Spring is in the air here in Israel, and the hills are alive with almond blossoms. Tu B’Shvat is just past, and we’re counting down toward Purim, and then Pessah! So, to get the season off to a good start, here are some recommendations from around the Jewish blogosphere (in more or less alphabetical order). Note that cover images link to the relevant affiliate-linked book page on Amazon.
Enjoy!
The Association of Jewish Libraries shares the winners of the 2020 Sydney Taylor Book Award for the best Jewish children’s and teen books of the year!
Barbara Beitz at Jewish Books for Kids interviews Victoria Ortiz, winner of the STBA Silver Medal for her riveting book, Dissenter on the Bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Life & Work (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).
The Book of Life Podcast has an exclusive interview with Sydney Taylor Book Award committee chair Rebecca Levitan, discussing the 2020 winners of the award!
On gilagreenwrites, Gila explores the question: what is Jewish fiction and more with author and editor Janice Weizman.
Jewish Book Review reviews Professor Samuel Levine’s book, Was Yosef on the Spectrum? and concludes “Levine shows how characteristics of individuals with autism can often be both limiting and sources of strengths.”
On her My Machberet blog, Erika Dreifus routinely compiles news of Jewish literary interest. Here’s one recent post.
At Life Is Like a Library, an interview with Devora Piha, author of The Joy of Jewish Art for Children: A Guide for Parents and Teachers, and some resources for Jewish Arts and Crafts:
I just learned that Dan Sofer, author of The Dry Bones Society trilogy has a new book coming out! I reviewed the first book of the trilogy here, and can’t wait to read the new one! The new novel billed a is a dark comedy-thriller called Revenge of the Elders of Zion. For more about the book, click here for the media kit.
The Sydney Taylor Book Award just hosted a blog tour with the winning authors and illustrators. Find links to all the tour stops here!
Meanwhile I’ve learned that this site has been selected as one of the Top 50 Jewish Blogs on the web! Very cool!
Visit the headquarters of the Jewish Book Carnival, a monthly event where bloggers who blog about Jewish books can meet, read and comment on each others’ posts.