Benny and Teddy

BENNY GOODMAN AND TEDDY WILSON: TAKING THE STAGE AS THE FIRST BLACK AND WHITE JAZZ BAND IN HISTORY by Lesa Cline-Ransome with illustrations by James E. Ransome. Holiday House, 2014.

Benny and Teddy
Played jazz together
Making history.

Dealing with Loss

MY SISTER LIVES ON THE MANTELPIECE by Annabel Pitcher. Little Brown, 2012.

Jamie was only a child when his sister Rose was killed in a terrorist attack as they played in a park in London. Rose's twin, Jas, is the anchor in jamie's life as his father is too consumed with his own grief. The urn with Rose's remains (and Jamie observes there was not much left) seems to almost glare down from its place of honor on the mantelpiece. Jamie remembers almost nothing about Rose and longs for a father who would be more involved in the present than in the past. When Jamie becomes friends of sorts with Sunya, a Muslim girl in his class, he knows his father would disapprove. After all, as his father roars, "Muslims killed your sister." Bullies, loss, moving on, and so much more make this an unforgettable novel. <578>

Liar, liar, pants on fire

LIE by Caroline Bock (St. Martins Griffin 2011)has at its heart, a hate crime and the lies it takes to try to cover it all up. Skylar is still reeling from the loss of her mother. Her father works double shifts, in part to control his own grief. When the new student at school shows Skylar some attention, she falls into a relationship so dependent that Skylar is able to rationalize Jimmie's odd behavior. One night, Jimmie and a friend beat two brothers, putting one in the hospital barely alive. Jimmie's friends all agree to lie to cover up his part in this crime. The mantra is "everybody knows, nobody's talking." Skylar is torn: she loves Jimmie, but she did witness the brutality of his attack. She has difficulty reconciling the two images. Multiple narrators keep this story moving along quickly. <556>

Blood will tell

Anti-Semitism is alive and well in New York in the 1920s in BLOOD LIE by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntos Press 2011). Jack Pool and his family run a store in town. People are pleasant enough to their faces, but behind their backs, their true feelings and fears surface. When a local child disappears, the man who runs the diner helps spread a rumor that the Jews use children in human sacrifices for their holiday celebrations. Perhaps the missing girl has fallen victim to the needs for blood sacrifice? <537>

Based on some real life incidents, this is a frightening examination of the power of gossip, lies, innuendo, and prejudice.

Such a mitzvah

OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy (Walker 2011) talks about a subject not often found in books for tweens and teens: religion, spirituality, and religious identity. Ellie has been accepted into a prestigious summer camp for speech and drama students. She hopes that her talent will win her a scholarship to school in the fall. There are a few hurdles, first. One is to deal with her grandfather, Zeydeh, who is concerned that the camp is run by a Christian organization and Ellie is Jewish. A second hurdle presents itself in the form of the stunningly handsome Devon, grandson tot he woman who decides who will win the scholarship to Benedict's. Ellie seems to get tongue tied around him: not good for someone who wants to succeed in oratory. And then there is Devon's grandmother. <527>

Dominy considers issues of racism and prejudice and how being silent is actually being complicitous. She does so with a light but firm touch so that readers will pause and consider how they must learn to speak up when faced with prejudice even in humor. I also have to admit that I now have a craving for some good matzo ball soup, too.