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Gr 4–7-The year is 1971. Joel is a dorky 12-year-old amateur magician from one of the few Jewish families in town. He's dealing with his parents' poverty, his dad's crippling arthritis and temporary coma, and with being asked to teach his whole school about Hanukkah at the Winter Holiday Assembly. Joel's talents as a jokester and his ever-ready magic tricks get him through his daily difficulties. Even the dreaded assembly is a success because of Joel's storytelling chutzpah and his family's willingness to embrace their own weirdness....Log In or Sign Up to Read More

The story, set during Hanukkah in 1971 and loosely based on the author's childhood, is divided into nine chapters, one for each night of the holiday ("The First Candle: Chopped Liver"; "The Fifth Candle: Schlemiels and Schlimazels") plus the shamm...Log In or Sign Up to Read More

Nine chapters (one for each night of the holiday plus the <i>shammes</i>) set during Hanukkah 1971 are loosely based on the author'...Log In or Sign Up to Read More