Dreidels on the Brain

August 22, 2016
It’s 1971, and 12-year-old Joel, seeking a Hanukkah miracle, begins a conversation with God that spans the eight-day holiday. A number of things weigh heavily on Joel: being the only Jewish family at his California private school, his father’s poor health, the family’s money struggles, and Joel’s crush on Amy, an old friend who helps out with the magic shows he performs. Things get more complicated when Joel’s father falls into a coma, and Joel and his family are asked to teach his school about Hanukkah, something Joel dreads. Joel tries to find meaning amid the chaos, and a seemingly random interaction on a bus proves to be the miracle he was seeking. In a story loosely inspired by his upbringing, ben Izzy (The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness) shares warm, humorous musings on and explanations of Jewish culture (“Nobody can agree on the rules, which is how you know it’s a Jewish game,” he says of spinning the dreidel), though these can sometimes overshadow the scant plot. A meandering but moving coming-of-age journey. Ages 10–up.