July 15, 2022
Three California kids, preparing to become b'nei mitzvah, become accidental masters of a magical creature. Naomi Teitelbaum complains to her moms about her bat mitzvah homework, but really she's excited about the party, the presents, and the upcoming celebrations for her two BFFs. An anonymously delivered bat mitzvah gift, unwrapped, reveals a tiny clay figurine--a golem who comes alive to serve Naomi. The trio of friends make a scary discovery: Each completed task makes the golem grow. If that weren't scary enough, Naomi's been seeing ominous, not-quite-human strangers. She tries a bold solution, ordering the golem to go off and repair the world--fixing social, environmental, and any other problems that can be cured through the brute force means at his disposal. Unsurprisingly this plan goes dreadfully awry, but how can disaster be averted? With the help of real and supernatural rabbis, Naomi and friends save Los Angeles. There's welcome ubiquity in the Judaism of the quest; the apparently White teens encounter multiple flavors of Ashkenazi American Judaism as well as demons and dybbuks from Jewish folklore. A 2,000-year-old lesson helps Naomi, who is passionate about justice, understand a healthy balance. The core philosophical themes are explained; some concepts that will be familiar to many Jewish readers (such as Chabad) are left for readers to gather from context. A comforting, satisfying allegory of justice and self-care centering Jewish themes. (Fantasy. 9-12)
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September 15, 2022
Grades 5-8 When Naomi Teitelbaum's bat mitzvah turns into a supernatural adventure meant to save the world, she immediately pivots from memorizing Torah portions to overcoming mythical monsters and fighting to save her hometown of Los Angeles. Shanker's middle-grade adventure contains plenty of eerie and magical moments, along with lots of action scenes, vividly depicting Naomi's part in the struggle of good versus evil in a world of monsters from Jewish lore. When a strange gift, a tiny clay golem, comes to life, she becomes responsible for its actions and the wishes it casts. As a heroine, Naomi is confident, funny, and curious, inspiring readers to embolden their own adventurous spirits. Fans of Roshani Chokshi's Aru Shah series will delight in the monsters, mayhem, and magic as Naomi, applying lessons she's learned and continuing to discover more about her Jewish culture and community, fights alongside her friends to save everything and everyone they love.
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October 10, 2022
Naomi Teitelbaum doesn’t intend to end the world, but when she receives a tiny Golem as an anonymous bat mitzvah gift, chaos ensues. The Golem needs tasks to keep him busy, but he grows with each job he finishes, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hide him from Naomi’s sister and moms. Additionally, Naomi’s started seeing mysterious beings around her L.A. neighborhood, none of whom appear quite human. She enlists best friends Eitan and Becca, also preparing for their own bar and bat mitzvahs, who opt to give the Golem a meaningful task that’s likely take a long time: improving the world by mitigating gun violence, saving wilderness areas, and assisting unhoused individuals. Linking the Golem tradition with a varied array of Jewish folktales, debut author Shanker gives Naomi and her friends—who draw on their varied skill sets and faith in each other—problems to solve, challenges to overcome, and unexpected sources of counsel. Despite a few loose ends, the three tweens are stubbornly realistic even as they grapple with creatures from legend and folklore, and the eventual solution comes from Jewish ethical precepts, as befits those tasked with taking on their roles as adults in the Jewish community. Protagonists cue as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephanie Hansen, Metamorphosis Literary.
December 1, 2022
Gr 3-7-With just a few weeks until her bat mitzvah, 12-year-old Naomi receives a mysterious box from an unknown sender. Inside is a small clay figurine identified as the Golem, which Naomi unwittingly brings to life. It begins following her and responds to any request Naomi makes, which at first seems exciting and fun to her and her (also Jewish) friends, Becca and Eitan. However, before long Naomi and her friends start experiencing ghost-like encounters, and the Golem begins growing exponentially. When they send the Golem on tasks to do good deeds, their idea backfires and great chaos descends upon Los Angeles. With the help of rabbis (both living and ghostly), Naomi and her friends research Jewish folklore as they attempt to understand why the Golem was sent, his purpose, and how to rein in what is happening without getting themselves snatched by disguised demons. Shanker has created a refreshing, fast-paced book, while centering a culture often overlooked in middle grade fiction. VERDICT Full of adventure and Jewish traditions and customs, Jewish readers will relish in recognizing their own culture, while other kids will root for good over evil and learn about the Jewish faith along the way.-Michele Shaw
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