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320 pp.
| Dial |
October, 2016 |
TradeISBN 978-0-8037-4097-6$17.99
(3)
4-6
Nine chapters (one for each night of the holiday plus the shammes) set during Hanukkah 1971 are loosely based on the author's childhood. Twelve-year-old Joel, a budding magician and the "only Jew in my class," humorously narrates life in suburban L.A. It's not always a laugh riot--his father spends much of the story in the hospital--but Joel's offbeat perspective leavens darker moments.
Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
November, 2016