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BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.debbielevybooks.com/
CITY:
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COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 350
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1957, in Silver Spring, MD; daughter of Harold and Jutta Levy; married Richard S. Hoffman; children: Alex Hoffman, Ben Hoffman.
EDUCATION:University of Virginia, B.A.; University of Michigan, J.D./ M.A.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, journalist, and attorney. Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, Washington, DC, attorney, worked for six years in international trade and immigration law; American Lawyer Media/Legal Times, editor and vice president, worked for six years.
AVOCATIONS:Kayaking, swimming, fishing, walking in the woods, reading, gardening, bowling.
MEMBER:Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Authors Guild, Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC.
AWARDS:Parents’ Choice Award, 2010, Sydney Taylor Award Notable Book for Older Readers selection, Association of Jewish Libraries, and Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices listee, both 2011, and Charlotte Award nomination, State of New York, 2012, all for The Year of Goodbyes; Sibert Honor Book, 2020, for This Promise of Change.
RELIGION: Jewish.WRITINGS
Contributor of stories to periodicals, including Highlights for Children.
SIDELIGHTS
A former newspaper editor and attorney, Debbie Levy has established a third career as the author of nonfiction books that include Richard Wright: A Biography, The Berlin Wall, and Bigotry, the verse work The Year of Goodbyes: A True Story of Friendship, Family, and Farewells, a Sydney Taylor Award Notable Book, and I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. “I think in some ways fiction is most challenging,” Levy remarked in a Teacher Librarian interview with Julie Prince, discussing her ability to transition between several genres. Although her law training taught her to enjoy research and scouting for sources that are solid and varied, Levy also indulges her whimsical side in Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight, and Other Funny Bedtime Poems, in which she teams up with artist Stephanie Buscema to create “a fun, hip take on traditional bedtime books,” according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer.
Early Books
Levy’s debut title, Kidding around Washington, D.C.: A Fun-Filled, Fact-Packed Travel and Activity Book, was followed by Civil Liberties, which examines the right to privacy, book banning, religious freedoms, and other issues. According to Booklist critic Shelle Rosenfeld, the author’s “well- chosen examples of events and court cases effectively illustrate terms and concepts.” In Medical Ethics Levy explores the controversies surrounding genetic engineering and assisted suicide, among other topics, while in Bigotry she focuses her study on racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. “The text is clear and accessible,” Mary R. Hofmann commented in her School Library Journal review of Medical Ethics, while Booklist reviewer Roger Leslie deemed Bigotry an “informative, forthright overview” of a perennial social ill.
Levy’s biographical works includes Lyndon B. Johnson, a balanced portrait of the thirty-sixth president of the United States that discusses his successes in the legislative arena as well as his struggles to find a peaceful resolution in Vietnam. “Levy affirms LBJ’s legacy as the strongest civil-rights advocate who ever occupied the White House,” remarked William McLoughlin in a School Library Journal appraisal. In Richard Wright the author chronicles the life of the celebrated African American writer who remains best known for his searing novel Native Son and his autobiography Black Boy. Levy “does a fine job of placing Wright’s personal life in the context of black history,” Hazel Rochman stated in her Booklist review of Levy’s profile.
Underwater, Levy’s first work of fiction, centers on Gabe Livingston, a lonely, temperamental youth who escapes from life’s problems by caring for his pet fish and playing his favorite computer game. Writing in School Library Journal, Laura Lutz noted that the complex work “deserves an audience and should find one with male readers.”
The Year of Goodbyes combines excerpts from Levy’s German-born mother’s childhood poesiealbum (poetry album) as well as an original free verse to create “a poignant portrait of … life in 1938 Nazi Germany that crackles with adolescent vitality,” in the words of a Publishers Weekly critic. The work depicts the growing specter of anti-Semitism under German chancellor Adolf Hitler as seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old Hamburg resident Jutta Salzburg (Levy’s mother), whose family desperately seeks refuge in the United States. The Year of Goodbyes presents “not only the history of that era but also a universal experience that readers young and old would find compelling,” Levy explained to Prince: “Living as a member of a scorned group, clinging to normalcy in the face of a crazy world, wanting desperately both to flee and to stay in the place that is your home but also your oppressor.” Jennifer Schultz, writing in School Library Journal, described the work as “a verse novel slim in length but long on beauty, power, and anguish.”
“Since I write in a variety of genres (nonfiction, fiction, and poetry) and for a variety of ages (from young children to young adults) I often am asked which type of writing I enjoy the most,” Levy once commented. “I can’t answer that question because I love them all! But I can answer a related question, which is what I hope my writing does, at least in some small way, for readers of different ages. Let’s take the question one group at a time: Small, Medium, and Large.
“Small: For the youngest children, I hope to excite them about words, language, stories, and reading.
“Medium: For the middle group, I hope to do what I try to do for the ‘Small’ group, plus give them reasons to engage in the important practice of immersion in books. Why? Because reading books involves sustained periods of thought and interpretation of another person’s point of view, and these are very good and important abilities.
“Large: For the young adults, I hope to take them outside of themselves, an exercise that can also lead them back to themselves, with new perspective. I want to be honest about the world without being oppressive. And—I still hope to excite them about words, language, stories, and reading.”
Later Books
(open new)In Imperfect Spiral, lonely babysitter Danielle enjoys looking after five-year-old Humphrey over the summer. When Humphrey is killed in a hit-and-run accident by an undocumented migrant, Danielle is pulled into the politics of legal migration while trying to cope with the boy’s death. Even a seeming offer of help from friend Justin comes with strings attached. Writing in Horn Book, Katie Bircher reasoned that “this story of love and loss is deepened by the protagonist’s inspiring development.”
With We Shall Overcome, Levy explores how the titular song has developed from a slavery-era song to a labor protest and civil rights song. The song even took on its own meanings in countries around the world. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews described the book as being “a slice of musical Americana celebrating community protest against injustice.”
In the true story Dozer’s Run: A True Story of a Dog and His Race, Levy and coauthor Rosana Panza chronicle goldendoodle Dozer’s experience after running away from home. He ends up running the Maryland Half Marathon and generating a great deal of media attention that raised thousands of dollars for cancer research. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews suggested that “owners of goldendoodles, Maryland residents, and families with runners will find this story touching.”
With I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, Levy highlights the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The book focuses largely on the challenges she faced in life as a Jewish woman and how her dissenting to then-societal norms led to an amazing career. Booklist contributor Sarah Hunter concluded that “this lively, inviting, and informative biography of a historic woman will empower young ones to bravely voice their opinions.”
In Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War, Levy focuses on the way the song “Home Sweet Home” brought together soldiers on both sides of the conflict during the American Civil War. Levy also looks at the other songs and music that helped each respective side motivated and keep their spirits up. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews found it to be “a moving tale of ordinary soldiers in a great conflict who find solace in music.”
Levy and Jo Ann Boyce coauthored the memoir This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality. The account relates Boyce’s life as one of the twelve African-American girls who was integrated in 1956 into a formerly all-White school in Clinton, Tennessee. Reviewing This Promise of Change in Horn Book, Jonda C. McNair insisted that it would make for a “fine addition to texts about the integration of public schools during the civil rights era in the United States.”
With Yiddish Saves the Day, a student uses his family’s Yiddish vocabulary to create a list of words showing spirit for a school project. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews opined that the book is “old-fashioned nostalgia.” The same reviewer also said that it would be “a natural for grandparents who would like to share their Yiddish with their kinder.”
In The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music, the life of musician Flory Jagoda is explored, showing how her immigrant experience of leaving Bosnia during World War II led to the preservation of Ladino and Sephardic songs. These songs represented the migratory experience that her descendants faced in the sixteenth century when they fled the Spanish Inquisition. A contributor to Kirkus Reviews said that “lovely mixed-media illustrations limn several scenes across the centuries, adding perspective to an element of Sephardic culture that is mostly unknown” among American Jewish communities. The same reviewer called it “inspirational.”
With Becoming RBG, Levy centers on the traits of clarity, perseverance, intelligence, and determination to explain the professional and personal successes of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg. A Kirkus Reviews contributor noted that the illustrations “are friendly, easy to follow, expressive, and engaging, though at times text-box placement is awkward.” The same reviewer called the book “enlightening, inspiring, and empowering.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, February 1, 2000, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Civil Liberties, p. 1013; February 1, 2002, Roger Leslie, review of Bigotry, p. 933; December 1, 2005, Hazel Rochman, review of The World Trade Center, p. 59; December 1, 2007, Hazel Rochman, review of Richard Wright: A Biography, p. 33; February 15, 2010, Kay Weisman, review of The Year of Goodbyes: A True Story of Friendship, Family, and Farewells, p. 75; March 1, 2010, Hazel Rochman, review of Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight and Other Funny Bedtime Poems, p. 75; May 1, 2014, Kathleen McBroom, review of Dozer’s Run: A True Story of a Dog and His Race, p. 38; July 1, 2019, Kay Weisman, review of The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music, p. 60; June 1, 2016, Sarah Hunter, review of I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark, p. 100.
Horn Book, June 1, 2017, Betty Carter, review of Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War, p. 116; September 1, 2013, review of Imperfect Spiral, p. 103; January 1, 2019, Jonda C. McNair, review of This Promise of Change: One Girl’s Story in the Fight for School Equality, p. 111.
Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 2010, review of The Year of Goodbyes; May 15, 2013, review of Imperfect Spiral; November 1, 2013, review of We Shall Overcome; May 1, 2014, review of Dozer’s Run; June 1, 2016, review of I Dissent; January 15, 2017, review of Soldier Song; June 1, 2019, reviews of Yiddish Saves the Day and The Key from Spain; September 15, 2019, review of Becoming RBG.
Publishers Weekly, January 25, 2010, review of The Year of Goodbyes, p. 119; February 8, 2010, review of Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight and Other Funny Bedtime Poems, p. 48; October 14, 2013, review of We Shall Overcome, p. 61; November 27, 2019, review of This Promise of Change, p. 94.
School Library Journal, April 1, 2001, Mary R. Hofmann, review of Medical Ethics, p. 163; February 1, 2003, William McLoughlin, review of Lyndon B. Johnson, p. 162; April 1, 2005, Anne Chapman Callaghan, review of The Berlin Wall, p. 155; December 1, 2007, Carol Jones Collins, review of Richard Wright, p. 154; January 1, 2008, Karen Scott, review of The Signing of the Magna Carta, p. 140; April 1, 2008, Laura Lutz, review of Underwater, p. 144; April 1, 2010, Julie Roach, review of Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight and Other Funny Bedtime Poems, p. 147; May 1, 2010, Jennifer Schultz, review of The Year of Goodbyes, p. 118.
Teacher Librarian, June 1, 2010, Julie Prince, “Lawyer, Journalist, Spinmeister? An Interview with Debbie Levy,” p. 68.
Washington Post, November 8, 1998, Debbie Levy, “Last Train Out: A 60-year-old Diary Says Nothing of the Terror, but Its Message Is Crystal Clear.”
Washington Post Magazine, January 16, 2011, Kris Coronado, “Whatever Happened to … the Woman Who Kept a Diary in Nazi Germany?”
ONLINE
Debbie Levy website, http://www.debbielevybooks.com (April 15, 2020).
I write books—fiction, nonfiction, and poetry—for people of all different ages, and especially for young people. Before starting my writing career, I was a newspaper editor with American Lawyer Media and Legal Times; before that, I was a lawyer with the Washington, D.C. law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now called WilmerHale). I have a bachelor’s degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and a law degree and master’s degree in world politics from the University of Michigan. I live in Maryland with my husband, Rick Hoffman. We have two grown sons. Besides writing, I love to kayak, boat, and fish in the Chesapeake Bay region, swim, bowl duckpins, and tramp around the woods. And, of course, I love to read.
Bio: http://debbielevybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Debbie-Levy-bios-2020.pdf
Some other things about me
When I was seven years old I wrote a bunch of books. Like these:
My mother and I sent one off to the Scholastic Book Club. I kept waiting for my book to show up for sale in the monthly book club flyers we got at school—this is how the publishing business works, isn’t it?—but it did not. I never saw that book, Little Red Train, again. Despite my disappointment, this was a good experience, because. . .
By the time my first book was published in 1997, I had received 199 rejections from publishers. (In my defense, they were not all rejections of the same book.) Sure, I cried about some, but that Little Red Train letdown had toughened me up. It also made me think that maybe I should find another occupation, so. . .
In between rejections, I went to law school. There, I met my husband. We both really liked law school, which some people find preposterous, but think about it: Reading. Writing. Thinking. Repeat. What’s not to like? Plus, we were in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which meant: Pizza Bob’s milkshakes. Fragels. (Do you not know what this is? Look it up.) The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. What more could a person want? Well, maybe. . .
Fish. So in between rejections and lawyering and marrying my husband, I went snorkeling for the first time. Oh, happy day!
What more could a person want? Well, maybe. . .
Kids. So we had kids. Two boys, to be specific. And what do you do when you have children? You read books with them. And you make up stories for them. Sometimes the stories have to feature a boy named Alex who becomes a knight in shining armor who saves the day so many times you never want to think about knights again. Sometimes the stories have to be about a boy named Ben who is the younger brother of Alex the knight, and who also needs to save the day once in a while, because it’s only fair. All of this saving-of-the-day got exhausting at times, but it was a good thing, because. . .
It made me realize that I wanted to dedicate my working time to writing books, although not necessarily knight-in-shining-armor books. And so I did. And so by now I’ve had twenty-something books published. What more could a person want?
Deborah Levy
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For the New Zealand business academic, see Deborah Susan Levy.
Deborah Levy
Born Deborah Levy
6 August 1959 (age 60)
Johannesburg, South Africa
Nationality British
Occupation Author, playwright, poet
Notable work
Swimming Home
Deborah Levy FRSL (born 6 August 1959) is a British novelist, playwright and poet. She initially concentrated on writing for the theatre – her plays were staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company – before focusing on prose fiction. Her early novels included Beautiful Mutants, Swallowing Geography and Billy & Girl. Her more recent fiction has included the Booker-shortlisted novels Swimming Home[1] and Hot Milk, as well as the Booker-longlisted The Man Who Saw Everything and the short story collection Black Vodka.
Contents
1 Early life and education
2 Work
2.1 Theatre
2.2 Poetry
2.3 Fiction
2.4 Autobiographies
2.5 Style and themes
2.6 Academic
3 Personal life
4 Awards and honours
5 Bibliography
6 References
7 External links
Early life and education
Levy was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, the granddaughter of Lithuanian immigrants.[2] Her father, Norman Levy, was a member of the African National Congress[3] and an academic and historian. Her mother was Philippa (née Murrell). The family emigrated to London in 1968, initially living in Wembley before moving to Petts Wood. Her parents divorced in 1974.[4]
She was educated at St Saviour’s and St Olave’s School, Southwark, and then at Hampstead School.[5] She then trained at Dartington College of Arts, which she was inspired to attend by Derek Jarman, whom she met while working as an usher at Notting Hill's Gate Cinema.[6]
Work
Theatre
After leaving Dartington in 1981, Levy wrote a number of plays, including Pax, Heresies for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and others (Clam, The B File, Pushing the Prince into Denmark, Macbeth – False Memories, and Honey, Baby) which are published in Levy: Plays 1 (Methuen).[7]
She was director and writer for Man Act Theatre Company, a radical group that operated under the umbrella of Cardiff Laboratory Theatre, based at Chapter Arts Centre.[8]
Poetry
Levy's major work as a poet is An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell (1990), which takes the form of a conversation between an angel and an accountant. It considers the struggle between, on the one hand, spontaneity and ambition, and, on the other, logic and contentment.
Fiction
Levy published a collection of short stories, Ophelia and the Great Idea, in 1985. Her first novel, Beautiful Mutants, was published in 1987 by Jonathan Cape. Her second novel, Swallowing Geography, was published in 1993, also by Cape, and her third, Billy and Girl, was published in 1996 by Bloomsbury. Her short story "Proletarian Zen" was published in PEN New Fiction in 1985 by PEN International and Quartet Books.
Swimming Home (And Other Stories, 2011) was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2012[9] among other awards. Levy published a short story collection, Black Vodka (And Other Stories, 2013), which cemented her reputation as "one of the most exciting voices in contemporary British fiction."[10] Her novel Hot Milk was published in 2016 and was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016.[11]
One of Levy's short stories, "Stardust Nation", was adapted as a graphic novel by Andrzej Klimowski, emeritus professor at the Royal College of Art, and published by SelfMadeHero in 2016.[12]
In 2019 her novel The Man Who Saw Everything was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Autobiographies
Levy's first volume of autobiography, Things I Don't Want to Know, was written in response to George Orwell's essay "Why I Write" and was published in 2013. In 2018 she published a second, The Cost of Living. She has described them as "living" autobiographies, since they are "hopefully not being written at the end, with hindsight, but in the storm of life".[13]
Style and themes
Writing in the London Review of Books in 2016, Alice Spawls commented on several unconventional characteristics of Levy's writing: she "doesn't like stable narrators", has a "preference for shifting perspectives – she especially likes looking at one character through another", and "is interested in women who don’t have homes and aren’t sure where to look for them" ("women who like to dissect things, who reassure themselves with cataloguing and calculating, as though people and feelings could be contained by indices"). Spawls noted that Levy's stories "almost always begin with a failure of language", explaining that Levy "has said that she’s not interested in the most articulate person in the room, and that her work is informed by the theatre director Zofia Kalinska’s statement: ‘We always hesitate when we wish for something. In my theatre, I like to show the hesitation and not to conceal it. A hesitation is not the same as a pause. It is an attempt to defeat the wish.’"[14]
Leo Robson, reviewing The Man Who Saw Everything in the New Statesman, provided this overview: "Levy’s project as a writer is itself about effacing borders – between the novel of ideas and the novel of sentiment, be-tween the schematic and the fluent, the inevitable and the accidental, the cerebral and immersive, the sensuous (or somatic) and cerebral, the parochial and otherworldly, metaphor and literalism. If this sounds vague, it should."[15]
Academic
Levy was a Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge from 1989 to 1991. From 2006 to 2009 she was AHRB Fellow in Creative and Performing Arts at the Royal College of Art. She was a visiting professor at Falmouth School of Art, Falmouth University, from 2013 to 2015, and from 2018 to 2019 was a fellow of Columbia University's Institute for Ideas and Imagination.[16]
Personal life
Levy married David Gale, a playwright, in 1997. The couple, who have two daughters, are now divorced.[17]
Awards and honours
2001 Lannan Literary Fellowship, and 2004 Residency, Marfa[18]
2012 Specsavers National Book Awards, UK Author of the Year prize shortlist for Swimming Home[19]
2012 Man Booker Prize shortlist for Swimming Home and Other Stories[9]
2012 BBC International Short Story Award shortlist for "Black Vodka"[20]
2013 Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize shortlist for Swimming Home[21]
2013 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award shortlist for Black Vodka[22]
2016 Man Booker Prize shortlist for Hot Milk[11]
2017 Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature[23]
2019 Booker Prize longlist for The Man Who Saw Everything[24]
The Guardian ranked The Cost of Living #84 in its list of 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.[25]
Bibliography
Novels
Beautiful Mutants. Viking. 1989. ISBN 978-0-670-82892-0.
Swallowing Geography. Jonathan Cape. 1993. ISBN 978-0-224-02729-8.
The Unloved. Jonathan Cape. 1994. ISBN 978-0-224-03038-0.
Diary of a Steak. Book Works. 1997. ISBN 978-1-870699-29-7.
Billy & Girl. Dalkey Archive Press. 1999. ISBN 978-1-56478-202-1.
Swimming Home. And Other Stories. 2011. ISBN 978-1-908276-02-5.
Hot Milk. Hamish Hamilton. 2016. ISBN 978-0-241-14654-5.
The Man Who Saw Everything. Hamish Hamilton. 2019. ISBN 9780241268025.
Short story collections
Ophelia and The Great Idea. Jonathan Cape. 1989. ISBN 978-0-224-02596-6.
Pillow Talk In Europe And Other Places. Dalkey Archive Press. 2004. ISBN 978-1-56478-333-2.
Black Vodka, London: And Other Stories, 2013. ISBN 978-1-908276-16-2
Non-fiction
Things I Don't Want to Know. Penguin. 2014. ISBN 978-0241146569.
The Cost of Living: A Working Autobiography. Bloomsbury Publishing. 2018. ISBN 978-1635571912.
Poetry
Deborah Levy, Andrzej Borkowski (1990). An Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs of Hell. Cape. ISBN 978-0-224-02653-6.
Radio Plays
Unless, Carol Shields, BBC Radio 4
Chance Acquaintances, Colette, BBC Radio 4
Freud: The Case Histories, BBC Radio 4
Plays
Pax, 1984
Clam, 1985
Heresies, 1986
Our Lady, 1986
Eva And Moses, 1987
Heresies & Eva and Moses: two plays. Methuen. 1987. ISBN 978-0-413-17170-2.
Amorous Discourse in the Suburbs Of Hell, 1991
The B File, 1992
Blood Wedding, 1992
Call Blue Jane, 1992
Walks On Water, 1992
Shiny Nylon, 1994
Macbeth – False Memory, 2000
Plays 1. Methuen. 2000. ISBN 978-0-413-75490-5.
Dream Mamma
Honey Baby
Ophelia And The Great Idea
Pushing The Prince Into Denmark
I write books -- nonfiction, fiction, and poetry -- for people of all different ages, and especially for young people. Before starting my writing career, I was a newspaper editor; before that, I was a lawyer with a Washington, D.C. law firm. I have a bachelor's degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, and a law degree and master's degree in world politics from the University of Michigan. I live in Maryland with my husband. We have two grown sons. Besides writing, I love to kayak, boat, fish, and otherwise mess around in the Chesapeake Bay region.
Debbie Levy is the award-winning author of many books of nonfiction and fiction, including the New York Times bestseller I Dissent, This Promise of Change, The Year of Goodbyes, and the young adult novel Imperfect Spiral. She lives in Maryland with her husband. They have two grown sons.
This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality
Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy. Bloomsbury, $17.99 (320p) ISBN 978-1-68119-852-1
Boyce, one of 12 black students who integrated Clinton, Tennessee's public high school in August 1956, following racial desegregation, relays the story of that harrowing experience in verse. Levy (I Dissent) notes that poetry is a particularly appropriate choice, given the "musicality" of her coauthor's voice, which is also insightful, immediate, and passionate. Recognizing the duplicity of the court-ordered integration, Boyce writes: "We're in, yes./ But it's more complicated, than that./ Or, looked at another way--it's simpler..../ You can't stay after school,/ when the fun stuff is whites-only./ Glee club, football, cheer-leading?/ No, no, and no./ Simple. That's the complication." Boyce poignantly describes the cruelty of white students, as "the little shoves" become "the shove that almost knocks Gail Ann out the window... From the little slights/ come the larger evils,/ and they feel/ monstrous." While she acknowledges that it's difficult "to change a promise of change/into real change," Boyce never loses hope in the belief that racial equality is attainable and that she can help make it happen. Though her parents (fearing for their safety) moved the family to California in December 1956, and Boyce left Clinton, readers will appreciate that she did make a difference by standing up for her beliefs with resolve and persistence, attributes that shine through in this lyrical yet hard-hitting account of a pivotal chapter in the history of desegregation. Ages 8-12.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 8th Edition APA 6th Edition Chicago 17th Edition
"This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality." Publishers Weekly, vol. 266, no. 48, 27 Nov. 2019, p. 94+. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A607823464/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=7d146362. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie BECOMING RBG Simon & Schuster (Children's Informational) $19.99 11, 5 ISBN: 978-1-5344-2456-2
Levy expands upon I Dissent (2016), her picture-book biography of the Supreme Court justice and cultural icon, in this graphic biography.
Octogenarian Ruth Bader Ginsburg is widely renowned for her intelligence, clarity, perseverance, and determination to move the needle of the American judicial system toward tangible justice and equity. With clear, effortless text conveyed in narrative boxes and speech bubbles, author Levy shows readers that these traits have been core tenets of Justice Ginsburg's life since childhood. The evenly paced narrative provides an overview of Ginsburg's life from her birth through her appointment on the Supreme Court, showing how her relationships with family members and her (delightfully unconventional) husband and the discrimination she faced as a woman and a Jew affected the arc of her life and career. Levy seamlessly provides historical context for this discrimination and the discrimination of other marginalized people Ginsburg worked with, and she neatly breaks down some of Ginsburg's key legal cases to make them accessible. A detailed prose epilogue charts Ginsburg's time on the Supreme Court, the personal and professional challenges she has faced since her appointment, and the cultural impact she continues to have. Gardner's two-tone illustrations (a patriotic deep blue with red-pink highlights and ample use of white space) are friendly, easy to follow, expressive, and engaging, though at times text-box placement is awkward, and the use of type is unexceptional. Backmatter includes a timeline, a select bibliography, and endnotes with quotation sources.
Enlightening, inspiring, and empowering. (Graphic biography. 10-adult)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 8th Edition APA 6th Edition Chicago 17th Edition
"Levy, Debbie: BECOMING RBG." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2019. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599964367/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=13aac7a6. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie THE KEY FROM SPAIN Kar-Ben (Children's Informational) $17.99 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-5415-2218-3
Immigrant musician Flory Jagoda preserved a repertoire of Ladino and Sephardic songs learned from her Bosnian Jewish family.
A descendant of the Altaras family forced to leave Spain during the Inquisition, Flory and her family must now escape from the Balkans during World War II. Crucial to the story of the Altaras' 16th-century exodus are the two symbols of their heritage: a key for their original home in Spain and Ladino, the traditional language of Spanish Jews. In the 20th century, Flory's childhood is filled with the stories Nona tells about their ancestors and the music played and sung in Ladino by her talented family. Living in peace and harmony among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, their happy life is threatened as the perils of World War II approach. Fortunate to escape the death the rest of her family suffers, Flory eventually sails to the U.S. without the important key but with her own three significant symbols: her accordion, her Ladino, and her music. Levy gently weaves the history of the Sephardim into the story of Flory's specific Balkan Jewish life, also blending in some italicized Ladino phrases and words (rendering "grandfather" as "Nonu" rather than the traditional "Nono"). Lovely mixed-media illustrations limn several scenes across the centuries, adding perspective to an element of Sephardic culture that is mostly unknown today in American Jewish circles.
Based on a true story, an inspirational reclamation of history. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 8th Edition APA 6th Edition Chicago 17th Edition
"Levy, Debbie: THE KEY FROM SPAIN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A587054408/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=f12dcdb8. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music.
By Debbie Levy, illus. by Sonja Wimmer.
Aug. 2019.32p. Lerner/Kar Ben, $17.99 (9781541522183); paper, $7.99 (9781541522190). K-Gr. 3.780.92.
When the Altaras family leaves Spain following the Inquisition, they carry a key to their old house and Ladino, the spoken language of Sephardic Jews. In 1923, a girl named Flory is born into the Altaras family in Bosnia. She loves Ladino, music, and the harmoniku (accordion) given to her by her nona. In 1941, Flory must flee the Nazis, and playing music keeps her from being unmasked as a Jew. Later, she immigrates to America as a war bride, sharing music and Ladino with all. Levy's succinct text conveys the highlights of Jagoda's life as well as her love of the folk music that is central to Ladino culture. Wimmer's artwork utilizes maps, dates, and other imagery to convey a sense of the many time periods and places depicted. She also works Ladino words and phrases into her art, using strategic placement to ensure readers will grasp the meanings. With further information about Jagoda and links to her performances, this is a worthy (though fictionalized) homage to a language and its fervent promoter. --Kay Weisman
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 American Library Association
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Weisman, Kay. "The Key from Spain: Flory Jagoda and Her Music." Booklist, vol. 115, no. 21, 1 July 2019, p. 60. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A595705154/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=34d0544d. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie YIDDISH SAVES THE DAY Apples & Honey Press (Children's Fiction) $17.95 8, 1 ISBN: 978-1-68115-544-9
Toss some Yiddish words into your everyday conversation and all will be well.
In singsong rhyming couplets, the author encourages readers not to fret ("Oy vey!") over everyday "tsuris," because a sampling of Yiddish words will bring "mazel." The protagonist's teacher has asked the "kinder" to compile a list of words "that show spirit," and the child is distressed at having lost the notebook with the words to study. The whole "mishpocha"--parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.--reassures him as they "schmooze." Over dinner that evening with the mishpocha, the child eats like a "chazzer," piling the plate with a "knaidel," a "kugel," and a "knish"--to the point of "plotzing." "Feh!" The child's tummy may be in bad shape, but the resultant list of words is long--"like jewels in a vault!" Happiness is achieved! The Yiddish words incorporated into the verse are capitalized in boldface type, and at the bottom of the page a decorative box provides an English pronunciation and a translation. Borlasca's illustrations, using digital tools, pencil, and acrylic paint, depict an early-20th-century urban setting and family, all of whom are round-faced and white.
Old-fashioned nostalgia--a natural for grandparents who would like to share their Yiddish with their kinder. (note for families) (Picture book. 3-5)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: YIDDISH SAVES THE DAY." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2019. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A587054411/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=9234163f. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality
by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy
Intermediate, Middle School Bloomsbury 311 pp. g
1/19 978-1-68119-852-1 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-1-68119-853-8 $12.59
In 1956 in the small town of Clinton, Tennessee, twelve African American students integrated the all-white high school. Jo Ann Allen Boyce, one of the "Clinton 12," narrates this first-person account. She lives with her family up on the Hill, a part of the city that was settled by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. Jo Ann and her family are active in their church, and her knowledge of religious songs and biblical history is threaded throughout the memoir. The book consists of free-verse passages that often include rhyme and employ various forms such as pantoum and villanelle. (One haiku titled "And Then There Are the Thumbtacks" reads: "Scattered on our chairs / A prank straight out of cartoons / They think we don't look?") Boyce's character evolves throughout the book. Though not naive about racism early on, she later fully experiences the weight of white supremacy. Even her white neighbors on the Hill turn on her family members once they are perceived as stepping "out of their place." Newspaper headlines and clips, excerpts from the Constitution, and examples of artifacts such as signs held by protesters ("We Won't Go to School with Negroes") are interspersed throughout. This fine addition to texts about the integration of public schools during the civil rights era in the United States concludes with an epilogue, biographical information about the Clinton 12, a scrapbook of photographs, source notes, and a timeline.
g indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the suggested retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Grade levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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McNair, Jonda C. "This Promise of Change: One Girl's Story in the Fight for School Equality." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 95, no. 1, Jan.-Feb. 2019, p. 111+. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A569042414/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=1a255747. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War
by Debbie Levy; illus. by Gilbert Ford
Primary, Intermediate Disney-Hyperion 80 pp. 2/17 978-1-4847-2598-6 $18.99
In December 1862, Union and Confederate forces made winter camp near Fredericksburg, Virginia. Levy describes their shared situations: "All suffered the same cold and muck, bad food and sickness. All longed for an end to the fighting." Without active combat, the soldiers occupied themselves in a number of ways, including writing letters and making music, two pastimes highlighted here. Strains of songs, illustrated as vibrant orange tendrils passing between the somber shades of each camp, show that no matter one's allegiance, the tunes that mark a soldier's day remain the same. Excerpts of letters, alternating between those from Confederate and Union soldiers, reveal parallel hopes and fears. And the beloved song "Home Sweet Home," sung at Christmastime by soldiers on both sides but discouraged by officers, epitomizes that connection. Mixed-media collages layered on each page visually reinforce the theme: there can be overlapping commonalities even among enemies in war. Extensive back matter, including an expanded historical narrative that touches a bit more on slavery and the reasons for the war (underdeveloped in the main text); the music and history of "Home Sweet Home"; websites to hear other songs mentioned in the text; a timeline; and a bibliography complete the book. Pair with John Hendrix's Shooting at the Stars (rev. 11/14) or Jim Murphy's Truce (rev. 11/09) as a reminder that while war may be universal, so can be the elements that unite us. BETTY CARTER
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Carter, Betty. "Soldier Song: A True Story of the Civil War." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 93, no. 3, May-June 2017, p. 116+. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A492995648/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=c7ec51d8. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie SOLDIER SONG Disney-Hyperion (Children's Picture Books) $18.99 2, 7 ISBN: 978-1-4847-2598-6
One song was embraced by both sides of the very bloody conflict: "Home Sweet Home."In December 1862, Union troops fought Confederate troops along the Rappahannock River in Virginia at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Levy's narrative of the fighting is brief but detailed; she focuses her attention on the young combatants who faced harsh winter conditions in camp and who wrote letters home and sang spirited war songs to cheer their efforts. On both sides, their days were filled with music: music for waking up, music for eating, and music for cleaning up. "Dixie," sung by the South, was answered by "Yankee Doodle," sung by the North. But Christmas was coming, and one song, which originated in an opera, was soon voiced by both sides: "Home Sweet Home." The message of the song--longing for home and family--was poignant; still, the fighting soon resumed. Excerpts from letters as well as verses and musical notations from the songs intersperse the pages and reinforce the humanity that could be present on the battlefield. The softly textured illustrations in blue and orange provide views of the fighting, the soldiers, and the encampments, Ford's lines giving everything a homespun feel. A moving tale of ordinary soldiers in a great conflict who find solace in music. (notes on the war, the battle, the song, Civil War timeline, bibliography, quotation sources) (Informational picture book. 9-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: SOLDIER SONG." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A477242463/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=0993bf57. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark. By Debbie Levy. Illus. by Elizabeth Baddeley. Sept. 2016.40p. Simon & Schuster, $17.99 (9781481465595). 347.73. Gr. 1-3.
As a child in Brooklyn, Ruth learned the importance of a powerful dissent. Her mother objected to the notion that girls shouldn't get an education. Ruth objected to the discrimination facing her Jewish family. In school, she objected to having to take sewing and cooking classes (but still had to), and in college, she objected to the notion that, as a woman, she couldn't pursue a law career. Dissent is the through line woven into this picture-book biography of Justice Ginsburg, and it's a tidy way to demonstrate how her fearless objections to the unfair status quo not only led the way to her career as a Supreme Court justice but also contributed to dismantling many of those discriminatory laws that prevented equal treatment. Baddeley's dynamic illustrations in a rich palette highlight each moment of dissension, with an artful I dissent written in arcing calligraphy and Ginsburg's determined expression facing down each looming opposition. Baddeley and Levy don't just emphasize the importance of mere disagreement, however; using her friendship with Antonin Scalia as an example (coupled with a charming illustration of them parasailing together), they demonstrate how disagreement can lead to meaningful discussion and doesn't have to be personal. This lively, inviting, and informative biography of a historic woman will empower young ones to bravely voice their opinions.--Sarah Hunter
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
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Hunter, Sarah. "I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark." Booklist, vol. 112, no. 19-20, 1 June 2016, p. 100. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A456094296/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=54dbb127. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie I DISSENT Simon & Schuster (Children's Picture Books) $17.99 9, 20 ISBN: 978-1-4814-6559-5
Speak purposefully and carry a big legal pad.Ruth Bader Ginsburg's 1940s Brooklyn neighborhood was filled with the traditional sights and aromas of many different immigrant cultures alongside her Jewish background, but in one respect her life was different. Her mother believed women should pursue opportunities outside the traditional ones. Ruth read voraciously in her neighborhood library, but it was on car trips with her family that she was exposed to racial and religious prejudices, effectively communicated with signage in the illustrations. Rebelling against writing with her right hand, the left-handed Ruth went on to earn a law degree--rare for women at that time--and teach law. She made it her mission to fight in the courts for equal rights for women and people of color. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Supreme Court, the first Jewish woman to sit. In her many opinions, she "sings out for equality." Levy's breezy text highlights Ginsburg's childhood, schooling, family (with a husband as the cook), and career. Baddeley's mixed-media art is colorful, lively, and retro in feel. The judicious use of large and varied display types throughout the pages emphasizes Ginsburg's thoughts and actions, often evoking picket signs of protest. Read this and be inspired to work for justice through the legal system. (author's note, photographs, notes on Supreme Court cases, bibliography, quotation sources) (Picture book/biography. 7-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: I DISSENT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2016. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A454177109/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=4c74b07e. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie DOZER'S RUN Sleeping Bear Press (Children's Picture Books) $16.99 5, 1 ISBN: 978-1-58536-896-9
In this true story, a goldendoodle named Dozer runs away from home and then runs a half marathon, becoming a celebrated canine mascot and fundraiser for cancer in the process.Dozer is outside in his own rural yard in Highland, Md., when runners from the Maryland Half Marathon begin running by. The spunky dog joins the group of 2,000 runners, continuing on for almost the entire 13-mile race. His family has no idea he left to join the race, and he is gone for 24 hours before finally limping home. Within a few days, race officials track him down and present Dozer with a marathon medal. An author's note explains that Dozer was filmed crossing the finish line with the other runners, leading to hundreds of pledges in his name that raised $25,000 for a cancer center in Maryland. The text of the story is rather wordy but also amusing, with emphasis on all the smells that entice Dozer along on his run. Soft-focus illustrations add humor with anthropomorphic expressions on Dozer's face and realistic views of marathon runners in action. The intriguing nature of Dozer's celebrity and effectiveness as a fundraiser for the cancer center is conveyed through the author's note rather than through the story and illustrations, but Dozer is a charmer nonetheless.Owners of goldendoodles, Maryland residents and families with runners will find this story touching. (Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: DOZER'S RUN." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2014. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A366617354/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=ad33bf9b. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Dozer's Run: A True Story of a Dog and His Race. By Debbie Levy and Rosana Panza. Illus. by David Opie. May 2014. 32p. Sleeping Bear, $16.99 (9781585368969). 636.7. K-Gr. 2.
This is the true story of Dozer, a three-year-old goldendoodle who became a local celebrity when he spontaneously started running alongside participants in a half-marathon fund-raiser for cancer research. Levy and Panza write from Dozer's perspective and remains true to canine sensibilities, with an emphasis on interesting smells, curious strangers, and the pure fun of chasing, racing, and playing tag. Throughout, the author avoids attributing altruistic intentions to the dog's actions, and the result is in an engaging, believable tale that will resonate with young readers and listeners. The mostly full-page, mixed-media illustrations nicely mirror and extend the progressive action in the words. With obvious appeal to animal lovers, this could also be used to start conversations about empathy and community activism. Similar in tone to Alexandra Day's Carl series of wordless picture books, this tribute celebrates dogs at their best and could be used as a bridge to independent nonfiction reading selections, such as Donna Jackson's Hero Dogs: Courageous Canines in Action (2003).--Kathleen McBroom
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 American Library Association
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McBroom, Kathleen. "Dozer's Run: A True Story of a Dog and His Race." Booklist, vol. 110, no. 18, 15 May 2014, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A371841598/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=71ebee17. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie WE SHALL OVERCOME Disney/Jump at the Sun (Children's Picture Books) $16.99 12, 17 ISBN: 978-1-4231-1954-8
An inviting introduction to a spirited and spiritual anthem. Levy traces the evolution of this iconic song from its beginnings as black church music during slavery through its emergence as a labor protest song in the 1940s to its stirring place of pride in the civil rights movement at lunch counters, on picket lines and at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington. President Lyndon Johnson invoked its words prior to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. So powerful were the music and words that they later traveled to East Germany, South Africa, India and Czechoslovakia. It is still being sung today, as it was on the day that Barak Obama was elected. The free-verse text is informative and engaging. Equally effective is the mixed-media and collage design from Brantley-Newton, which depicts men, women and children holding hands and raising their many voices as one. Their multihued faces and colorful attire stand out against a white background decorated with soft, marbled swirls of color. Verses of the song, presented in bold type, provide visual appeal and should encourage children to listen to the many recordings available and sing along. A slice of musical Americana celebrating community protest against injustice. (timeline, sources, recommended Web recordings, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: WE SHALL OVERCOME." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2013. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A347270987/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=420c6c05. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song
Debbie Levy, illus, by Vanessa Brantley-Newton.
Disney-Jump at the Sun, $16.99
(32p) ISBN 978-1-4231-1954-8
The power of song to bolster courage, combat bigotry, and effect change courses through this dramatization of the civil rights movement. The lyrics to several variations of "We Shall Overcome" serve as a backdrop to Levy's fluid free verse, which opens "Back in slavery times" as slaves sang "to soothe the hurt, to fight the cruelty." Levy (The Year of Goodbyes) moves quickly through the Civil War to the mid-20th century, when African-Americans began protesting "unfairness, hate, and violence," and "brought a church song, 'I Will Overcome,' to the streets." ("We" soon replaced "I.") The Freedom Singers' national tour, the 1963 March on Washington, and President Johnson's televised 1965 speech evoking the song's message and words are among the pivotal events mentioned. Brantley-Newton (Let Freedom Sing) counterbalances the stark inequalities Levy highlights with brightly colored collagelike images that portray Americans of all colors standing and singing together. A timeline follows the evolution of "We Shall Overcome," citing its role in specific protests, to close out this enlightening and inspiring book. Ages 5-up. Author's agent: Caryn Wiseman. Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: Lori Nowicki. Painted Words. (Dec.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 PWxyz, LLC
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"We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song." Publishers Weekly, vol. 260, no. 41, 14 Oct. 2013, p. 61. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A349606767/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=a377e8a3. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Imperfect Spiral
by Debbie Levy
Middle School, High School Walker 343 pp.
7/13 978-0-8027-3441-9 $17.99
e-book ed. 978-0-8027-3442-6 $17.99
Danielle's summer job babysitting five-year-old Humphrey is more fun than it is work. Both lonely in their own families, babysitter and "babysittee" (as Humphrey calls himself) quickly develop a closeness more akin to that between siblings. When Humphrey is killed in a hit-and-run accident--on Danielle's watch--and the driver is found to be an undocumented immigrant without a valid license, Danielle gets dragged into the center of fierce debates about public safety measures and illegal immigration. Danielle is disconcerted by the tumult and by the surprising intensity of her grief and guilt. And although her Washington, DC, suburb is buzzing about "The Tragedy," no one seems to want to talk about Humphrey himself. Supportive new friend Justin helps Danielle cope, but it seems even he has an agenda. Danielle's first-person, present-tense narration alternates with flashbacks of her days with Humphrey, emphasizing both the messiness of the accident's aftermath and the vividness of her happy memories. This story of love and loss is deepened by the protagonist's inspiring development from someone afraid of conflict on any scale into someone who--acting as an advocate for the little boy who was killed--can stand up for what she believes is right despite pressure from an entire community.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 The Horn Book, Inc.. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
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Bircher, Katie. "Imperfect Spiral." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 89, no. 5, Sept.-Oct. 2013, p. 103. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A345774201/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=30bdd92b. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.
Levy, Debbie IMPERFECT SPIRAL Walker (Children's Fiction) $17.99 7, 16 ISBN: 978-0-8027-3441-9
The accidental death of a young child touches the lives of others in ways they never expected. When 5-year-old Humphrey dies while in the charge of his 15-year-old baby sitter, Danielle, she wants nothing more than to quietly mourn the loss. However, when the police discover that the driver of the car that struck Humphrey is an illegal alien, Danielle quickly realizes that there are those who would use the tragedy to forward their own agendas. City politics and an immigration debate soon dwarf Humphrey's death. Only Justin, a new friend, seems to understand her desire to honor the little boy's memory. But Justin bears a secret that threatens to change everything. Chapters highlighting Danielle's memories of her precocious charge are interspersed with those cataloging the events following his death. Levy's unflinching look at pain is masterful. The narrative fluidly moves from lighter moments with Humphrey to the darkness of grief, avoiding false sentimentality. Genuine characters, complicated relationships and realistic dialogue will ease readers through the difficult journey. Unfortunately, Danielle and Humphrey's story is overtaken by social commentary. The debate over immigration policies steals the stage, leaching the tale of its emotional impact. This poignant novel loses its way. (Fiction. 12 & up)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Levy, Debbie: IMPERFECT SPIRAL." Kirkus Reviews, 15 May 2013. Gale General OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A329455478/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=25b8ddc5. Accessed 8 Apr. 2020.