Unjust Cause [Paperback]

Tehila Peterseil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

David's family cannot come to terms with his learning disability. Like thousands of other children with learning problems, David is made to feel foolish and inadequate. Then he enrolls in a Jewish Day School and his life is changed.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-Davey Fischer, a fifth grader at a Jewish day school, is struggling to please a demanding father and teachers who don't understand him. Nothing he does is right; he can't spell or do long division, he can't shoot baskets, he can't even choose an ice-cream flavor without feeling inadequate. Davey's father refuses to admit that there could be anything wrong with his son, while his mother knows that he needs help. She finally persuades her husband to allow Davey to attend P'tach, a special education program where he can learn the skills he needs to cope with his learning differences. Davey's father is a dark, complex character riddled with guilt over his brother's death in Vietnam. While the narrator delves deeply into the thoughts and motivations of the boy and his father, and the book gives readers substantial information and insight about children with dysgraphia, the end result reads more like a psychological study than a novel. Books such as Jeanne Betancourt's My Name Is Brain Brian (Scholastic, 1993) or Joyce Hansen's Yellow Bird and Me (Clarion, 1991) offer children an understanding of learning differences while also providing appealing plot and characters. Parents, teachers, and therapists are more likely to appreciate Peterseil's efforts. In addition, the frequent references to Jewish education and prayer may further limit the audience to libraries serving a Jewish population; the book might find a readership among Orthodox young adults whose reading is often restricted to "clean" or "safe" books.
Barbara Auerbach, Brooklyn Public Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 142 pages
• Publisher: Simcha Media Group (NJ) (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0943706831
• ISBN-13: 978-0943706832
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,752,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Children's Health > Special Needs Children

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