Middle-Grade Novels
by Sharon Robinson
In the summer of 1948, a few families in an all-Jewish neighborhood circulated a petition asking others to boycott the black family rumored to be buying the house next door to eight-year-old Stephen Satlow and his family. The Satlows refused to sign. Unbeknownst to them, the new owners are none other than the first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, his wife, and their young son. As a lifelong Dodgers fan, Stephen is ecstatic! He can't wait to meet and glean tips from his hero. Ultimately, Stephen learns far more than baseball skills while living two doors down from the first African American ever to be signed with a major league team.
Written by the daughter of the famed Forty-two, this book is based on the real-life relationship between the Satlow and Robinson families. In the midst of much racial tension in America, they formed a bond that summer that has continued to this day.
by Elizabeth George Speare
The cabin is finished, and now Pa must return East to fetch the rest of the family, leaving young Matt to fend for himself until Pa returns. All goes well until someone steals Matt's prized rifle. Unable to hunt for food, Matt is unsure how long he can survive alone in the woods. Little does he know that Saknis, a local Native American chief, has been watching out for him and secretly helping him. Matt meets Saknis' grandson and is compelled to overlook all the stereotypes he has heard about the "savages" for Saknis and Attean are kind, thoughtful, and loyal.
In recent years, this Newbery Honor book, which was inspired by the true story of an unexpected friendship between a young boy from Milo, Maine, and a Native American in 1802, has been criticized for being "racist" and "bigoted." On the contrary, I would argue that it accurately depicts the often misinformed stereotypes of the past and shows how two people can look beyond their previously held beliefs about each other to become friends.
by Cassie Beasley
Micah Tuttle has enjoyed Grandpa Ephraim's fantastical tales all his life. He loves hearing about how the older man stumbled upon a circus one day while playing hooky from school, how he met the Lightbender, an illusionist who could make someone believe they were in another place at another time, and how that same Bender of Light had promised him a miracle one day.
Now that Grandpa is sick and dying, he's finally going to cash in on that childhood pledge. Much to the disapproval of his younger sister, Gertrudis, who has come to care for him and his grandson, Grandpa Ephraim urges Micah to find Circus Mirandus and deliver his request. Micah assumes that Grandpa's dying wish will be to get better--for the magic man to cure him. Little does he know that Grandpa has something else in mind.
Please note: While magic is a crucial element of the story, it is presented in the same fantastical, make-believe way as that of books like Mary Poppins or The Wizard of Oz.
Micah and Great Aunt Gertrudis argue. She lacks patience and imagination. He lacks empathy for someone who has clearly been jaded by life's disappointments. At one point, he admits to hating her. Micah's friend, Jenny, lies to her parents twice to sneak out of the house and help him on his quest to find the circus.
by Jean Merrill
There's a growing frustration between the pushcart vendors and the big trucking companies of New York City. With money and the mayor on their side, the trucking companies gather for a secret meeting. They believe they can service the city much faster and more efficiently than the old-timey contraptions that clutter up the roadways. With plans in hand, they hope to squash the small potatoes-style pushcarts and bring modernization to the city's retail sector.
After one seemingly accidental incident, however, the frustration of the two rivals turns to rage, which turns into violence. Can the two groups find common ground? Can each look past their personal offenses and see the situation from the other's point of view?
In this fictional and often hyperbolic book, the author uses a journalistic approach to show the evolution of a disagreement and how it can eventually lead to war. Written over fifty years ago, The Pushcart Wars still carries a timely message for all of us today.
Parents, Be Aware
by Mary Ann
Strawberry Hill should be overrun with red, ripe strawberries growing on it, shouldn't it? That's what ten-year-old Allie was expecting to find in her new neighborhood when she and her family moved to Connecticut because of her father's new job. A strawberry patch would be the one consolation of leaving her best friend behind. She soon learns, however, that Strawberry Hill is just a name. It's not a hill, and there are no strawberries. Worse yet, making new friends as a Jewish girl during the Great Depression is harder than Allie expected. Her two closest pals are from two different religions and do not like each other.
Things to know: At first blush, this is a charming story of friendship. The two feuding girls eventually resolve their differences, and the trio forms a close bond. Along the way, however, all three girls continually gossip, lie, and have dishonorable thoughts toward each other and authority figures. Allie says that she hates her parents but later recants. She calls several characters "stupid" and "fat." Another character calls her a "dirty Jew."
Additionally, she has a crush on a boy in her class who also likes her. She refers to him as her boyfriend. He gives her an agate that she later uses as a good luck charm.
The text mentions that her father smokes two packs of Lucky Strikes daily and that two other fathers have left their families.
There is one use of "For Chr*st's sake" and one derogatory use of "Thank G*d!"
Just for you, Mom
by Jonathan Freedland
Nineteen-year-old Walter Rosenberg, a Slovak Jew whose name was later changed to Rudolf Vrba, had one mission: to break out of Auschwitz and use his near-photographic memory to warn the world of the atrocities that were being committed behind the gates. He joined forces with a slightly older prisoner, Alfred Wetzler, and together, the pair did exactly what they set out to do. Only, the world wasn't ready or perhaps was unwilling to listen. The propaganda and secrecy of the Nazi party ran deep.
Auschwitz couldn't possibly be a death camp. It was a relocation facility at best and a prison for political rivals at worst, or so the world was led to believe. Even the very Jews they were hoping to save could not be convinced. No government would ever commit a mass genocide of civilians. The Vrba-Wetzler report was too unbelievable! Or was it?
This narrative nonfiction was an eye-opening look at the complexities of the Allied Nations and their action, and sometimes inaction, regarding the "Jew problem." The author portrays Vrba as a hero--referring to him numerous times as the "first" or the "only" Jew to ever break out of Auschwitz, though neither of those claims is accurate--but also as a flawed individual who allowed his bitterness toward certain Zionist and Allied leaders who "did nothing" to destroy his personal and professional relationships. I appreciate that the author was honest even when the truth did not always fit my expectations or hopes for the characters.