Starred review from November 6, 2023
Behar (Lucky Broken Girl) delivers a moving tale about four generations of a Sephardic Jewish family navigating cultural and societal upheaval from 1492 to 2003. When the Spanish Inquisition forces 12-year-old Benvenida and her family to flee from Toledo, Spain, the religious refugees settle in what is now Istanbul. In 1923, an act of defiance sees Benvenida’s descendant, 12-year-old Reina, banished by her father from Turkey to Cuba. Subsequent years follow Reina’s daughter Alegra who, in 1961, teaches literacy in the Cuban countryside, until political unrest prompt her to emigrate to Miami. And in 2003, Alegra’s Afro-Cuban daughter Paloma unravels her ancestors’ history during a trip to Spain. Divided into four parts, this enlightening read depicts one family’s determination to embrace and preserve her Jewish identity and offers glimpses into the long history of Jews in Spain. Behar crafts each included era with painstaking period detail and lush language, delivering a stunning portrayal of immigration and Jewish culture and religion that expounds upon the importance of remaining true to oneself, explores themes of prejudice and racism, and exposes the harm that bigotry can inflict on both individuals and society. The author includes English translations alongside songs and words in Ladino; concluding source notes add further historical context. Ages 10–up. Agent: Alyssa Eisner Henkin, Birch Path Literary.
Starred review from December 1, 2023
Four 12-year-old Sephardic Jewish girls in different time periods leave their homelands but carry their religion, culture, language, music, and heritage with them. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella's expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492 sends Benvenida fleeing from Toledo with her family, though she promises to remember where she came from. In 1923, Reina celebrates Turkish independence with her longtime friend and neighbor, a Muslim boy, causing her strict father to disown her and send her to live with an aunt in Cuba as punishment. Reina brings her mother's oud with her and passes it on to Alegra, her daughter, who serves as a brigadista in Castro's literacy campaign before fleeing to the U.S. in 1961. In Miami in 2003, Paloma, Alegra's daughter, who has an Afro-Cuban dad, is excited to travel to Spain with her family to explore their roots. They find a miraculous connection in Toledo. Woven through all four girls' stories is the same Ladino song (included with an English translation); as Paloma says, "I'm connected to those who came before me through the power of the words we speak, the words we write, the words we sing, the words in which we tell our dreams." Behar's diligent research and her personal connection to this history, as described in a moving author's note, shine through this story of generations of girls who use music and language to survive, tell their stories, and connect with past and future. Powerful and resonant. (sources) (Historical fiction. 10-15)
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January 1, 2024
This welcome historical novel traces a Sephardic Jewish family whose members travel from one country to another with first-person narrators from four generations and spanning centuries. In 1492, Benvenida and her family leave Toledo, Spain, for what is then Constantinople to escape the Spanish Inquisition. In 1923, Reina sneaks out at night and sings for a group of boys against her father's wishes and is sent from Turkey to Cuba for an arranged marriage. In 1961, Alegra teaches literacy as a brigadista but then flees Cuba for Miami with Operation Pedro Pan. And in 2003, Paloma and her family travel back to Toledo and learn what they can about their long-ago family history. The family saga provides glimpses of several moments in world history and gives readers opportunities to spot connections among the generations, sometimes knowing details about the past that the characters can only guess at. (An overly earnest tone in narration and dialogue sometimes detracts from the characters' believability.) A Ladino song and the oud that it is played on add echoes from one section to another. The author's note provides context and personal connections; back matter also includes source notes with accessible explanations. Shoshana Flax
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
February 1, 2024
Grades 5-8 In a novel that profiles four 12-year-old Sephardic Jewish girls (three of them grandmother, mother, and daughter), Behar introduces Sephardic history, culinary culture, music and poetry traditions, and Ladino language. Each girl's story is told in its own section, moving readers from the distant past to more recent times. In 1492, Benvenida and her family flee Toledo, Spain, eventually settling in Turkey. Reina is exiled to Cuba in 1923, where she is betrothed to another Turkish Jew. Alegra flees Castro's Cuba for Miami in 1961. And in 2003, Paloma travels from Miami to Toledo, Spain, where she learns about her history while visiting the Sephardic Museum there. Behar's sprawling saga, based in part on her own family history, captures the poignancy of being expelled from one's home. Ladino poetry appears throughout, and a family heirloom, a stringed instrument known as an oud, connects all the sections. While the final section is fraught with coincidences, the return to Spain brings the story full circle and provides readers with a satisfying conclusion. Generous author notes are appended.
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Starred review from February 1, 2024
Gr 3-7-Beginning with the Inquisition and the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492 and spanning over 500 years, this powerful historical novel by Behar relates the journeys and discoveries of four young girls from different generations of the same family. The stories of Benevida, Reina, Allegra, and Paloma are linked through the Spanish songs that they learn and pass along through an oud, a musical instrument that becomes a precious family heirloom and symbol of hope. Another recurrent connecting theme is travel-each protagonist embarks on a journey, whether fleeing persecution, searching for liberty, or discovering her past and her future. The plot takes readers from Spain to Naples and Turkey to Cuba, Miami, and back to Spain. The simple, resonant, and lyrical narrative transmits the hope and trust that have sustained Sephardic Jewish communities through the generations. Even the names of the title characters speak a blessing. Benevida means welcome; Reina means queen; Allegra means happiness; and Paloma means peace. An author's note explains Behar's connection to this important history. This moving historic tale treats every word used as if it is a fleeting and impossibly beautiful note in a song that can never be forgotten, as it illuminates a people and a past that deserves to be forever remembered. VERDICT This will appeal to fans of Jane Yolen's Briar Rose, and is highly recommended for all collections.-Kelly Kingrey-Edwards
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2024
This welcome historical novel traces a Sephardic Jewish family whose members travel from one country to another with first-person narrators from four generations and spanning centuries. In 1492, Benvenida and her family leave Toledo, Spain, for what is then Constantinople to escape the Spanish Inquisition. In 1923, Reina sneaks out at night and sings for a group of boys against her father's wishes and is sent from Turkey to Cuba for an arranged marriage. In 1961, Alegra teaches literacy as a brigadista but then flees Cuba for Miami with Operation Pedro Pan. And in 2003, Paloma and her family travel back to Toledo and learn what they can about their long-ago family history. The family saga provides glimpses of several moments in world history and gives readers opportunities to spot connections among the generations, sometimes knowing details about the past that the characters can only guess at. (An overly earnest tone in narration and dialogue sometimes detracts from the characters' believability.) A Ladino song and the oud that it is played on add echoes from one section to another. The author's note provides context and personal connections; back matter also includes source notes with accessible explanations.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)