Aviva vs. the Dybbuk
Who needs Kayla, and who has time for friends, anyway? Aviva has more trouble than she can manage with a dybbuk haunting the mikvah...
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What the Book Is About
Jewish Content & Values
Content Advisory
What the Book Is About
Since Aviva’s father died, her mother has been clinically depressed and Aviva and her best friend Kayla have had a falling out. Aviva is the only one who can see a dybbuk that’s wreaking havoc, with increasingly destructive consequences, in the mikvah (ritual bath) where her mother works. When a classmate is injured in a ball game because of the girls’ intense rivalry, Aviva and Kayla are forced to work together to inspire their classmates about the upcoming Bat Mitzvah Bash. This gradually brings them closer together and helps Aviva, and eventually her mother, turn to focus on the future.
Jewish Content & Values
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This is a thoroughly Jewish story set in the Orthodox community. Aviva attends Jewish day school and Shabbos morning services.
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Aviva’s mom is the mikvah attendant and assists married women from the community to observe the custom of monthly immersion. The girls' bat mitzvah celebration is a fun and healing event.
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Narratives around the dybbuk (a malevolent spirit) and Jewish folklore (including the Golem of Prague) are integral to the plot.
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There are references to the Holocaust and being a nation of survivors as well as some antisemitic incidents.
Content Advisory
Aviva’s mother struggles with depression and agoraphobia and Aviva is traumatized by her father’s death. There are some intense scenes involving antisemitism, violence, and vandalism. This is an award-winning book that ends with a message of hope and healing, but due to the nature of the content, we recommend this book for readers ages 11 and older.
What the Book Is About
What the Book Is About
Since Aviva’s father died, her mother has been clinically depressed and Aviva and her best friend Kayla have had a falling out. Aviva is the only one who can see a dybbuk that’s wreaking havoc, with increasingly destructive consequences, in the mikvah (ritual bath) where her mother works. When a classmate is injured in a ball game because of the girls’ intense rivalry, Aviva and Kayla are forced to work together to inspire their classmates about the upcoming Bat Mitzvah Bash. This gradually brings them closer together and helps Aviva, and eventually her mother, turn to focus on the future.
Jewish Content & Values
Jewish Content & Values
-
This is a thoroughly Jewish story set in the Orthodox community. Aviva attends Jewish day school and Shabbos morning services.
-
Aviva’s mom is the mikvah attendant and assists married women from the community to observe the custom of monthly immersion. The girls' bat mitzvah celebration is a fun and healing event.
-
Narratives around the dybbuk (a malevolent spirit) and Jewish folklore (including the Golem of Prague) are integral to the plot.
-
There are references to the Holocaust and being a nation of survivors as well as some antisemitic incidents.
Content Advisory
Content Advisory
Aviva’s mother struggles with depression and agoraphobia and Aviva is traumatized by her father’s death. There are some intense scenes involving antisemitism, violence, and vandalism. This is an award-winning book that ends with a message of hope and healing, but due to the nature of the content, we recommend this book for readers ages 11 and older.
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