Language: G (0 swears 0 'f'); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (fight between boys, destruction of monsters - not gory)
BUYING ADVISORY: MS - ADVISABLE
APPEALS TO: SOME
12yo Ezra is the Nivchar, the chosen one, a special child born to fight the gurya and continue the current golden age - no wars, no terrible illness, no crime. But, as his bar mitzvah approaches, he notices things are changing - he's not the top of his class anymore, his best friend won't talk to him, and his strength is diminishing. Also, the peace they've been experiencing is at risk, and someone even tried to kidnap him. His father thinks he's just disrespectful - as do the rabbis at the yeshiva, but Ezra worries that someone is trying to stop him. Few know about Ezra's mission, but his bully, Aryeh, does, and relentlessly mocks him, calling him the chosen one and deriding him for his basketball skills. But when Aryeh becomes his only ally, the unlikely pair team up.
What a gripping story! Very rooted in Jewish culture, I appreciated the thorough glossary. I loved the moral dilemmas faced by Ezra and others, and the hard choice of deciding what the right thing to do was, as well as how to best do the right thing - or even if to do the right thing at all. Mari Lowe writes for a special audience; your Jewish middle schoolers will relate and really like Beinoni. The characters are Jewish.
Lisa Librarian
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