World War II – Janet Ruth Heller

Laura F. Deutsch’s new review of The Passover Surprise

Post author:Janet Ruth Heller
Post published:March 30, 2017
Post category:Book Review Books Chapter Book Children's Literature Discrimination Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Families Jewish Traditions Literature Multicultural Literature Parenting Psychological Issues Reviews Sibling Rivalry World War II

“‘Passover Surprise’ puts its stamp on unfair treatment” by Laura F. Deutsch is a review of Janet Ruth Heller’s chapter book The Passover Surprise. This review was published in The Jewish Advocate (based in Boston) on March 31, 2017 in a column about “Jewish Parenting.”

“The Passover Surprise” is a delightful historical fiction written by Dr. Janet Ruth Heller. Children ages 8- to-12 will enjoy reading it and younger children will benefit from having it read to them with subsequent discussion. This six chapter, 48-page book contains nostalgic illustrations by Ronald Kauffman that immediately transport the reader to the book’s 1960s setting. There is also a glossary and discussion guide at the back. (more…)

Review of The Passover Surprise in San Diego Jewish World

Post author:Janet Ruth Heller
Post published:March 23, 2016
Post category:Book Review Emotional Development Fiction Historical Fiction Jewish Families Jewish Traditions Literature Multicultural Literature Parenting Psychological Issues Reviews World War II

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

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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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.