The Entertainer and the Dybbuk. by Fleischman, Sid.
Publishers Weekly
: Traveling into territory more commonly associated with Isaac Bashevis Singer, Newbery Medalist Fleischman (The Whipping Boy) draws attention to the especially cruel treatment of Jewish children during the Holocaust. The Great Freddie is a decorated GI, an orphan who has stayed in Europe and, by 1948, has found a toehold as a ventriloquist. And then Avrom Amos Poliakov shows up—rather, takes over. Avrom Amos is a dybbuk, a wandering soul or ghost, and, by demonstrating how he might speak for Freddie's wooden dummy, Avrom Amos convinces Freddie to let him lodge within Freddie. The dybbuk makes good on his promise, and Freddie's act becomes the toast of Paris. But Avrom Amos ha...More
Publishers Weekly
: A veteran of exploring wealthy family dynamics, Steel now flirts with the thriller, introducing two familiar fixtures, the serial killer and the strong single female attorney determined to get him convicted. Unfortunately, her focus quickly shifts away from New York ADA Alexa Hamilton and her conflict with rapist-murderer Luke Quentin to Alexa's 17-year-old daughter, Savannah, and her relationship with her father, Tom Beaumont, who broke Alexa's heart when he divorced her to remarry his first wife. After Savannah begins receiving threatening letters sent from Luke or an associate, Alexa asks Tom to provide Savannah a haven, which he does over his wife's objections. The visit helps Savann...More
Publisher's Weekly: Glowing with humor and dusted with magic, this contemporary novel explores the ties that bind the four members of a championship academic quiz-bowl team. Sixth-grade teacher/coach Mrs. Olinski, teaching for the first time since becoming paraplegic, proudly observes her students' victories from the confines of a wheelchair. She is not sure what propelled her to choose the members of her team, nor does she fully comprehend the secret of their success in repeatedly beating older, more sophisticated competitors. Readers will be equally mystified until the backgrounds of the foursome (who call themselves The Souls) unfold during a series of first-person narratives that reveal the links betwe...More
School Library Journal
: K-Gr 3—This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.—Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA
School Library Journal: PreS-Gr 3-Some picture books are object lessons for various ways to behave or interact while others are vehicles for celebrities or even animated characters to market themselves, and still others are unabashed advertisements for causes or organizations. This book fits the last category. The author is cochair of America's Promise, an organization pledged to support America's youth by persuading other organizations and communities to help fulfill five so-called promises to children. This story is based on these five elements. Momma, Honey, and Benji Bear visit various neighborhood places to illustrate each one. First, they go to the day-care center where readers learn that America prom...More
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