Broken Strings

July 1, 2019
Zayde's memories profoundly affect his young granddaughter. In the aftermath of 9/11, the school's annual musical is to be Fiddler on the Roof, because its themes resonate. Eighth grader Shirli is a very talented singer and actor who is disappointed to be given the lead part of Tevye's wife, Golde, who has no solo. She believes that her beloved grandfather can help her research background for the play, although she knows almost nothing of his past. Zayde has never allowed any form of music in his home, and when Shirli finds an old, damaged violin in the attic, it causes him great pain. As the play begins to take over Shirli's life, she shares it all with Zayde, who finds he is able to recount bits of their family history. His mother barely survived the pogroms in Russia. When he was a child, he played violin in his family's klezmer band. And then came the Holocaust and the hell that was Auschwitz, where he lost them all and was forced to play music as his fellow Jews went to the gas chambers. Shirli's voice is true and strong as she narrates her own tale of rehearsals, her very ethnically diverse friendships, her deep distress as she witnesses Zayde's pain, and her joy as he reconnects with his music. A beautiful, painful, heartfelt reminder that the past is with us still. (authors' note, acknowledgements) (Fiction. 10-14)

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August 1, 2019

Gr 5 Up-Shirli was born with music in her blood, so landing a lead role in her middle school's production of Fiddler on the Roof is an amazing opportunity. Unfortunately, she isn't given the role of one of the sisters as she was expecting, but the role of the mother. Disappointed at first, Shirli tries to embrace the role and its benefits, including spending time with her stage husband and crush Ben Morgan. On a quest to prepare for her performance, Shirli asks her grandfather for props from the old clothes and furniture in his attic. There she discovers an old violin and poster for her grandfather and his family's band. When Shirli asks her grandfather, who never listens to music or seems to have any musical talent, about the violin, he tells her of the time he spent playing in a concentration camp during World War II. As her grandfather slowly recounts bits of his and his family's stories, she begins to feel a new closeness to him, as well as to her role in the musical. Taking place in the year after 9/11, the novel weaves the uncertainty and discrimination felt during the time following the terrorist attacks with Shirli's grandfather's experience during World War II. VERDICT A tale that teaches both history and compassion; a great choice for middle grade readers.-Jayna Ramsey, Douglas County Libraries in Parker, CO

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November 15, 2019
Grades 5-7 It's 2002 and seventh grader Shirli Berman is disappointed to have been cast as the mother (rather than the ing�nue daughter) in her school production of Fiddler on the Roof. While searching her grandfather Zayde's attic for costumes and props, she discovers an old violin, somewhat surprising since Zayde has never shown any interest in music. Gradually, the play begins to coalesce, Shirli's friendship with her crush/stage husband Ben develops, and Zayde opens up about his past as a violinist and prisoner at Auschwitz. Walters and Kacer's richly emotional text manages to feel both contemporary and historic. Set in New Jersey in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks, the authors successfully connect 9/11 and the Holocaust in terms of persecution, intolerance, and loss. At the same time, lighter scenes featuring junior high school lunchroom banter, rehearsal drama, and does-he-like-me uncertainty ensure that younger readers, who are perhaps less aware of the Holocaust, will stay engaged. When the play's sponsor is sidelined, Zayde steps in as director, successfully resolving the story's many threads.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)