Zipporah Chava McConnell, a.k.a. Zippy, isn’t exactly sure what it means to be Jewish. Their family isn’t the traditional Jewish family, which is why Zippy is so surprised when her mom tells her she needs to start getting ready for her bat mitzvah. Besides knowing a few Hebrew words and attending synagogue on the major holidays, her family rarely does much more, and sometimes not even that much!
7th grade was already starting out strange without
throwing this into the monkey wrench! Bea, her best friend since kindergarten,
now wants to hang out with the giggling girls’ group that walks to school each
day and attend the school dances. Zippy just isn’t interested nor ready for any
of that. . .
Oh, and did I mention that in addition to all these problems, Zippy is a witch? Maybe a Jewish witch? After bat mitzvah lessons one day she wanders out to her favorite spell casting spot, armed with a small piece of paper with Hebrew letters on it. As Zippy tries to pronounce the unfamiliar letter sounds, she hears a scream, then another! Emerging from the azalea bush is a girl, but not just any girl, this girl has wings! Has Zippy summoned her with the Hebrew word?
Award winning author Laurel Snyder has brought us a timely story in this world of anti-Semitism. At the beginning of the book there is a letter from Laurel, explaining how this story is inspired by her own personal experiences with being Jewish. Through her main character, Zippy, she explains Jewish words, customs and holidays, perhaps helping lots of people who read this book understand Judaism a bit more. Robbie Medwed, a middle school teacher at a Jewish Day School in Atlanta provides us with an excellent Educator’s Guide. Click HERE for the link.
Kids will relate to Zippy and understand how she sometimes feels uncomfortable and alone. Snyder has given us a mash-up of realistic fiction and fantasy and it works just magnificently!
Win your own copy of The Witch of Woodland by leaving a comment below.
2 comments:
This sounds like a great mix of realistic fiction and fantasy! I'm working on adding more Jewish perspectives to my school's media center collection and think my school's readers would really enjoy this book.
Hey Lori!
You're the winner of a copy of The Witch of Woodland!
Congratulations!!
Mary Lou
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