Review by Booklist Review
Twelve-year-old Ruby feels she always comes in second to her cousin Sarah: in terms of grades, looks, and approval from Grandma Yvette. But after Ruby trips over a mysterious trunk in Grandma's basement (rumored to contain a dybbuk, an evil spirit from Jewish mythology that invades living hosts), Sarah's behavior changes dramatically. Suddenly she is pulling fire alarms at school, insulting the new female rabbi, and gulping down nonkosher foods. Ruby tries her best to tamp down the fiend's dangerous behavior, but the dybbuk is tenacious. Panitch excels at portraying the feelings of kids from marriages with mixed religious traditions (Ruby's mom and her family are Catholic; Dad, Ruby, and her brother are Jewish) who don't feel fully accepted by either side. The antisemitism voiced by Mom's family, as well as Grandma Yvette's own narrow-minded views, is also believably depicted. Additionally, the misdeeds of Sarah's demon build to a suitably tense conclusion that allows Ruby to stand up for her cousin. Themes of friendship and women's perceived roles round out this appealing page-turner.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A science-minded 12-year-old inadvertently releases a dybbuk in Panitch's (The Trouble with Good Ideas) contemporary novel of familial rivalry and Jewish lore. Patrilineal Jew Ruby Taylor, whose mother is Catholic, enjoys Hebrew school and desires her Jewish grandmother's affection and approval. But between dropping Grandma Yvette's matzah balls down the stairs and being compared to Ruby's seemingly perfect cousin Sarah, who has two Jewish parents and whom their grandmother adores, Ruby feels like she's not "Jewish enough." When Ruby accidentally opens a chest from the old country that's in Grandma Yvette's basement, she releases a dybbuk into the world. The event aligns with the arrival of the synagogue's first female rabbi, and as the dybbuk seems to possess Sarah, resulting in out-of-the-ordinary behavior--including Sarah asking for the "non-kosher trifecta" of a bacon double cheeseburger with fried shrimp--Ruby feels responsible to stop it, something that can only be handled by a "pious Jew." Through Ruby's bluntly funny narration, which includes plentiful references to Jewish history, the novel deftly takes up themes of antisemitism, gender roles, feminism, and religious identity. Characters read as white; a secondary character is Jewish and of Chinese descent. Ages 8--12. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (Aug.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A 12-year-old confronts doubts about her Jewish identity to defeat the evil spirit she accidentally unleashes on her cousin. Ruby yearns to be the favorite of Grandma Yvette, her paternal grandmother, but she drops matzah balls down the stairs and enjoys science more than cooking. Because Ruby's mom is Catholic, Grandma Yvette prefers sharing Jewish traditions with Ruby's overachieving cousin Sarah, who has two Jewish parents. For her part, Sarah is annoyingly eager to please. While this favoritism doesn't read as harshly as the overt antisemitism Ruby encounters from her maternal grandparents, it's all hard for Ruby, who, as a patrilineal Jew, painfully longs for acceptance. Resentful of seemingly perfect Sarah, Ruby picks a fight that winds up with them accidentally opening the forbidden box in Grandma Yvette's basement that contains a dybbuk, releasing a rebellious streak in Sarah. When Sarah acts out--eating a nonkosher cheeseburger and attempting a dangerous crime--Ruby realizes Sarah might be possessed by the dybbuk. Since only a pious Jew can dispel one, Ruby pushes through questions of faith in her quest to save her cousin. This exciting story sensitively explores questions of identity and belonging in a Jewish context. Ruby is Ashkenazi Jewish and White. Her Hebrew school includes Jewish students of color, and a biracial Chinese Jewish friend helps Ruby reframe her struggles with identity. A fun, thoughtful page-turner about exorcising the expectations of others to achieve self-acceptance. (Paranormal. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
