By Rabbi Rachel Esserman
Confession: I have the best time reading books for teens, tweens and young children. That’s partly because there were few Jewish books for this age group when I was young. However, there is another reason I find these works so appealing: they are usually easy to read – meaning their prose is less complex – although their authors still manage to convey complex emotions and situations. They are also an excellent reminder that adults don’t have a monopoly on emotional and physical difficulties: in fact, some seem unique to the current younger generation. The majority of these works take place in contemporary times, although two take place during World War II. All may hold something of interest for readers of any age.
“Summer Nights and Meteorites”
Miscommunication between a parent and child is a major theme in teen/tween novels. Take, for example, Jordan Edelman and her father in “Summer Nights and Meteorites” by Hannah Reynolds (G. P. Putnam’s Sons). Since her mother died, it’s just been the two of them. But now her father spends summers doing historical research in Nantucket and has practically adopted a local teen, Ethan Barbanel. Her father’s high praise of Ethan makes Jordan believe he likes Ethan better than her.
But Jordan wants this summer to be different: after years of living with her aunt and uncle during the summer, she’s spending it in Nantucket and wants to prove to her father she’s mature enough to work with him. However, things don’t work out as she hopes: her father doesn’t seem to want her help and the hated Ethan turns out to not only be extremely good looking, but a very nice person. Jordan tells herself that she can’t get involved with Ethan and looks for work that’s different from the waitress job she has during the school year.
In addition to the parent-child misunderstandings, “Summer Nights and Meteorites” looks at an another serious topic: how women scientists have frequently been denied credit for their work. Jordan uncovers the story of one such woman and also finally learns to speak to her father about her feelings. There are many humorous romantic scenes as Jordan tries to stick to her original promise to not get involved with anyone during the summer, but is so tempted by Ethan. There is some additional romantic fun between other characters, but to say more would spoil the surprise.
“Time and Time Again”
There seems to be a new fantasy sub-genre, that of “Groundhog Day” novels and films, during which a character repeats the same day over and over until they learn something important about themselves. However, Phoebe Mendel, the main character of “Time and Time Again” by Chatham Greenfield (Bloomsbury), has more than one problem. While 17 can be a difficult time for anyone, Phoebe has to deal with fatphobia (she’s willing to acknowledge that she is fat, rather than the euphemistic “plus size”) and a decision about whether to tell her divorced parents that she’s a lesbian, and she has an unimaginably awful case of irritable bowel syndrome. To make matters worse, her father won’t acknowledge the extent of her IBS and most doctors focus on her weight, rather than her intestinal issues. She’s impatiently waiting to see a doctor in September whom she hopes will help. Unfortunately, she is stuck repeating August 6 over and over and over with no idea how to make time move forward.
Something changes when her childhood friend and crush, Jess, manages to enter the loop. Jess, who is out as a lesbian at their school, sees the time loop as a chance to have fun and do unusual things since there’ll be no lasting results. She also wants to help Phoebe break out of her rut and expand her horizons. Phoebe starts to loosen up and enjoy their adventures, but she worries about what will happen when the loop finally breaks: Will Jess ignore her once life returns to normal?
Phoebe and Jess are both appealing characters and readers will root for them, especially since they seem made for each other. Both have health issues and the novel doesn’t shy away from how difficult those make their lives. However, it also shows how they don’t have to define themselves by those problems. Watching Phoebe learn more about herself, particularly accepting her responsibility to make certain people know what she needs is heartwarming. “Time and Time Again” offers far more depth than its “Groundhog Day” loop might suggest.
“Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf”
“Don’t Want to be Your Monster”
At first, it might almost seem as if there’s nothing special about Benji Zeb: after all, many teens worry about their bar mitzvah ceremonies. However, few are also a werewolf – a werewolf whose family lives on a combined kibbutz/wolf sanctuary in the U.S. They believe themselves to be the descendants of the biblical Benjamin (Jacob’s youngest son), who was called a “ravenous wolf” in Genesis 49:27. Deke Mounton takes this idea and runs with it in his “Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf” (Tundra).
Because Benji was born on what is thought to be the same date as the biblical Benjamin, he feels additional pressure to perform well during his upcoming bar mitzvah. Unfortunately, he suffers from anxiety and even has difficulty talking to members of the kibbutz. Other parts of his life are also troubling him: his friend Caleb Gao turned into a jerk over the summer and it looks as if Caleb’s stepfather wants to destroy the wolf sanctuary. Adding to his problems is that Benji has a crush on Caleb, but is unsure how to tell his parents that he’s gay because there is familial pressure to produce children to keep the biblical Benjamin’s linage from dying out. Things get completely out of hand when a new werewolf turns up at the sanctuary and is none other than Caleb. Benji must find a way to juggle all the different aspects of his life.
“Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf” is a great deal of fun. The descriptions of turning into, and being, a werewolf were well done and convincing. The same is true of the portrait the author paints of the kibbutz, showing an observant community that eats its meals together, shares chores and celebrates Shabbat together, in addition to protecting themselves and the wolves in their sanctuary from harm. The ending felt a bit too good to be true, but most readers won’t complain.
When I asked for a review copy of “Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf,” the publicity person offered to send me a copy of Moulton’s first novel “Don’t Want to Be Your Monster” (Tundra), which features a Jewish vampire. Readers of this column will know I couldn’t resist. The novel focuses on foster brothers Adam and Victor who live with their two mothers; all four just happen to be vampires. Jewish Adam, though, was turned into a vampire as a baby, a very unusual occurrence. The two brothers have always been close, even when they fight, but recently, they’ve developed very different opinions about mortals, AKA non-vampire humans. Victor sees them as a potential source for blood, which would mean that they wouldn’t have to drink the blood one of their mothers brings home from the hospital. Adam wants to use his powers to protect mortals, especially when someone begins murdering them. Befriending several mortals – without letting them know he is a vampire – Adam realizes that the murders are being done by a vampire hunter, one who wants to destroy Adam and his family.
While “Don’t Want to Be Your Monster” has less Jewish content than Moulton’s second novel, its secondary characters offer connections to Judaism (in addition, to one of them being Jewish), by noting, for example, how those who want to rid the world of vampires and werewolves are also looking to rid the world of other minorities, including Jews. The end of the novel was very exciting and will keep readers turning pages to discover what happens.
While I confess to not being a big fan of adult novels about werewolves and vampires, I really enjoyed both of these books. A good deal of that is because the main characters were not evil: in fact, their actions are positive ones that help the world. Both works are very creative and teach excellent lessons without being pedantic.
“Courage to Dream”
Fact and fantasy come together in Neal Shusterman’s graphic novel “Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust,” which is illustrated by Andrés Vera Martinez (Graphix/Scholastic Inc.). The work offers five stories of impossible tales of rescue during the Holocaust, while also offering factual information about what really occurred.
While all the stories are excellent, I particularly liked “The Golem of Auschwitz,” which begins with the history of the golem, a humanlike creature created from earth who performs supernatural acts of strength. Members of the resistance are helped by Baba Yaga and her house, which walks on its chicken legs in “Spirits of Resistance.” The tale also includes other aspects of Jewish folklore such as the fools who live in Chelm. The final story, “The Untold,” shows what occurs after a teenager in contemporary times receives a special box from her dying grandmother. Opening that box changes her view of the world and the future.
The drawings complement the tales, although the darker colors sometimes make the writing difficult for older eyes to read. Although “Courage to Dream” has been marketed for younger adults, older readers who enjoy graphic novels featuring fantasy will also enjoy these tales.
Above, left and right: Pages from Neal Shusterman’s graphic novel “Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust” with illustrations by Andrés Vera Martinez (Text copyright © 2023 by Neal Shusterman, art copyright © 2023 by Andrés Vera Martínez. All rights reserved. Published by Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., publishers since 1920.)
“One Small Spark”
Some picture books are great examples of how words and drawings can enhance each other. That’s true for “One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story” written by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov (Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers). Following a young girl during her daily activities, it notes that young readers can change the world in which they live by the choices they make. This includes small things that might at first not seem important. It not only teaches that readers can do their part, but that it’s also OK for them to ask for help when needed.
The drawings offer ways to make a difference, showing actions that are not explicitly mentioned in the text. Each page contains ways that people can make a difference – from fixing a swing on the playground, to helping a friend in a classroom, to putting books on a shelf in a free little library, to cleaning a park together – to portray ways to make the world a better place by performing acts of tikkun olam (repair of the world). The drawings are well done and I especially like the use of colorful birds to represent some of the different actions.
Parents will want not just to read “One Small Spark” to their children, but to look at and discuss the pictures with them. The book is an excellent way to teach a difficult concept in a simple and graphic way.
Above and below: Pages from “One Small Spark: A Tikkun Olam Story” written by Ruth Spiro and illustrated by Victoria Tentler-Krylov. (Used with permission of Penguin/Dial Books for Young Readers)
“When We Flew Away”
Did you ever read a book that you know that some people will love, but which did not resonate with you? It’s not that Alice Hoffman’s “When We Flew Away” (Scholastic Press) is poorly written. In fact, her story about Anne Frank and her family in Amsterdam before they went into hiding features easy-to-read poetic prose. Unfortunately, it felt as if Hoffman was telling me about the characters, rather than showing me their lives. It doesn’t help that Anne seemed far too wise for her 11 years. The almost constant foreshadowing undermined any suspense there might be, even though most readers know what is coming. The changes in tense of past, present and future – sometimes all within the same paragraph – were also unsettling. As for action, not much happens in the novel’s 270-plus pages.
There were several times I was tempted to stop reading “When We Flew Away,” but I know there is an audience for the novel since it received excellent reviews from the School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews and Publisher’s Weekly. The work was published with coordination of the Anne Frank House, so that organization must have felt Hoffman was telling an important story. I agree with that, but not with its execution. Readers are free to disagree with me. If you do, please write to me telling me why you liked it.