Children's Books

Masada, by Neil Waldman

The story of Masada has always been an important symbol to the Jewish people, signifying courage and bravery. I always think of the Masada story as a thrilling tale. Unfortunately, I can not find this excitement in this book. While the introduction lays the ground work for an exciting story, telling of the author's visit to Masada at night, the book does not continue in this vein. The first 20 pages tell of the history leading up to Masada, covering the period between 66 CE and 70 CE. This is a bloody and violent period in history and is told with gruesome reality. This part of the story does not flow smoothly. When the actual part regarding Masada is told, it does not have the emotional feel one would expect. The last part of the book tells the story of finding the site and excavating it by historians and archaeologists. I found this part to be the best, as you could feel the excitement of the archaeologists as they uncovered a part of history.

This book was written as a junior book, which targets the fourth through sixth grader. I do think this would be a good book to have as an additional history book, to be used as a teaching aid, or read together with a parent. However I would not recommend it as a book for children to read by themselves. (Reviewed by Davida Rosenbaum)

Jacob's Rescue, by Malka Drucker and Michael Halperin

Israel, The Founding of A Modern Nation, by Maida Silverman

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