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annieice's review
4.0
pretty fun, i found Ruby pretty relatable although our religions are different they have a lot in common and I also felt overshadowed by my cousin and my grandma is too a misogynist narcissist... anyways, the dybukk was pretty similar to a jinn, and that was terrifying to see be the main plot point, dear Sarah went through enough. anyway I loved the ending for being positive and realistic too.
laurenabayne's review
3.0
Mark Twain Reader Selector
Rating: 7/10
Should it be a Mark Twain next year? Maybe.
As a Jewish child, I very much appreciated the use of Jewish mythology in this. It is a mythology not often explored; I actually had no idea what a dybbuk was before reading this, since we never learned about mythology in Sunday School. Unfortunately, this story gets bogged down in the fact that Ruby is just not a likeable protagonist. She willingly goes along with a demon because it makes her cousin less "perfect," without really showing care for her cousin. She constantly ditches Sarah, and even towards the end she is still obsessed with her grandmother's approval. I wish there was more growth for Ruby, since there was clear growth for Sarah and for the dybbuk.
It makes me think that Ruby would be good friends with Hugo from "One Kid's Trash."
Rating: 7/10
Should it be a Mark Twain next year? Maybe.
As a Jewish child, I very much appreciated the use of Jewish mythology in this. It is a mythology not often explored; I actually had no idea what a dybbuk was before reading this, since we never learned about mythology in Sunday School. Unfortunately, this story gets bogged down in the fact that Ruby is just not a likeable protagonist. She willingly goes along with a demon because it makes her cousin less "perfect," without really showing care for her cousin. She constantly ditches Sarah, and even towards the end she is still obsessed with her grandmother's approval. I wish there was more growth for Ruby, since there was clear growth for Sarah and for the dybbuk.
It makes me think that Ruby would be good friends with Hugo from "One Kid's Trash."
bookcub's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kater07's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
muffmacguff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was great, loved it!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Antisemitism
bec_cann's review
3.75
First of all, I would like to give a round of applause for the cover it is gorgeous truly middle grade gets some of the best covers.
I'm in love with the magical realism trend in middle grade, it provides a window into a different culture and it can add a lot of nuance to what could otherwise be a pretty run of the mill middle grade contemporary. Personally, I enjoy this when it stays ambiguous throughout the story. The majority of this book does this really well, there's this lingering question of whether or not Sarah is actually possessed or if she is just acting out because of her fight with Ruby. The reveal that she is actually possessed by the dybbuk was a little bit of a let down, I think it's more interesting for Sarah's character if she got to have that moment of personal growth of coming into herself as well rather than it just being about Ruby growing as a person; but it still works fine.
The book features the occasional aside from Ruby as it's told from her POV, and they could be kind of hit or miss. I know it's pretty common for middlegrade fiction to do this I just think her parentheticals just didn't always work for me. It gives an extra glimpse at Ruby's personality but could be distracting at certain times or would seem out of spirit with the character growth that we'd seen up to that point.
It also wrapped up a bit quickly for me, there were times where the progress of the novel felt rushed. but I'm willing to forgive a lot of evils when you think about what the target age demographic is. This was still a cute book and a fun read.
I'm in love with the magical realism trend in middle grade, it provides a window into a different culture and it can add a lot of nuance to what could otherwise be a pretty run of the mill middle grade contemporary. Personally, I enjoy this when it stays ambiguous throughout the story. The majority of this book does this really well, there's this lingering question of whether or not Sarah is actually possessed or if she is just acting out because of her fight with Ruby. The reveal that she is actually possessed by the dybbuk was a little bit of a let down, I think it's more interesting for Sarah's character if she got to have that moment of personal growth of coming into herself as well rather than it just being about Ruby growing as a person; but it still works fine.
The book features the occasional aside from Ruby as it's told from her POV, and they could be kind of hit or miss. I know it's pretty common for middlegrade fiction to do this I just think her parentheticals just didn't always work for me. It gives an extra glimpse at Ruby's personality but could be distracting at certain times or would seem out of spirit with the character growth that we'd seen up to that point.
It also wrapped up a bit quickly for me, there were times where the progress of the novel felt rushed. but I'm willing to forgive a lot of evils when you think about what the target age demographic is. This was still a cute book and a fun read.
thepastelnerd's review
4.0
This was a really fun read!
I really enjoyed how the story built throughout the novel. It took time for Ruby to sort out what was going on around her, especially dealing with adult conflicts, and that felt refreshingly realistic.
I did not grow up in a household that was mixed race, religion, or culture, but from what I understand, Ruby's struggles trying to fit in with and please both sides of her family and find her place in the rest of the world were portrayed rather well. I did relate to her struggling to meet adult expectations before she understood the full weight behind those expectations, and trying to be perfect when perfect still wouldn't be good enough. I think many readers can relate to Ruby even if they don't have identical challenges.
I also appreciated that it took multiple positive adult role models cheering on for Ruby to help her learn to love herself the way she is. Her parents and Rabbi Ellen helped counteract the negative pressure from her grandparents. And I really how Ruby's relationships with Aubrey and Sarah changed and grew throughout the novel, reflecting how many if not all of us have to process what friendship means as we transition from the simple friendships of childhood to more complex ones as teenagers.
Conflicts aside, I loved the Jewish representation in this book. I don't know much about Jewish culture or the religion myself, but I love learning about other cultures and religions, so it was really fun learning what being Jewish looks like for Ruby in her day to day life. I also appreciated a look into how the concept of what it means to be a woman in Judaism is changing in the modern day.
The only complaint I have is that the conflicts didn't seem completely resolved by the end of the novel. Ruby and Sarah finally faced their grandma down, but the confrontation felt a little underwhelming after experiencing how much pressure the two of them had been under their whole lives, and the tense situations with both sides of Ruby's family were left unsolved. However, these kinds of family quarrels can go entire lifetimes without being resolved, and Ruby is only twelve and is only beginning to understand how complex family relationships can be, so I understand why the author ended the story where she did.
Overall, a fun read, and I look forward to seeing what else the author has written!
I really enjoyed how the story built throughout the novel. It took time for Ruby to sort out what was going on around her, especially dealing with adult conflicts, and that felt refreshingly realistic.
I did not grow up in a household that was mixed race, religion, or culture, but from what I understand, Ruby's struggles trying to fit in with and please both sides of her family and find her place in the rest of the world were portrayed rather well. I did relate to her struggling to meet adult expectations before she understood the full weight behind those expectations, and trying to be perfect when perfect still wouldn't be good enough. I think many readers can relate to Ruby even if they don't have identical challenges.
I also appreciated that it took multiple positive adult role models cheering on for Ruby to help her learn to love herself the way she is. Her parents and Rabbi Ellen helped counteract the negative pressure from her grandparents. And I really how Ruby's relationships with Aubrey and Sarah changed and grew throughout the novel, reflecting how many if not all of us have to process what friendship means as we transition from the simple friendships of childhood to more complex ones as teenagers.
Conflicts aside, I loved the Jewish representation in this book. I don't know much about Jewish culture or the religion myself, but I love learning about other cultures and religions, so it was really fun learning what being Jewish looks like for Ruby in her day to day life. I also appreciated a look into how the concept of what it means to be a woman in Judaism is changing in the modern day.
The only complaint I have is that the conflicts didn't seem completely resolved by the end of the novel. Ruby and Sarah finally faced their grandma down, but the confrontation felt a little underwhelming after experiencing how much pressure the two of them had been under their whole lives, and the tense situations with both sides of Ruby's family were left unsolved. However, these kinds of family quarrels can go entire lifetimes without being resolved, and Ruby is only twelve and is only beginning to understand how complex family relationships can be, so I understand why the author ended the story where she did.
Overall, a fun read, and I look forward to seeing what else the author has written!
madelinefmcguire's review
5.0
Of her two granddaughters, Grandma Yvette clearly prefers Ruby Taylor's perfect (and perfectly Jewish) cousin Sarah. Sarah's perfect- she practices kosher, likes cooking does well in school, and most importantly it seems her mom's Jewish. Ruby's mom isn't and since traditionally Judaism is passed down from the mother in the eyes of Grandma Yvette Ruby won't ever measure up to her cousin. When after a fight Sarah becomes possessed by a dybbuk (an evil spirit) and starts doing things like pulling the fire alarm at school, throwing eggs at houses and yelling at their temple's new female Rabbi -Ruby knows she has to fix it. But a dybbuk can only be expelled by a "pious Jew" and if Ruby isn't Jewish enough for her own family how can she be Jewish enough to fight the dybbuk?
This was SO good. As someone who is not Jewish and knows a little bit about the culture I felt it did a good job showing the customs and practices of the religion. I also felt like it did a good job showing appropriately mature characters and their feelings. Family is complicated and it did a great job showing the difficulties of having extended family who don't accept you (or your parents) for this age. A great recommendation for people who like to learn about other cultures, like magical realism or like books about family.
This was SO good. As someone who is not Jewish and knows a little bit about the culture I felt it did a good job showing the customs and practices of the religion. I also felt like it did a good job showing appropriately mature characters and their feelings. Family is complicated and it did a great job showing the difficulties of having extended family who don't accept you (or your parents) for this age. A great recommendation for people who like to learn about other cultures, like magical realism or like books about family.
yapha's review
4.0
Cloaked in a ghost story, this is really an exploration of what it means to be Jewish. It is very well done, looking at a variety of prejudices in the name of "tradition." Ruby's perfect cousin being possessed by a vengeful dybbuk will keep readers engaged, especially when she binge eats non-Kosher food. This would make a great discussion starter at Hebrew school. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss
erinsbookshelves's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0