about Jewishness.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(2) YA Seventh-grader Ari Rosensweig is the new kid, "awkward, big, different / from everyone else." Picked on and beat up, Ari is drawn to other worlds where characters transform heroically (e.g., Avatar). The verse novel is a well-chosen format for Baron's debut, with his first-person narrative effectively revealing the protagonist"s growth step by step. Any reader who has felt like an outsider will be drawn to this verse novel.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2019

(4) YA Naive Ella works in a sewing workshop at "Birchwood," the English name for Birkenau (the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in fact had a workshop of just this kind). Ella develops a close friendship with Rose (with undertones of sexual attraction). Characterization and imagery are among the novel's strengths, though some readers may object to its simplifying and decontextualizing events in the name of "show[ing] universal experiences."

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Daniele Fabbri. Bezalel, an Israelite slave in Ancient Egypt, collects unusual things. When the Exodus begins, the boy insists on bringing his Beautiful Things Box with him. When God asks Moses to build a mishkan, a house filled with beautiful things, Bezalel is the only one ready to provide treasures. Soft paintings convey a sense of wonder in this unusual retelling of a biblical story (discussed in the author's note).

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) PS "BROTHER, SISTER, / FRIENDSHIP faces, / faces of all RACES and PLACES, / we are JEWISH faces." A scrapbook-like format features bright photographs and lilting rhymes depicting the diversity of Jewish people--of various ages, skin colors, abilities, etc.--and highlighting some of their special occasions. Most of the faces are smiling ones; the "just-BRISSED" baby is (thankfully) asleep.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) 4-6 Ari and Kaylan (11 Before 12) return for seventh grade with twelve new goals before their thirteenth birthdays. But Ari struggles to balance her new summer-camp friends and BFF Kaylan, and Ari's parents are having financial trouble. This installment isn't the freshest, but Ari's bat mitzvah preparations allow for authentic reflection on her place in her Jewish community and in the larger world.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ellen Kahan Zager. The Jewish creation story is retold in simple rhyming verses (for example, Day Six concludes: "Creatures that slither and crawl and alight, / Beasts that run wild and howl in the night"). The inventive illustrations use the Hebrew letters that name each object, animal, or person in the text as design elements. An excellent glossary shows the images, the English words, the transliterations, and the original Hebrew words.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(3) YA When high-school senior Aden tutors and becomes close to her classmate Tate, his connection with Judaism leads Aden to explore her late mother's Jewish roots and her family's grief. Short chapters and amiable narration make for an easy read amid serious topics (a friend's relationship with a teacher; Aden's brother's drug use; difficulty affording college). Aden's search for what's important to her is thought-provoking.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Kristina Swarner. This useful volume features brief, short-lined, free-verse poems and "reflections" for each night of the holiday, connecting the ritual of candle-lighting to broader themes. It also provides Hebrew blessings with English transliterations and translations, historical background, dreidel-playing instructions, recipes, crafts, and sheet music. Mottled illustrations in warm pinks and blues evoke the hushed atmosphere around a lit menorah, while the text provides room for contemplation along with practical information.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Elissambura. In this joyously colorful, culturally specific cumulative book featuring Ugandan Jews, Auntie Sanyu prepares for Sukkot: "It was time to build the sukkah. It took her three long days. / She hung plantains and paper chains and asked her friends to stay." Lion, Parrot, Camel, and others celebrate appropriately, but Warthog hogs the etrog--until Auntie's niece, Sara, arrives. A paragraph about Jews in Uganda is appended. Glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Chaya is a Jewish teenage "courier" for the Akiva resistance group, sneaking in and out of Polish ghettos and delivering aid to inhabitants. After many Akiva members are killed, Chaya participates in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Though it acknowledges the horrors of the Holocaust, this book focuses more on action and adventure than most Holocaust novels. An afterword delineates real-life people and events.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(2) K-3 Photographs by Eliyahu Alpern. "Did you ever wonder HOW a menorah is made?" Ofanansky spotlights three artists working with different materials to craft menorahs; she also highlights a candle-maker and explores the olive oil–harvesting process. The conversational text provides history and details about Hanukkah and presents simple tips young readers can use to make their own menorahs, dreidels, and holiday treats. Vivid photographs in a scrapbook-like format engagingly capture the hands-on details.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2018

(2) 4-6 After comedy buff Noah Cohen's best friend's dad commits suicide, Noah's responses are decidedly immature, damaging the friendship and calling into question rather-dense narrator Noah's readiness to be a bar mitzvah. Perl ably explains both details of classic comedy bits and modern Jewish ritual. A welcome portrayal of a very difficult situation's impact--with funny moments to make it all easier to handle. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. In 1930s Germany, women's roles were clearly defined and being a rabbi wasn't an option. But Regina Jonas charted her own path and became the first female rabbi. This powerful picture-book biography deftly addresses sexism, anti-Semitism, and changing societal attitudes. The muted illustrations depict Jonas as a powerful and inspiring figure. An afterword provides historical context.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(2) YA Estranged twins (and alternating narrators) Tovah and Adina Siegel, whose mother has Huntington's disease, are tested for the gene at eighteen: Tovah didn't inherit it; Adina tests positive. Solomon's debut novel examines how an awful inevitability splinters everyone's vision of the future. The family's Conservative Jewish faith provides refuge for Tovah, but Adina struggles against God. Sprinkled Hebrew dialogue adds intimacy to happy moments and sharpness to disagreements.

Reviewer: | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2018

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Vali Mintzi. Fourteen "strong biblical women" from the Old Testament are profiled in an informative and inspiring volume. A colorful, Gauguin-like illustration begins each informative chapter, all of which end with a fictionalized first-person story and a poem. Extensive sidebars and marginalia further elucidate topics; readers are referred to specific Bible verses for the original stories. A handsome book, suitable for study, research, or gifting. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jessica Bushore

(4) YA Understanding World Religions and Beliefs series. These primers take on each faith's history, beliefs, politics, and contemporary issues. The well-designed, accessible volumes include plenty of photos and other images; the series' broad scope results in a few errors (Judaism doesn't mention Halacha (Jewish law) or the Shulchan Aruch, which codifies the law; Christianity conflates communion with confirmation in the Catholic Church). Reading list. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Understanding World Religions and Beliefs titles: Understanding Christianity, Understanding Hinduism, Understanding Hinduism, Understanding Buddhism, Understanding the Nonreligious, Understanding Scientology, Understanding Islam, Understanding Sikhism, and Understanding Judaism.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Mehrdokht Amini. Brooklyn neighbors Moses (Moe) Feldman and Mohammad (Mo) Hassan meet while grocery shopping. One is Jewish and the other Muslim, but they look like twins and become great friends. Both text and illustrations mirror their similar experiences, emphasizing cultural and religious commonalities. Amini's multimedia collages combine photorealism, wild color combinations, and expressively stylized faces. Notes discuss Rosh Hashanah and Ramadan and include recipes for holiday treats.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker. A large Brooklyn-of-yore family's new parrot, Hametz, gets a little too involved in the Seder, repeating the Four Questions it learned from young narrator Lily and swiping the afikomen. In this thirty-fifth anniversary edition, the humorous, slightly revised text and new oil and collage illustrations are full of accurate Passover details as well as warm nostalgia.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) PS Illustrated by Alessandra Psacharopulo. A sometimes-forced rhyming text describes the lead-up to Purim, including the change in seasons and activities such as baking hamantaschen and making costumes. Simple, cheerful illustrations show family and friends celebrating. It's a useful introduction to many aspects of the holiday, including a brief reference to its origin ("When we read... / that Queen Esther's great bravery protected the Jews... / Purim is here!").

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax