Union Square Kids, 2023
ISBN 978-1-4549-4784-4
Sydney Taylor Honor Award-Winning Author.
Will Rogers Gold Medallion Award for Western Fiction: Young Readers.
When you think of Chanukah, the Jewish eight-day festival of lights, which begins on December 25th this year, you probably don’t associate it with starting a new life on the American prairie. It may be that you have no connection with either experience. But we can all relate to something they both share in common: a desire to establish your place in the world, and to preserve your identity. Even when faced with apparently insurmountable obstacles.
Susan Lynn Meyer’s, A Sky Full of Song, unfolds in the early 1900s. The protagonist, eleven-year-old Shoshona and her family, have fled Jewish persecution in the Russian empire and hope to find safety in North Dakota, and start a new life.
The wide open country offers Shoshona many opportunities for discoveries, and a world of exploration. It also presents challenges, like learning English, and understanding different customs. Her traditions are so unlike those of all of her classmates. Especially the upcoming Christmas holiday, which her family doesn’t celebrate, but where she is expected to sing a song. Should she refuse?
Eager to make friends and fit in, she struggles with her Jewish identity. How much can she share about her ways without them rejecting her? Some already bully her. Or is it best to hide who she really is?
When a blizzard hits and darkness engulfs the prairie, the menorah in Shoshona’s window illuminates the night, providing a guiding light for someone in need, and an opportunity for Shoshona to share the story of Chanukah and the meaning of the light.
At the Christmas concert that takes place after the storm has passed, Shoshona makes a decision to sing, not a Christmas carol, but a song from her country in her own language about new beginnings.
Susan Lynn Meyer’s story is beautifully written and filled with poetic lines, evocative imagery, and memorable phrases that will sing in your heart. A story of belonging, acceptance, identity, and of remaining true to yourself, A Sky Full of Song reminds us of the importance of singing your own special song, and of shining your own unique light.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on December 22nd!
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When you think of Chanukah, the Jewish eight-day festival of lights, which begins on December 25th this year, you probably don’t associate it with starting a new life on the American prairie.
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Featured Author Veronica Jorge credits her love of history to the potpourri of cultures that make up her own life and to her upbringing in diverse Brooklyn, New York.
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This year, Hispanic Heritage month was celebrated from September 15th through October 15th.
So, even though we are not in the December holiday season yet, I thought it would be fitting to post this particular book review now in October. -
September. Summer comes to a close and a new school year begins; with all of the excitement, wonder and angst of growing up, fitting in, and trying to figure out who you are and your place in the world.
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A story of loss, forgiveness, and love, Flores and Miss Paula, is a down-to-earth novel of learning what it means to be family, building a new life in a new country, and the tender yet sometimes frustrating relationship between a mother and a daughter.
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