Today is the first day of Hanukkah, so if you are looking for a special present for a 9-12 year old, we'd like to recommend Ellen Kushner's exciting adventure tale, The Golden Dreydl. The story: It is Hanukkah, and Sara, dragged to a party by her mother, finds playing with the dreydls (little spinning tops which are part of Hanukkah's festivities) boring ... that is until Tante Miriam gives her an ancient golden dreydl. During a squabble over possession of the dreydl, the television screen and the dreydl are broken, revealing the magical worlds hidden within both of them. From the broken dreydl a princess emerges who leads Sara on a mythical journey (through the smashed T.V. screen). When the princess is captured by the Demon King, Sara, aided by a Fool, must use all her cunning and courage to outwit the Demon King, rescue the princess, and return home again.
The novel is charming, fast-paced, filled with imagery and characters from Jewish folklore(including riddles! my favorite), and sparkles with Ellen's considerable humor. This edition also has lovely black and white illustrations from artist Ilene Winn-Lederer. You can find more information about the book here.
The story was first created by Ellen Kushner in collaboration with the Boston-based six-piece klezmer band Shirim as the script to a stage show. In performance, Ellen narrates her story, while the band weaves their music behind and between her narration. Since its Boston premiere in 2000, the Golden Dreydl stage show has toured the country, and continues to be available for holiday festivities.
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