Jesse's star
Record details
- ISBN: 9781551433738 (electronic bk. : Adobe Reader)
- ISBN: 1551433737 (electronic bk. : Adobe Reader)
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Physical Description:
electronic
electronic resource
remote
98 p. ; 19 cm. - Publisher: Victoria, BC ; Custer, WA : Orca Book Publishers, c2000.
Content descriptions
Reproduction Note: | Electronic reproduction. Victoria : Orca Book Publishers, 2007. Requires Adobe Reader 6.0 (file size: 556 KB). |
System Details Note: | Requires OverDrive Media Console |
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Genre: | EBOOK. Historical fiction. Electronic books. |
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Electronic resources
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #1 July 2000
Gr. 2^-5. The persecution of the Jews didn't begin with the Holocaust. This chapter book dramatizes the attacks on the Jewish community (the violent pogroms) that drove so many Jews from Russia at the end of the nineteenth century. The story is awkwardly contrived: at first Jesse is bored with the third-grade assignment to research why his relatives came to Canada; but then he finds himself traveling back in time, becoming his great-great grandfather, Yossi, a Jewish boy in a Russian village at the time of the pogroms. The history is decidedly "lite": the massacres are off-stage; the soldiers Yossi sees are bumbling fools; he tricks them by pretending to be the witch Baba Yaga, and the Jews in the village escape and make their way to Canada. However, Schwartz's final note fills in some of the facts, and this will have some use in the classroom as a starting point for the kind of family immigration assignment that piqued Jesse's own interest. ((Reviewed July 2000)) Copyright 2000 Booklist Reviews - ForeWord Magazine Reviews : ForeWord Reviews 2000 October
Jesse's "dumb" homework assignment, put off as usual until the last minute, is to write a report about how his family arrived in Canada and what conditions were like in their country of origin. He's panicky about getting the assignment done, but not interested in relatives who have been dead for years. Jesse's unsympathetic mother is on her way to a big meeting; he's been told repeatedly not to procrastinate. She does tell him that his relatives came from Russia at the end of the nineteenth century and sends him to the attic to see what he might find in a small box. Grumbling, Jesse searches until he finds what appears to be a traveling case that belonged to Yossi Mendelsohn, his great-great grandfather, who left Russia for Canada when he was about Jesse's age. He finds a yellowed picture of Yossi and his family on the day they arrived in Canada in 1890, and a cloth bag containing a Star of David on a chain. At first he thinks, "Big deal. What's so special about an old Jewish star? But he took a closer look, and saw gold glinting out from under the dull brown tarnish. And was he imagining it, or did his palm feel warm where the star lay?" Jesse puts the chain around his neck and is transformed into Yossi, living a century earlier in the village of Braslav. Yossi is a clumsy boy who desperately wants to be useful, but his efforts are often disastrous, particularly when he tries to help on stilts. Like many Jewish families, those in Braslav are victims of persecution at the hands of the cruel soldiers. Their food is stolen and their holy books are burned. They know their only hope is to escape to Canada. The quick-thinking young Yossi has his chance to be a hero. He secretly listens to the camped Russian soldiers, learns what they fear most, and gives them a good scare while the villagers escape. The Rebbe gives him the Star of David for his heroism. Back in the attic, Jesse knows his experience had been "too real to be a dream--the people, the village, the danger. He'd been there, smelled the hay and apples, seen the golden moon in Braslav's sky." He knows that it had all happened because of the star, decides that the Yossi's Jewish star is now a part of his life--causing a genuine change in him. The persona transformation device works in this well-crafted, action-packed story, which should create a hunger for youngsters to know and dream about their own family heritage. Readers will also learn more about Judaism, the Diaspora, and the Star of David in historical information after the story ends. Copyright 2000 ForeWord Reviews - School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2000 November
Gr 2-4-Jesse thinks it's dumb that his teacher wants him to find out when and why his relatives immigrated to Canada and, true to form, he has waited until the last minute to work on his assignment. His mother tells him that his ancestors were poor Jews escaping the pogroms in Russia at the end of the 19th century and she suggests that he look in the attic for his great-great-grandfather Yossi's traveling case. Inside the case, Jesse is disappointed to find only a faded photograph and a tarnished Star of David on a chain. When he fastens it around his neck, however, he is suddenly transported back in time to the Jewish village of Braslav as his relative. Like Jesse, Yossi is something of a troublemaker, but when Russian soldiers desecrate the village celebration of Sukkot by burning the holy prayer books, he decides he must help his family and neighbors escape. He succeeds by playing on the soldiers' own superstitions to outwit them, allowing his family to get away, and bringing Jesse back to the present with a new appreciation for his ancestors. Well written, fast paced, and a manageable length, this time-travel book is just right for those looking for an easy read with a Jewish theme. An author's note provides a brief introduction to the history of Jews in Russia. Black-and-white pencil sketches are particularly effective at capturing the dramatic plight of the villagers.-Teri Markson, Stephen S. Wise Temple Elementary School, Los Angeles Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2000 October
Twelve-year-old Jesse has twenty-four hours to complete a school report on his family's origins. Armed with slim details from his frenzied working mother, Jesse resigns himself to searching the attic for any artifacts or clues of his family's past.When he stumbles upon a tarnished, careworn Star of David necklace, Jesse's adventure begins . . . will he find the answers he seeks before time runs out? The discovery of the necklace transports Jesse back to a time rich with the challenges ofhistory. As Jesse temporarily inhabits the body and mind of his great-great-grandfather, Yossi Mendelsohn, when he also was twelve years old, he sees firsthand that life in late nineteenth-century Russia was difficult. Starvation and poverty ravagedvillages, and families were under constant scrutiny by the occupying soldiers. Labeled "Jewish devils," the villagers practiced religion secretly for fear of retaliation. It seemed as if these industrious farmers would never get relief. Would theMendelsohns and their village ever find peace and freedom? Yossi exhibits all of Jesse's qualities-he is loving, inquisitive, and ultimately helpful-while overcoming his youthful awkwardness to help his village in ways he never imagined possible. Young readers will enjoy Jesse's time-traveling adventure for the sheer curiosity of discovering what will happen next. In the tradition of Caroline Cooney's Time-Travel Trilogy (Delacorte, 1995-1996), Schwartz has managed successfully to weavehistorical fact into compelling fiction.-Beth Gilbert. Copyright 2000 Voya Reviews