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Shusterman, Neil

Courage to Dream: Tales of Hope in the Holocaust

256 pp. | Scholastic/Graphix | October, 2023 | Trade ISBN 9780545313476 $24.99 | Paper ISBN 9780545313483 $14.99
(1) YA Illustrated by Andrés Vera Martinez. In this innovative book, five stories, all in graphic format, address aspects of the Holocaust and incorporate fantasy elements, including some, aptly, from Jewish and Eastern European folklore. A golem resists the guards in Auschwitz. Baba Yaga and the fools of Chelm build a bridge for children hiding from the "nasties." Generations later, a teen gets a chance to see what the world would have looked like if the Holocaust hadn't occurred. Informational spreads following most stories provide historical and, when relevant, folkloric context. Amid the brutality depicted, the creatively applied magical elements give power back to characters persecuted by the Holocaust. The muted palette of the panel illustrations changes slightly with each tale, and the varied layouts keep the momentum going. Back matter includes notes from Shusterman (Challenger Deep, rev. 3/15, and many other novels) and Martinez (Little White Duck, rev. 9/12), a bibliography, and spiritual interpretations of the Hebrew letters that open each story.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

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