December 20, 2021
Debut author Lowe offers an intimate look at a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community in this nuanced story of a girl regaining her footing after her father’s death. An aura of mysticism and mystery surrounds 11-year-old Aviva, who lives with her Ema above the local mikvah, which Aviva believes is haunted. The source of the haunting is a dybbuk of Jewish folklore, which here takes the form of a prankster boy who reminds Aviva of her beloved late Abba. “He would have enjoyed our dybbuk,” she narrates. Soon, an act of anti-Semitic vandalism and a subsequent attack on the family’s shul throw Aviva’s tight-knit community into high alert. Shy but quick-witted and competitive, Aviva is an engaging heroine whose qualities are on full display when she faces off against a friend turned rival during a heated match of machanayim, a dodgeball-like game, and when she is recruited to help plan the annual Bas Mitzvah Bash. Lowe portrays Aviva and Ema’s mourning with a gentle touch, gradually building to an ending that points toward spiritual and emotional healing, thanks to the steadfast support of their Jewish community, especially its women. Back matter includes a glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish words. Ages 8–12. Agent: Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary.
December 1, 2021
Grades 4-6 Sixth-grader Aviva Jacobs and her mother live next door to their temple, in rooms above the mikvah (ritual bath), rumored to be haunted by a dybbuk (a ghost with unfinished earthly business) that only Aviva can see. In the years since her father's accidental death, Aviva and Ema have mostly kept to themselves, locked in their grief. When a schoolyard game of machanayim (a dodgeball-like sport) becomes too rough, Aviva and her former best friend, Kayla, are punished for their actions by being forced to work together to plan a school bas mitzvah social event. And while working together renews the girls' friendship, several acts of antisemetic vandalism put their community on edge. Is this terrorism or the work of the dybbuk? Debut author Lowe offers an insider's view of a close-knit Orthodox Jewish community where much of daily life is prescribed in gender-segregated activities. The dybbuk mystery is well-handled, as are the secrets surrounding Abba's death, which Aviva has blocked from her consciousness. A compassionate look at grief and healing.
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February 1, 2022
Gr 3-7-After losing her father in a terrible accident, 11-year-old Aviva Jacobs and her mother move into a small apartment above the local mikvah, a traditional bathhouse for orthodox Jewish women. Aviva's mother takes care of the mikvah and those who visit it, and Aviva takes care of the dybbuk, a mischievous spirit in Jewish folklore. Aviva's dybbuk is a real troublemaker. From tearing up checks to spilling out the contents of visitor's purses, it keeps Aviva on her toes. As Aviva tries to manage the dybbuk, she must also work with her ex-best friend to plan the most amazing Bat Mitzvah Bash that her school has ever seen. As she juggles the stresses of school, friends, and an increasingly tense situation at home, Aviva discovers her inner strength and the resilience of her community. Many readers will find Aviva charming and relatable as she navigates the roller coaster that is growing up. VERDICT A strong purchase for every school and public library. In this tale that's at times funny, sad, and scary, Lowe seamlessly crafts a coming-of-age story that readers will enjoy.-Maryjean Riou
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from January 1, 2022
This emotionally complex novel set within a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community is full of immersive Jewish detail -- literally, as much of the story centers around the mikvah, or ritual bath, that eleven-year-old Aviva's mother has run since Aviva's father's death; mother and daughter now live in a "shabby little apartment" above it. Mischief happens often around the mikvah (a guest's candies get unwrapped, a door's hinges come unscrewed), and the culprit is apparently a dybbuk ("a soul that won't rest," though this version creatively inverts the usual definition) that only Aviva can see. When the dybbuk creates more serious trouble, including antisemitic vandalism, Aviva must confront painful truths about her perceptions (and thus what she has been presenting to readers) of her father's "accident," her family's circumstances, and her own actions. The book creates a strong sense of the protagonist's isolation -- awkward, impetuous Aviva has difficult relationships with her classmates, and communication is strained with her mother, who lives with severe depression -- but remains accessible while addressing its heavy issues. Unreliable narrator though Aviva ends up being, she's a heart-rendingly sympathetic one. Shoshana Flax
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from May 1, 2022
Is Aviva's dybbuk helping her through the hard times or just making life more difficult for her? Aviva's life changed when her father died in the "accident"; not only do she and her mother have to leave their home to live over the mikvah (ritual bath in Judaism) where her mother works, but a dybbuk now lives with them, causing trouble that is often blamed on Aviva. But the dybbuk is also the only one who pays attention to Aviva; her bestie, Kayla, doesn't like her anymore; and it is all her mother can do to get out of bed some days. Forced to work together on the Bas Mitzvah Bash, Kayla and Aviva tentatively revive their friendship, battle the dybbuk, and face the reality that antisemitism is as near as the swastika etched into the sidewalk in front of the shul. Aviva is a realistic and complicated heroine, negotiating life after loss and the changing dynamics of friendship as well as figuring out who is the grown-up in her relationship with her mother. A rare find, a modern-day, middle-grade novel that focuses on, and honors, everyday Orthodox Judaism, this unforgettable story makes for an incredible window or mirror for readers. Characters present as White. A heart-rending story of loss, community, friendship, and what it takes to heal and survive. (Fiction. 8-12)
COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
January 1, 2022
This emotionally complex novel set within a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community is full of immersive Jewish detail -- literally, as much of the story centers around the mikvah, or ritual bath, that eleven-year-old Aviva's mother has run since Aviva's father's death; mother and daughter now live in a "shabby little apartment" above it. Mischief happens often around the mikvah (a guest's candies get unwrapped, a door's hinges come unscrewed), and the culprit is apparently a dybbuk ("a soul that won't rest," though this version creatively inverts the usual definition) that only Aviva can see. When the dybbuk creates more serious trouble, including antisemitic vandalism, Aviva must confront painful truths about her perceptions (and thus what she has been presenting to readers) of her father's "accident," her family's circumstances, and her own actions. The book creates a strong sense of the protagonist's isolation -- awkward, impetuous Aviva has difficult relationships with her classmates, and communication is strained with her mother, who lives with severe depression -- but remains accessible while addressing its heavy issues. Unreliable narrator though Aviva ends up being, she's a heart-rendingly sympathetic one.
(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)