Alexandra's Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah [Hardcover]

Miriam Chaikin (Author), Stephen Fieser (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

A young girl’s account of life in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.

When the hated Syrian-Greek king fills ancient Jerusalem with statues of Greek gods and destroys the Jewish temple, feisty Alexandra takes up reed pen, ink, and sheet of papyrus and turns “scribe.”

In her scroll Alexandra records the everyday happenings of her life, as well as the events of the Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees. When her father joins the resistance against the Greek authorities, Alexandra must leave her friends and the city she loves. The victory of the Maccabees three years later returns the family to Jerusalem—to old friends, new ones and, for Alexandra, a new life.

Place and time are recreated in this story of a girl caught up in the events that led to the rebuilding of the temple, the miracle of oil that burns eight days, and the celebration of the first Hanukkah.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alexandra, the Jewish girl who narrates this informative historical novel, lives in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabees. Like them, she experiences the oppression of the Syrian-Greek regime. Inspired by the example of Esther (named here as the author of the scroll read on Purim), Alexandra vows to record the ongoing story of her people and ends up writing about the miracle now commemorated at Hanukkah. Chaikin's (Clouds of Glory) research, as always, is meticulous, but Alexandra often seems more a conduit for that research than a flesh-and-blood character. Fieser's (The Sabbath Lion) abundant illustrations glow with the heat of the Judean sun, grounding the text in its historical setting. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-The events leading up to the first Hanukkah come to vivid life through the eyes of a Jewish girl growing up in Jerusalem circa 165 B.C.E. Alexandra, the daughter of a goldsmith and a weaver, has been taught to read and write and yearns to be a scribe, so that she, like Queen Esther, can record the history of her people. Laws are passed making it illegal for Jews to practice their faith, and war breaks out. Alexandra's father joins the rebellion, led by their neighbor Judah Hasmon (who later changes his name to Judah Maccabee), while Alexandra and her mother flee. In the end, the Jews are triumphant and the girl and her family return to Jerusalem in time to witness the miracle of the oil. The characters are compelling and the story is wonderfully readable and filled with humor and fascinating detail. Full-color illustrations give a real feel for the time and place, and a map and afterword with more information about the event are included. Not just a good Hanukkah story, but also a fine piece of historical fiction.-M. A.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); First Edition edition (2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805063846
• ISBN-13: 978-0805063844
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,523,208 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read, but..., December 25, 2009

By 

B. Plescher (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alexandra's Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah (Hardcover)

This was our first year celebrating Hanukkah. The illustrations and quality of materials are excellent. While we enjoyed the story in the book, and it seemed to have accurate details of the Hanukkah story, we found the writing a bit simplistic. The author uses a lot of "he said, she said, they said, I said" and short, choppy sentences. We liked that the story was from a girl's perspective, as we have four daughters, but the author seemed to give the mother too much authority in the home. According to our understanding of the Jewish culture, this would not be the case at all. However, despite these annoyances, we enjoyed the story and enjoyed having it be a part of our Hanukkah celebration.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vivid recollection of first Hanukkah as told by a young girl, November 20, 2005

By 

K. Corn "reviewer" (midwest, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Alexandra's Scroll: The Story of the First Hanukkah (Hardcover)

Told from a young girl's point of view, this gorgeous book describes how the first Hanukkah came to be. There are details about using a reed pen and writing on papyrus that add historical accuracy to the vivid story. Best for ages 9 and up but smaller excerpts could be adapted for younger children.