Sauerkraut

September 16, 2019
The hero of this funny, kindhearted novel is HD Schenk, a 12-year-old self-proclaimed “black geek”—he’s a biracial German-American— who dreams of building his own computer with help from his understanding parents, his best friend Eli, and others in his small town. His summer takes a turn when he discovers an old pickling crock among his late grandmother’s belongings. “All pickling crocks are haunted,” says a local mystery writer. Enter Marietta, the ghost of his German great-great-grandmother, who has an agenda of her own: get other to make her famous sauerkraut and win the title of Pickle Queen at the county fair. Jones weaves identity into the story seamlessly, and offers a model for incidental representation: the diverse cast of characters (including HD’s disabled veteran father and gay uncles, and Eli, who grapples with a learning difference), encounter casual racism as well as brief ableism and homophobia, but these incidents are more like bumps in the road than central plot points, and HD and company confront them swiftly and effectively. Jones’s nimbly constructed plot features no adversary beyond competing needs for time and attention in a happy family, and it doesn’t bother with the usual conflicts about who can see the ghost (everyone, eventually). Celebrating the collision of old and new worlds, this simple but smart saga will appeal to kids who like their ghost stories more sweet than sour. Ages 8–12.

Narrator Ron Butler brims with enthusiasm as he delivers this story about family, friendship, and the power of the imagination. Hans Dieter (HD) Schenk just wants to earn money to build a computer by cleaning out his uncle's basement. When he discovers an old pickling crock, he connects with the ghost of his great-great-grandmother. Butler delivers a thoroughly charming performance as HD, a young man bubbling over with scientific curiosity and a love of comic books. HD's Oma is a delight as well, her pitch-perfect German accent and sensible pronouncements setting up an ideal contrast to her ghostly status. As HD's family and friends join forces to make Oma's traditional sauerkraut a county fair success, listeners will delight in this joyful tale. N.M. � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine