Books – Page 54 – Janet Ruth Heller

THE PASSOVER SURPRISE, A Middle-Grade Chapter Book

Post author:Janet Ruth Heller
Post published:March 29, 2015
Post category:Books Bullying Discrimination Historical Fiction Jewish Families Jewish Traditions Literature Parenting Sibling Rivalry World War II

THE PASSOVER SURPRISE, A Middle-Grade Chapter Book by Janet Ruth Heller, illustrated by Ronald Kauffman Lisa and her little brother Jon enjoy collecting stamps. But when their father holds a contest to decide which child will get a new large stamp album, Lisa has to solve a difficult problem. This middle-grade chapter book takes place around 1960 and includes details about Jewish soldiers’ experiences during World War II and early stages of the Civil Rights Movement. The Passover Surprise (Fictive Press, 2015 and 2016) also portrays a Jewish family celebrating Sabbath and Passover. Parents and teachers can use the Discussion Guide to discuss issues raised in this book, such as sibling rivalry, bullying, discrimination, and Jewish traditions, with their children and students. A sweet period-piece that weaves the longing for a coveted prize, sibling rivalry, and a firm foundation in Jewish traditions and faith into an appealing and morally uplifting tale. --Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of The Doll Shop Downstairs and The Cats in the Doll Shop A good look at a loving family dealing…

Review of Yona Zeldis McDonough’s The Doll Shop Downstairs

Post author:Janet Ruth Heller
Post published:February 22, 2015
Post category:Books Reviews

Yona Zeldis McDonough’s The Doll Shop Downstairs (New York: Puffin Books/Penguin, 2009). 120 pages. In the middle-grade historical fiction chapter book The Doll Shop Downstairs, we meet the Breittlemann family of New York City. When World War I breaks out, the parents’ doll repair business suffers because the United States won’t trade with Germany, so the Breittlemanns can’t get the doll parts that they need. Sophie, Anna, and Trudie, the three daughters, worry about their parents. Anna, the nine-year-old middle child, gets a wonderful idea: the whole family can create new dolls from easily obtainable materials to make money. Anna also starts keeping a journal and writing frequently. Author Yona Zeldis McDonough tells the story from Anna’s point-of-view in first-person narration. Young Anna learns how to control her emotions, cope with sibling rivalry, and solve problems. Readers watch Anna mature. She comforts her younger sister, forges compromises that satisfy all three girls, and stays calm when she must give up her favorite doll. Anna earns the respect of her older sister Sophie and of their…

No more posts to load

Newer Posts

Older Posts

I love books by British writers P. D. James, Seamus Heaney, S. T. Coleridge, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, W. B. Yeats;

American writers Judy Blume, Edna St. Vincent Millay, T. S. Eliot, Maxine Kumin, Jim Daniels, Mong-Lan, Robert Hayden, Langston Hughes, Naomi Shihab Nye, Alberto Ríos, Gail B. Griffin, Jerry Spinelli, Jane Yolen, Kathryn Erskine, Gary D. Schmidt, Adrienne Rich, Judith Minty, Gwendolyn Brooks, Marge Piercy, Grace Paley, Alicia Ostriker, Jaimy Gordon; South African writer Athol Fugard;

Israeli writers Chaim Nachman Bialik, Yehudah Amichai, Rachel Bluwstein, Chaim Guri, S. Y. Agnon; and Hispanic writers Sor Juana, Federico García Lorca, Ruben Darío, Antonio Machado, Jorge Guillén, Pedro Salinas, and Dámaso Alonso.

I also love Japanese haiku, especially those by Matsuo Bashō.

My writing has been influenced by many other authors, including British writers Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, W. B. Yeats;

American writers Edna St. Vincent Millay, T. S. Eliot, Maxine Kumin, Adrienne Rich, Judith Minty, Gwendolyn Brooks;

Israeli writers Chaim Nachman Bialik, Yehudah Amichai, Rachel Bluwstein, Chaim Guri, S. Y. Agnon, and Hispanic writers Sor Juana, Federico Garcia Lorca, Ruben Dario, Antonio Machado, Jorge Guillen, Pedro Salinas, and Damaso Alonso.