Dreidels on the Brain

Gr 4–7-The year is 1971. Joel is a dorky 12-year-old amateur magician from one of the few Jewish families in town. He's dealing with his parents' poverty, his dad's crippling arthritis and temporary coma, and with being asked to teach his whole school about Hanukkah at the Winter Holiday Assembly. Joel's talents as a jokester and his ever-ready magic tricks get him through his daily difficulties. Even the dreaded assembly is a success because of Joel's storytelling chutzpah and his family's willingness to embrace their own weirdness. The author is a professional storyteller who has based this book loosely on his own childhood. Young Joel's first-person narration addresses the audience directly, self-consciously mocking and explaining Jewish customs and history. Joel often sounds like an adult looking back at 1971 rather than a child living it, especially when he is touched by the Holocaust memories of a stranger on a bus. His level of Yiddishkeit ("Man-O-Manischewitz!") seems extreme for an assimilated child, giving the impression of a young Billy Crystal rather than a real kid. That said, he is a sympathetic character, and his jokes are (mostly) funny. While the plot meanders a bit, the ride is entertaining. The satisfying conclusion allows Joel to feel pride in his family, to triumph in front of his friends, and to get the (non-Jewish) girl.