Reviews by Amanda!

Faraway Home, by Marilyn Taylor

Faraway Home is about a boy named Karl, who is 13, and his sister Rosa, age 7, in World War II. They escaped from Austria on a “kindertransport”, a program that took Jewish children to non-Nazi occupied countries. Karl escaped to work on a farm in Northern Ireland, with other refugees, while Rose was adopted by an Irish family. On the farm, Karl makes new friends like Danny and Eva. However, he is worried about Rosa, who is unhappy with her new family, and the rest of his family in Austria, or Ostmark, its new name.

Even though Karl and Rosa escape from the Nazis, they don’t escape from the war. Because of this, Karl has lots of scary and fun adventures, such as almost getting arrested by the Irish police, for spying, when all he did was walk on the beach. I recommend this book to boys and girls who like historical fiction and adventure stories.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic, by Sarah Darer Littman

Confessions of a Closet Catholic, is about Justine “Jussy” Silver, an eleven year old Jewish girl, who decides to give up being Jewish for Lent. She learned about Lent from her friend, Mary “Mac” Mcallister, a Catholic.

Justine goes to confession in her closet, to her teddy bear, Father Ted. She does communion with grape juice and matzah. On her dad’s side, she has a Bubbe (grandmother), a survivor of Auschwitz, who keeps kosher and is a very strict orthodox Jew. On her mom’s side, her grandparents go to a Jewish country club that serves shellfish and lobster. Along with this, Jussy worries about her appearance, and her belief that her parents love her siblings and dog more than her.

This book is sad and funny at the same time. It teaches you to figure out how to be yourself. It would appeal to anyone who ever wondered how to be Jewish.

Amanda is a fourth grader in our Education Program