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Description
Bina and her friends are going to Poland to be part of a program that reaches out to young unaffiliated Jewish girls and teaches them about their Jewish heritage. The coauthor is Batya Swift Yasgur.
Quick Summary
If you're looking for a middle-grade book that mixes mystery with some real heart, this one's got a cool premise Bina and her friends travel to Poland as part of a program that helps Jewish girls connect with their heritage, and while they're there, they stumble into a mystery involving matching lockets. It's got that adventure element kids love, but it also gives readers a glimpse into a part of history and culture that a lot of kids' books don't touch. The writing team (Lowinger and Malka, with Batya Swift Yasgur) keeps the tone accessible and pretty readable for kids in 4th through 8th grade, so it's a good choice for both younger middle-graders and older reluctant readers who want something substantial but not overwhelming. Parents might appreciate that it's educational without feeling preachy it sneaks in the heritage stuff through the story rather than lecturing. If you've got a kid who enjoys books like "From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler" where kids get into adventures while learning something new, they'd probably click with this too.