Intermediate (ages 9-14)

Material appropriate for intermediate age groups

While Standing On One Foot: Puzzle Stories And Wisdom Tales From The Jewish Tradition

The wit, wisdom, and lore of Jewish tradition is captured in a collection representing thousands of years’ worth of folktales, legends, and literature, with each story containing an entertaining conundrum that young readers can attempt to solve.

Dybbuk: A Version

In this retelling of a Jewish legend, a girl is possessed by the spirit of the man she was destined to, but did not, marry. Sender, the richest man in town, only wants the best for his daughter, Leah. Her husband-to-be must be extremely wealthy. But when Leah and Konin, an orphaned scholar, fall in love, Sender recalls a pact he made long ago with his best friend: If one man had a daughter and the other a son the two would be married. Though Konin is the son of his beloved friend, Sender cannot bear to permit the poor scholar to wed Leah. Konin dies of a broken heart once he hears Leah has been promised to another. Konin has his revenge, though, on Leah’s wedding day when he inhabits her body and refuses to leave.

Going Going

Florrie’s favorite coffee shop, with its open mike night, dreamy candles, and cute waiters … Going? The mysterious little hut selling fresh lemon ice on the west side of town … Going? The boutique featuring clothes you don’t find at the mall, allowing you to look like … an interesting person … Going? Individuality. Originality. Quality. Independence. Opportunity. Going, going, gone. What’s a girl to do?

See the review at WOW Review, Volume 3, Issue 4

In The Days Of Sand And Stars

Take out your time telescope, wipe the dust and cobwebs from its lens, tilt it upwards, and find a twinkling speck of light. Now look behind it … way back, to the days of sand and stars. Here are the Midrash stories of famous women whose names you may know, but whose daily lives and human thoughts have been ignored for far too long. From Eve to Emzera, from Sarah to Rebecca, they are presented here with humor and affection as they face a new and changing world where miracles and customs shape their destiny. Midrash tales are what-if stories built around the grains of information the Bible offers, and author Marlee Pinsker excels as she imbues these legendary women with warmth and spirit.

Time To Love: Stories From The Old Testament

A retelling of six stories from the Old Testament explores the complexity of love–between brothers, friends, man and woman, parents and children, humankind and the Divine–from the perspective of Ruth, Delilah, Reuben, Rachel, Gamiel, and Jonathan.

The Thief and the Beanstalk: A Further Tales Adventure

Everyone knows the story of Jack and the beanstalk. Everyone also knows that Jack’s little adventure made him a very rich man. But what they don’t know is what happened a long time after Jack…. That’s where Nick comes in. Orphaned and desperate, Nick joins a rugged band of thieves in hopes of a warm meal and a little protection. In exchange Nick must help them break into the lavish white castle rumored to belong to an old man named Jack. Legend says it’s full of riches from Jack’s quest up a magical beanstalk decades ago. When Nick’s dangerous mission leads him straight to Jack, he sees a chance to climb the famed beanstalk himself. But what Nick doesn’t know is that things are different from when Jack made his climb. There are new foes at the top now. Ones with cruel weapons and foul plans — plans that could destroy the world as Nick knows it. Will Nick come down the beanstalk a hero? Will he come down at all?

The People Could Fly

Retold Afro-American folktales of animals, fantasy, the supernatural, and desire for freedom, born of the sorrow of the slaves, but passed on in hope.

Red Rider’s Hood

After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a sixteen-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for good.