As intense as this book's topic is, you'd expect a longer tome. But amazingly the prose is spare and in-your-face, so to-the-point and still packs an emotional wallop without sentimentality or pity. That's good writing! I also liked the use of the dybbuk and how he eventually formed his revenge. ( )

Big Kid Reaction: I loved this book. I wasn't sure at first, but by the middle of the second chapter I was completely into it. Both Freddie and Avrom grow as the story moves on. There is an incredible amount of history packed in this slim volume

Pros: Avrom grabs readers just as he did Freddie the Great. This is a poignant story with an uplifting finish and some light moments too.

To read our full review, go to The Reading Tub®.

Book talk

I had just finished reading Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen, and was surprised that I learned something new about the Holocaust. One of the first genres that kind of hooked me into reading was historical fiction centered on the Holocaust, and I have read many in the genre. In Briar Rose, I learned about a camp and town in Poland I had never heard of, as well as yet another cruel way of eliminating the Jews, in this case, Jewish women. In Sid Fleishman's book, I learned yet another gruesome way that the Germans exterminated Jews, specifically, Jewish children.
Unbelievably, this Holocaust novel includes humor in the form of a not very talented ventriloquist named Freddie. What makes a good ventriloquist? (Question class) You'd think, since Freddie is pretty much lousy at his profession, that he would welcome any help he could get. Enter Avrom Amos. He's funny and he loves the spotlight. He's also a dybbuk--a ghost. He was murdered by the Nazis, not long after he had saved the life of a young soldier--one named Freddie, who happen to be a ventriloquist. Freddie doesn't know it yet, but he's going to return the favor. Avrom wants revenge against the Nazi that killed him and his sister, and he knows just how to get it. ( )

I first picked up this book because it had a ventriloquist dummy on the cover. I was not sure what a dybbuk was but learned that it was the equivalent of a Jewish Ghost. This is the story of a ventriloquist who is not very successful. That is until he returns to his room one night and finds someone waiting. He finds out the someone is a dybbuk. He wants something from the Ventriloquist. He needs to inhabit his body in exchange he will help him. Against the entertainer's wishes the dybbuk enters his body and soon begins to speak for the dummy. They become a hit. The dybbuk needs the help of the entertainer to track down someone from his past. It seems the dybbuk, when alive was a young boy named Avrom Amos Poliakov. When is was alive he and his sister Sulka were hiding from the SS officers who took great pleasure in hunting down Jewish children, bagging them and then killing them. Avrom watched helplessly as his sister was poisoned and died. Avrom was eventually shot by the same officer. As a dybbuk he has unfinished business. Find the SS officer who now lives as a Jewish victim and get revenge.

I loved this book. The mystery of why the dybbuk was possessing the entertainer and for how long kept me reading. As I neared the end I was on the edge of my seat to see what the dybbuk would do. I was very pleased with the way the book ended. About the time I think I have heard all of the things the Nazis did to the Jews I learn something new. This was based on historical fact. The author did a wonderful job of telling it like it was and in a most respectful way. He let the dybbuk and his humor tell the story. I can't wait to recommend this now that I truly understand what this book is all about ( )