The Circlemaker [Mass Market Paperback]

Maxine Rose Schur (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1996 | Age Level: 9 and up

Czar Nicholas's soldiers enter all the Russian villages and seize the Jewish boys for the military, but Mendel, only twelve years old, knows he is too young to fight and makes a desperate attempt to reach the border in order to flee to safety. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Twelve-year-old Mendel flees the czar's army and 25 years of forced conscription; Schur "maintains an edge-of-the-seat tension until the very last words," said PW. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7-Mendel is 12 in 1852 when Czar Nicholas's soldiers come through his small Ukrainian town looking for Jewish conscripts. Knowing that his parents will risk their lives to protect him, he runs away. He is helped by a mysterious freedom fighter who pairs him with another fugitive-Dovid, the town bully. Their dangerous trip to the Hungarian border teaches Mendel what his devout father meant when he said "only the closed circle can keep us whole." The final chapter sees him on his way to a new life in New York, and the ending is open enough to allow for a sequel. The pacing of the text is excellent-there is sufficient time between periods of action to allow readers to assimilate the gravity of the boys' situation, and sufficient tension to hold interest. The setting is well realized, as is the danger. Characterization, however, is weak. Mendel's feelings on leaving his parents are described but do not seem truly felt, and though indications are given as to why Dovid is such an inhuman thug, he remains a two-dimensional figure. More depth is achieved in Karen Hesse's Letters from Rifka (Holt, 1992). However, this adventure story serves well to re-create its historical period.
Ann Welton, Terminal Park Elementary School, Auburn, WA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (June 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140379975
• ISBN-13: 978-0140379976
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,269,644 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A moving exploration of character and courage, July 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Circlemaker (School & Library Binding)

This is a wonderful book about a little known period when children were conscripted into the army. The hero is an adolescent boy with the courage to change his destiny. It's an adventure story that keeps you glued from beginning to end. But unlike many adventure stories, there is a core of profound emotional truths that belie the genre. Obviously,the research that went into this book was exhaustive. And the power of the author to evoke the period is only one of the ways in which she excels as a writer. As a writer of historical fiction for young people she has few peers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Circlemaker, November 25, 2003

By 

Carl Berg (Highland Park,, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Circlemaker (Mass Market Paperback)

The Circlemaker, 11/25/03
Reviewer: Carl Berg
I used the Circlemaker by Maxine Rose Schur with my fifth grade students. Ms Schur's story of a young Jewish boy fighting conscription into the Czar's army in 1852 was one that captured my students' fascination and motivation. It was one of the few books where I had the children begging to read ahead. Ms Schur's character development is superb and the sub plot that exists is one that my students were able to learn a great lesson from. Throughout the story, the main character, Mendel, is confronted with having to build a relationship with his arch enemy, Dovid, who happens to also be running away from the Czar's conscriptors. Dovid, a bully, and master of evil, treats Mendel with disdain. Dovid finds himself in a life threatening predicament towards the end of the story and Mendel's ultimate reaction to the situation helps the reader to learn that a circle in life needs to be closed in order to be at peace with oneself. I truly recommend The Circlemaker to young and old.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Insight Into the Russian culture, January 15, 2001

By 

"xanderslayer1" (Newport News, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Circlemaker (Mass Market Paperback)

Although I wasn't a huge fan of the book, it did give a good insight into the Russian world. Mendel's courage and dedication should be looked up to. This book tells the story of Mendel, a Russian boy, trying to get away from being forced into the army. It shows many ups and downs but tends to get boring. It does have some good moments but for the most part this is not the best book I've ever read.