Emotional Development

Review of The Passover Surprise in San Diego Jewish World

Dear Friends,

Editor Donald H. Harrison recently reviewed my chapter book for children ages 7-12, The Passover Surprise, in the San Diego Jewish World.  His review is below.  Best wishes!  Janet

The Passover Surprise Is Brief Yet Topic Rich

The Passover Surprise by Janet Ruth Heller; illustrations by Ronald Kauffman; © 2015; Fictive Press; ISBN 978-1-927663-17-1; 35 pages including glossary and discussion guide.

SAN DIEGO –A lot of ground is covered in this story for middle schoolers.  It begins with a pre-teenage girl, Lisa, competing with her younger brother, Jon, to win a stamp album, and moves on to a discussion of World War II, the experiences of African American soldiers, and the nascent American Civil Rights Movement taking place as the story unfolds, circa 1960. (more…)

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Read more about the article A Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner
Young Arab boy

A Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner

181482729_2519fcac29_poor-boyA Review of Randall’s Wall by Carol Fenner, 1991; rpt. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1996, 85 pages

This realistic novel for middle-grade children concerns an artistic boy from a poor family.  Randall’s father has abused and abandoned his wife and children, leaving them with little money or food in a home without running water.  Most of Randall’s fifth-grade classmates shun him because he is dirty and withdrawn.  And his teachers don’t know how to handle a boy who daydreams and hates reading aloud.  Randall has built up a psychological wall to keep other people from hurting him. (more…)

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