Books, Poetry & Short Stories

Told in free verse, this novel for children 8-13 follows a girl who is the only Jew in her school during the early 1960s.  Trudie Hamburger is teased by a neighbor boy about her last name, calling her “chopped meat.” He also makes fun of the German accent of her father, who was the only member of his family to escape from the Nazis. [Donald H. Harrison]

When the Nazis came to his family’s apartment in Amsterdam, he was able to hide in a recess in the wall that was covered by a door that swung toward him. [Donald H. Harrison]

Written for high school students, this biography of Charles Lindbergh underscores the wisdom of the decision in 2003 to change the name of Lindbergh Field to San Diego International Airport. Lindbergh used his deserved fame as the first pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic to spread race hatred against many of the peoples who live, like San Diegans, around the Pacific Rim. [Donald H. Harrison]

Rabbi Prinz has utilized some of that knowledge in a collaboration with co-author Tami Lehman-Wilzig in a fictional story for 5-to-8-year-old children that conflates the introduction of hot chocolate to colonial America with the boycott of British tea that saw its most dramatic moments on December 16, 1773, when approximately 50 tax protesters dressed as indigenous Americans dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. [Donald H. Harrison]

This PJ Library selection to be read with 6-year-old children and up models a positive outlook on life, even when confronted with change.  Estrella visits her aunt (tia) Fortuna at the little house (casita) on the beach where she has lived ever since she left Cuba as a refugee.  But now, the casita is to be torn down to make way for a luxury hotel. [Donald H. Harrison]

This novel about the friendship that forms between two preteen girls in a time of great stress hits many important issues.  The danger of radiation from a nuclear power plant.  Government cover-ups.  Antisemitism.  Domestic abuse. The Holocaust.  The redeeming power of love. [Donald H. Harrison]

The PJ Library says Notice the Good Stuff: Give Thanks is for 8-year-olds, but I think there are many adults who would profit as well from its upbeat message. [Donald H. Harrison]

For its October selection for 4-year-old children, PJ Library has brought back an oldie but a goodie: Chicken Man, the story of a kibbuitznik who does everything well, because he has such a good work attitude. [Donald H. Harrison]