Ghosts and Golems: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural [Hardcover]

Malka Penn (Compiler, Editor), Theodor Black (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2001 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

The spirits found inside the pages of Ghosts and Golems are the force for momentous change in the lives ofhte children who meet them-helping them to gain a new understanding of themselves and Jewish tradition. So, too, will these stories have a lasting impact upon young readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grades 5-8--An enticing title and book jacket will draw readers to this collection of 10 original short stories. Several have Holocaust themes, and others are about the loss of a loved one. Among them is a tale about a lonely ghost trying to lure a pre-Bat Mitzvah girl into the grave. In a few others, spirits from times of crisis in Jewish history interact with modern boys and girls. Each of the selections is accompanied by a ponderous black-and-white illustration and a biographical sketch of and short comment from the author. Readers hoping for a good scare may be disappointed. The ghosts and golems of the title are actually didactic devices used to propel plots and develop themes dealing with loss, conflict, change, and Jewish continuity. The stories are uneven in quality. Rivka Widerman's "The Ghost of Leah Levy" is taut and chilling while in others, a melodramatic style overwhelms fairly simple themes. The purpose of the collection is not to entertain but to edify Jewish adolescents. As such, it is closer to Sandy Asher's With All My Heart, with All My Mind: Thirteen Stories about Growing up Jewish (S & S, 1999) than it is to Jewish tales of the supernatural. Cleverly packaged, this book delivers something different from what the title and cover art suggest.

Linda R. Silver, Jewish Education Center of Cleveland, OH

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. The authors of these 10 new stories give readers a taste of Jewish culture, history, folklore, and spirit as they deliver an occasional shiver. In "The Ghost of Leah Levy," an early Jewish settler in South Dakota almost lures a lonely child into a fatal accident. In "Wings," Sergey's beloved grandpa keeps appearing until Sergey's recitation of the prayer for the dead releases the ghost. Other tales glimpse such venues as wartime Prague ("The Shadow of the Golem"), Jerusalem during the destruction of the Temple ("Jerusalem Tunnel"), and the revolt of the Maccabees ("Hanukkah Light"). Each selection opens with a wooden but darkly atmospheric picture and closes with the author's comments and a brief biography. The stories will be useful classroom discussion starters, but they'll create some mild chills, too; share them aloud, along with selections from Howard Schwartz's anthology Lilith's Cave: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural (1988) or, for older readers, Daniel Jaffe's collection With Signs and Wonders (2001). John Peters
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Jewish Publication Society of America; 1st ed edition (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0827607334
• ISBN-13: 978-0827607330
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 7.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,908,076 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jewish Tales of The Supernatural - Wonderful Winter Reading, October 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts and Golems: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

This book includes intriguing tales of the supernatural, appealing to adults and older children. The stories resonate with themes of Yiddish folktales and myths and are a wonderful way to introduce children to these folk traditions, updated and Americanized. Some of the stories may be too intense for younger children.

5.0 out of 5 stars For young folks at campfire cookouts or late at night, May 17, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts and Golems: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

Compiled by Malka Penn and enhanced with illustrations by Theodor Black, Ghosts And Golems: Haunting Tales Of The Supernatural is an impressive collection of ten spine-tingling stories artfully written by contemporary Jewish authors for young readers. The tales comprising this unique anthology include: The Ghost of Leah Levy (Rivka Widerman); Wings (Deborah Spector Siegel); L'Dor V'Dor (Lois Ruby); The Ghost Well (Ann Manheimer); Forgive Me (Jerry Ranik); Mrs. Samson is Upstairs (Susan Stone); The Shadow of the Golem (Malka Penn); Jerusalem Tunnel (Hanna Bandes Geshelin); Hanukkah Light (Janni Lee Simner); and My Grandma's Ghost (Carol Snyder). Ghosts And Golems makes for especially exciting reading to young folks at campfire cookouts or late at night, and is very highly recommended for anyone who would enjoy tales of the supernatural reflecting Jewish traditions and folklore.

5.0 out of 5 stars GHOSTS AND GOLEMS; HAUNTING TALES OF THE SUPERNATURAL, August 14, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghosts and Golems: Jewish Tales of the Supernatural (Hardcover)

.... These stories are spooky, eerie, tales of the weird and wild, peopled by modern kids just like us. Especially note the psychological puzzler, "L'Dor V'Dor," by Lois Ruby, in which an American boy is haunted by the ghost of a German SS guard's son. The gem of the collection is Jerry Raik's story, "Forgive Me," which is haunting and redemptive and wholly satisfying for kids as well as adults. Check out the cover, too. It's very bizarre!