The Trouble with Good Ideas

November 1, 2020
A Jewish tween creates a golem to care for her ailing great-grandfather. Leah Nevins' Conservative Jewish family recently moved to be closer to her 93-year-old Zaide. Having left behind friends from the Jewish school she attended and transitioned into sixth grade in public school, Leah is convinced that her large nose makes her stand out among her overwhelmingly non-Jewish peers and is a barrier to acceptance. She cherishes the Saturday afternoons she spends with her older cousins at Zaide's house, but that tradition is threatened when Zaide starts exhibiting symptoms of dementia and her parents discuss moving him to an assisted living facility. Shaken by this idea, Leah devises an unlikely plan inspired by Zaide's stories of the golem, a creature created to protect the Jews of Eastern Europe. She manages to create a golem in her own image--albeit with a tiny button nose--to protect Zaide. Before long, the golem develops an attitude, showing up at Leah's school to win over the popular crowd and making demands. Meanwhile, Leah's own efforts to fit in force her to confront painful anti-Semitic microaggressions from her classmates. This fast-paced story provides a window into the cultural and religious traditions of one modern Jewish family. However, character development of the supporting cast and the golem is limited, resulting in their actions feeling flat and heavy-handed. A representation of a modern Jewish family with a folkloric twist. (author's note) (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 Leah adores her great-grandfather, Zaide, a Holocaust survivor, so when she learns that he is being sent to an assisted-living facility for his encroaching Alzheimer's disease, she takes drastic measures. Recalling Zaide's childhood tale of a protector golem and wielding an envelope of sacred clay, Leah attempts to make a golem of her own--without knowing the true price of her actions--and the golem, which looks like a typical human girl, proves to be much more than she wished for. Panitch's twisted fairy tale, by turns heartwarming, bittersweet, and creepy, explores Leah's Jewish identity through her realistic, 12-year-old perspective, showing how anti-Semitism can be internalized as she struggles to fit into a new, secular school as an observant Jewish person. As she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and self-love, the story speaks to the value of identity and the nostalgic love for older family members, even as the chaos escalates and Leah battles an uncontrollable golem.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

April 16, 2021

Gr 4-6-Leah loves her great-grandfather Zaide. She loves going to his unique house for family gatherings on Saturdays, and she loves his stories. He once told her about how to build a golem-a creature from Jewish mythology molded from clay with the purpose of protecting the family from the Nazis in Poland. As Zaide begins to decline mentally, Leah's parents start talking about sending him to an assisted living facility. Leah is not a fan of this change and decides to build a golem to help Zaide so he can stay in his home. Everything seems to be going to plan until the golem becomes more demanding, seemingly neglecting its purpose of helping and protecting Zaide. There's a crucial part of the golem myth Zaide failed to mention-how to handle a golem that has turned on its creator. This is a well-written, easy-to-follow middle grade novel with relatable characters. Leah suffers from insecurities about herself and her place in the world that will resonate with many tweens. There is a strong focus on familial relationships and connections, as well as friendship both within and outside the family. While the book does a wonderful job centering Jewish customs, history, and mythology, Leah repeatedly comments on how much she hates her big nose. This sort of stereotyping combined with such a strong focus on the way a person "should" look can be harmful in literature for young readers. VERDICT An additional purchase for larger libraries.-Jessica Trafton, Skidompha Lib., Damariscotta, ME

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.