Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (description of amputation).
BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
In the medieval Jewish city of Atil (in what is now Turkey), 12yo Ziva's twin brother Pesah has leprosy. He has been moved into a house of his own on the property of the family home as her Uncle Sabriel has warned that contact with Pesah may infect others. No one will care for him properly so Ziva does it. When their father plans to send Pesah to a leper colony, Ziva decides to take him and run away. He is smart and kind and she doesn't want him to die. She thinks she can find a cure in Constantinople, but she is running out of time. Pesah had a vision he would die on Rosh Hashanah, and it was only days away. When their caravan is set upon by thieves, they meet up with a boy who is half sheyd (a sort of demon) named Almas, and together they hope to find the City of Luz - where no one ever dies.
Ziva is a feisty character, she wants to be a Judge someday, like her father, and she has a strong sense of fairness and justice. She's not afraid to speak her mind and is even willing to try to make a deal with the Angel of Death himself. The plot is strongly rooted in Jewish tradition, and, although there is a glossary, Pasternack does a masterful job of keeping the reader in the story without the need to define every little thing. There's an author's note as well which establishes the setting and time (about 1,000 years ago). While I was plenty grossed out in the first few chapters while Pesah's leprosy was described, I'm so glad I kept going, as I loved Black Bird, Blue Road.
Lisa Librarian
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment