CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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The Witch of Woodland
CCBC Review:
When Zipporah’s mother tells her that Rabbi Dan has agreed to let Zippy (white) have a bat mitzvah ceremony, Zippy is bewildered and dismayed. In her mind, her sporadic (at best) synagogue attendance and lack of Hebrew school education make her only a “part-time Jew.” She feels more in tune with her practice of witchcraft. Her best friend, Bea, used to love playing Witches with Zippy, but lately Bea has been hanging with the popular crowd instead. When Zippy channels her frustration and loneliness into the incantation of a Hebrew phrase, she summons—to her utter surprise—an ethereal, winged girl whom she calls Miriam. Zippy is nourished by this new friendship, while Miriam gains strength from sparks of energy drawn from Zippy’s touch. Seeking to understand her own magic—her connection with Miriam gives her remarkable Hebrew abilities—as well as the context of a phrase about sorceresses in her Torah portion, Zippy speaks with Rabbi Dan, who gives her a book on Jewish demons and other creatures. While Zippy’s journey reaches a conclusion that is decidedly on her own terms, and Miriam’s story finds resolution, Zippy must first navigate an emotional labyrinth: her desire to help Miriam, sadness over losing Bea, deep annoyance with her parents, and confusion over her entwined beliefs in Judaism and witchcraft. All of this is chronicled in Zippy’s self-possessed voice as the novel’s narrator and scribe. ©2023 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
Change
Faith, Spirituality and Religion
Feelings/Emotions
Friendship
Grief and Loss
Jewish People
Supernatural
Diversity subject:
Jewish
Psychiatric
On CCBC Booklists:
Fantasy for 8 to 12 Year Olds: Giants, Journeys, and Other Imaginings
Religion in the Lives of Children and Teens
Publishers:
HarperCollins, Walden Pond
Publish Year: 2023
Pages: 290
ISBN: 9780062836656
CCBC Location: Fiction, Snyder
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Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.