The Girl (age 11) and I spotted The Entertainer and the Dybbuk by Sid Fleischman awhile back while browsing the stacks at our local library. We each grabbed a copy and planned to read it together. I finished the book first (check out my review), while The Girl read it more slowly as part of her daily in-class reading. A recent class assignment was to write about a book she’d finished, and because she would be presenting it to the class, she had to grab the other students’ attention without giving too much away. She was excited about this assignment because she’d had some practice, having reviewed books here for the past couple of years.
Here are her thoughts:
In The Entertainer and the Dybbuk, a young Jewish boy who died at the hands of a bloodthirsty Nazi seeks his revenge. This is a fiction novel by Sid Fleischman. The main characters are the Great Freddie, who is a horrible ventriloquist, and the dybbuk, a Jewish spirit who was killed along with his sister in WWII. The setting is pretty much all over the place because the Great Freddie is a traveling ventriloquist, but it mostly takes place on a train and in theaters in Europe and the United States. The most interesting part to me was the court scene at the end of the book, when the dybbuk comes face to face with the Nazi officer who murdered him. I suggest this book for Jr. High readers who are interested in ghosts and WWII history.
I was thrilled when she came home from school on Monday and told me she received an A+ on her book presentation! Yea!
Disclosure: The Girl borrowed The Entertainer and the Dybbuk from our local library. I am an IndieBound affiliate and an Amazon associate.
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What an excellent addition to her most wonderful review…and A+. Congrats!
btw, I also note that your daughters is picking up your interest in WWII?!
Thanks! She was so thrilled. She said her teacher said she’d be good at reviewing books, and she told her that she already does. 😉
She’s been interested in WWII since the challenge we held in 2009. She watches the documentaries with me and everything.
Wow, The Girl is getting better and better! She’s going to be as good as her mom before you know it! :–)
Aw, shucks. Thanks! 🙂
Congrats to The Girl for her comments on the book and for getting an A+
Thanks! She was especially happy about this A+. Made all the reviews she’s written for me worthwhile. 😉
The Girl did a marvelous job! I can see why she got an A+!
Thanks, Kathy! It’s wonderful for me to see how she’s progressing as a reader and a writer!
Congrats to The Girl – and to Mom for paving the way! Oral presentations are so important; because she was comfortable with her material, she was probably very confident when presenting – fantastic!
Thanks, Dawn! She loves being in front of a group of people, so I’m sure she had as much fun presenting it as she did reading the book and writing the blurb. I’m so happy that she shares my passion for books, and I hope it stays with her for life.
Excellent job to The Girl!!!
I have this one on my MS shelves and it gets checked out quite a bit!
Thanks, Staci! I’m glad to hear the kids at your school enjoy it, too!
I’ve heard about this book before and everytime I tell myself I must pick it up. Great post.
http://www.ManOfLaBook.com
Thanks! I’d love to hear your thoughts on this book. It’s very short but very powerful.
She certainly deserved her A+! She really made me want to read the book!
Thanks! I hope you give it a try!
Yay for The Girl! Terrific job on your review! Congratulations on the A+, you deserved it and I would certainly read this book after reading your review! I have a feeling I’m going to be asking The Girl for pointers on writing a good book review very soon! Wooo Hooo!
Thanks, Amy! I’m sure she’ll love reading all these wonderful, encouraging comments!
Congratulations to The Girl on her excellent book talk! No wonder she earned an A+; it made me want to read the book!
Thanks, Michelle! I hope you give the book a try. I was amazed by how affected I was by it, given that it’s intended for children and it’s so short.
She deserved an A+! I kind of want to read it now … despite my aversion to ventrilioquist dummies!
Thanks, Jenners! I’m not as freaked out by dummies as I am by clowns, so this book didn’t bother me on that front. But it is disturbing, given the subject matter.
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