No Vacancy

June 15, 2020
Is it a bad thing when a Jewish girl fakes an apparition of the Virgin Mary? Miriam, a white, Jewish 11-year-old from Manhattan, is plunked into a ramshackle motel upstate when her father loses his job. Now she's helping them turn the dilapidated old place into a functional business. But nobody has a reason to visit Greenvale, New York (population 514), so nobody stays in the motel. Miriam's finally settling in--she's made friends with the Mexican American hotel cleaner and with a white girl whose grandparents own the diner next door. It's a little uncomfortable being in an apparently all-Catholic town, but Miriam just tells people she's a vegetarian to avoid being served bacon. That's normal, right? And it's probably OK to encourage people to see the face of the Virgin Mary in a rust stain at the old drive-in. After all, it's for a good cause: The flocking faithful bring business to the diner and motel. The gentle shenanigans that ensue progress like a predictably wholesome after-school special. An anti-Semitic act shakes Miriam and encourages her to be proud of her Judaism. A crisis brings the town together, and the local priest leads the townspeople to Miriam's support. Disappointingly, a disabled character whose initial character development feels fairly complex is reduced at the end to a teachable moment. The protagonist's character arc is encouraging, but alas, supporting characters come across as props. (Fiction. 8-10)

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August 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Eleven-year-old Miriam's life is in for a big change when she moves with her family from New York City to the tiny, upstate town of Greenvale, where her dad has bought a rundown motel. Can they revive it? Will Miriam even survive the summer? Luckily, she finds a good friend in Kate, whose Catholic upbringing contrasts with Miriam's Jewish heritage. At the town's abandoned drive-in theater, the girls see a woman's image in the torn screen and devise a questionable plan to modify it in order to attract visitors to Greenvale and, more to the point, to the motel and Kate's grandparents' diner. Their scheme works and business booms, but will the girls be found out? Debut author Cohen displays a knack for storytelling that makes this a thoughtful, engrossing, funny read. As the plot unfolds, Miriam explores culture, faith, tradition, hate, and near tragedy. Using Miriam's first-person voice, but including lots of dialogue, Cohen allows readers to closely follow Miriam and her family as they establish new relationships and find their place in the small town.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2020

Gr 4-6-Miriam Brockman needs a miracle. Her family has relocated from New York City to a tiny (population 510) town in rural New York State. With no experience, they've purchased and plan to run a small motel. Upon arrival, they discover the motel is dilapidated and a fiscal disaster. The opportunity to create a miracle presents itself when newfound friend Kate gives Miriam a tour of the town. The 11-year-olds spot an oval rust stain resembling a woman with a halo on the screen of the abandoned drive-in theater. Kate thinks the shape looks like the Virgin Mary and uses a knife to add a crucifix-shaped slash next to it. It's not long before news of the religious image is picked up by the media and the town is teeming with visitors, many seeking their own religious experience. The girls realize their hoax has gotten out of hand but face a dilemma: The influx of tourists is a much-needed economic boon for the town, especially for the family's motel. Skillfully woven into the plot are details of Miriam's Jewish faith-its rituals, history and the disturbing reality of anti-Semitism in today's world. A shocking act of vandalism against the hotel and a near tragedy involving Miriam's younger brother show the predominantly Christian community coming together to support the family despite their differences. VERDICT A leisurely paced, character-rich tale of family, religious faith, and the human need for the miraculous. Strongly recommended for middle grade collections.-Marybeth Kozikowski, Sachem P.L., Holbrook, NY

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