Fleischman, Sid. The entertainer and the dybbuk.FLEISCHMAN, Sid. The entertainer and the dybbuk dybbuk In Jewish folklore, a disembodied human spirit that must wander restlessly, burdened by former sins, until it inhabits the body of a living person. Belief in such spirits was common in eastern Europe in the 16th–17th century. . HarperCollins, Greenwillow. 160p. c2007. 978-0-06-134445-9. $16.99. (Lib. bdg: 978-0-06-134446-6. $17.89.) J * A young American ex-soldier trying to make a living as a ventriloquist in Europe in 1948 is astonished a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. when he finds himself possessed by a dybbuk, a sort of Jewish spirit. It's the cheeky ghost of Avrom Amos, a boy who had helped hide Freddie from the Nazis, and he figures Freddie owes him. Avrom can't be seen, but since he can talk--and wisecrack--he helps The Great Freddie out with his act. In return, he requests a bar mitzvah Bar Mitzvah (bärmĭts`və) [Aramaic,=son of the Commandment], Jewish ceremony in which the young male is initiated into the religious community, according to tradition at the age of 13 years and a day. . Then Avrom makes a further demand: he wants Freddie's help tracking down his murderer, a Nazi officer posing as a Holocaust survivor who is currently on trial in the US for murdering his assistant. How the dybbuk manages to get revenge on his killer makes for a satisfying ending to a tale that mingles horror and humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was . It tells how Jewish children were hunted down by Nazis in WW II (they were often poisoned--not worth wasting bullets on--as Fleischman tells us in an Author's Note at the end), but the dybbuk's repartee rep·ar·tee n. 1. A swift, witty reply. 2. Conversation marked by the exchange of witty retorts. See Synonyms at wit1. with Freddie, on and off stage, is often very funny and affecting. An excellent and unusual addition to YA Holocaust literature, from the Newbery Award-winning author of The Whipping Boy whipping boy surrogate sufferer for delinquent prince. [Eur. Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 942] See : Substitution and other books for young readers. Paula Rohrlick, KLIATT J--Recommended for junior high school students. The contents are of particular interest to young adolescents and their teachers. *--The asterisk highlights exceptional books. |
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