They really *needed* another opinion...?
Oct. 18th, 2007 03:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellenkushnerSo not one but two reviews of my new book were published in the Sept/Oct 2007 issue of the AJL (Association of Jewish Libraries) Newsletter:
Kushner, Ellen. The Golden Dreydl. Illus. by Ilene Winn-Lederer.
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2007. 126pp. $15.95. ISBN: 978-58089-135-6.
DELIGHTFUL REVIEW, ending with:
"...Kushner is known for her fantasy novels, and her foray into the seldom-explored area of Jewish fantasy for young readers will appeal on many levels. Jewish customs and folklore, interesting characters, and silly riddles combine for an entertaining and enchanting read. Highly recommended for middle-grade readers in all libraries."
-- Kathe Pinchuck, Congregation Beth Sholom, Teaneck, NJ
O ecstasy! But followed by this one:
Another Opinion:
"Sara is a preadolescent girl who feels that nobody understands her. Because she is Jewish, she doesn’t get to join in all the fun of Christmas, and her parents are unsympathetic to this problem. Her big brother, Seth, teases her, and at her aunt’s annual Chanukah party, he joins with their cousins in making a dreydl game into a big fight. When the mysterious Tante Miriam arrives, she gives all the kids great gifts—except for Sara, who gets a golden dreydl. After a another fight breaks out with Seth, the dreydl flies out of Sara’s hands and breaks her aunt’s brand new TV. Until this point, the book seems like a run-of-the-mill story about a self-centered, insecure pre-teenager. But during the night, the dreydl magically becomes a girl, and Sara is transported with her into an alternative universe that is peopled with demons, King Solomon, a Fool, and the Tree of Life. And it is here that this adaptation of the Nutcracker story really starts to fall apart. Good fantasy creates worlds and characters that are believable. This book does not. Some characters, such as Miriam and King Solomon, are from the Bible; others, such as the Fool and the demons, have been invented only to further the disjointed and unsatisfying storyline. The golden dreydl, we learn, needs to return with its magical letters to the Tree of Life, before all “light and music, knowledge and wisdom” cease to exist. She has been captured by the demons, however, and must be rescued. If readers knew what the Tree of Life was, this might be compelling, but since it is not adequately explained, even the main character doesn’t seem all that interested. Winn-Lederer’s illustrations are intricate and weird, and their uniqueness is the only bright light here. The back flap says that the author has narrated The Golden Dreydl with the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra in their adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, and perhaps in that venue the story works. It falls short, however, as a novel for middle readers. Grade level: 3–5."
Nancy A---, Temple Emanu-El, Dallas, TX
Discussion Questions:
• Why, why, whyyyyyyyyy?
• Is what the world really needs (in the words of one friend) "another book about a self-centered teenager"?
• Do some people just not get fantasy?
• Are Texans less enlightened than Greater New Yorkers (especially people from Teaneck)?
• If you really loved me (and you're a librarian or Jewish educator), would you be writing an indignant post or enthusiastic review somewhere where your colleagues would read it?
Obviously, if you actually read the book and don't like it, that's cool - I don't think everyone needs to love everything I write! The things this woman picked on just struck me as odd. You?
Kushner, Ellen. The Golden Dreydl. Illus. by Ilene Winn-Lederer.
Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2007. 126pp. $15.95. ISBN: 978-58089-135-6.
DELIGHTFUL REVIEW, ending with:
"...Kushner is known for her fantasy novels, and her foray into the seldom-explored area of Jewish fantasy for young readers will appeal on many levels. Jewish customs and folklore, interesting characters, and silly riddles combine for an entertaining and enchanting read. Highly recommended for middle-grade readers in all libraries."
-- Kathe Pinchuck, Congregation Beth Sholom, Teaneck, NJ
O ecstasy! But followed by this one:
Another Opinion:
"Sara is a preadolescent girl who feels that nobody understands her. Because she is Jewish, she doesn’t get to join in all the fun of Christmas, and her parents are unsympathetic to this problem. Her big brother, Seth, teases her, and at her aunt’s annual Chanukah party, he joins with their cousins in making a dreydl game into a big fight. When the mysterious Tante Miriam arrives, she gives all the kids great gifts—except for Sara, who gets a golden dreydl. After a another fight breaks out with Seth, the dreydl flies out of Sara’s hands and breaks her aunt’s brand new TV. Until this point, the book seems like a run-of-the-mill story about a self-centered, insecure pre-teenager. But during the night, the dreydl magically becomes a girl, and Sara is transported with her into an alternative universe that is peopled with demons, King Solomon, a Fool, and the Tree of Life. And it is here that this adaptation of the Nutcracker story really starts to fall apart. Good fantasy creates worlds and characters that are believable. This book does not. Some characters, such as Miriam and King Solomon, are from the Bible; others, such as the Fool and the demons, have been invented only to further the disjointed and unsatisfying storyline. The golden dreydl, we learn, needs to return with its magical letters to the Tree of Life, before all “light and music, knowledge and wisdom” cease to exist. She has been captured by the demons, however, and must be rescued. If readers knew what the Tree of Life was, this might be compelling, but since it is not adequately explained, even the main character doesn’t seem all that interested. Winn-Lederer’s illustrations are intricate and weird, and their uniqueness is the only bright light here. The back flap says that the author has narrated The Golden Dreydl with the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra in their adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, and perhaps in that venue the story works. It falls short, however, as a novel for middle readers. Grade level: 3–5."
Nancy A---, Temple Emanu-El, Dallas, TX
Discussion Questions:
• Why, why, whyyyyyyyyy?
• Is what the world really needs (in the words of one friend) "another book about a self-centered teenager"?
• Do some people just not get fantasy?
• Are Texans less enlightened than Greater New Yorkers (especially people from Teaneck)?
• If you really loved me (and you're a librarian or Jewish educator), would you be writing an indignant post or enthusiastic review somewhere where your colleagues would read it?
Obviously, if you actually read the book and don't like it, that's cool - I don't think everyone needs to love everything I write! The things this woman picked on just struck me as odd. You?