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Sahay and Rahel are all alone, traveling through strange and dangerous territory in Ethiopia, trying to reach Jerusalem. They are both brave, but is bravery enough to survive?
Ages 11+
Pages 160
Publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Coming Dec 2020

Average Rating

62 Reviews

Featured Reviews

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Two girls become amazing friends

Review by Annabel

The Storyteller's Beads, written by Jane Kurtz, starts out in Ethiopia after the Red Terror, which is when Mengistu Haile Mariam killed Ethiopians in 1977-1978. Then two little Ethiopian girls, Rahel and Sahay, travel to a camp (not a summer camp) called Umm Rekuba, where they get food and water. Both girls are there without their families, and together they take an iron bird (plane) to Jerusalem. This book is about the two girls, who initially seem very different from one another. Rahel is a blind Falasha girl and Sahay is a Kemant. Falasha means stranger. Kemants are one of the ethnic divisions of the Agau people. The two groups didn't have much to do with one another back in Ethiopia, but the girls become friends during their journey. During their long walk through the deserts and forests of Ethiopia and Sudan, they start telling each other stories about their lives and the folktales of their people. They find they need each other once they both lose their families. At the end, they make aliyah together. Along the way, the girls change the way they think about other people, and learn not to judge others based on the tribe or people they come from. People should be looked at as individuals and not just as members of their family, tribe, or country. In my own life, I will always try to remember Rahel and Sahay, and how they found an amazing friendship amidst such turmoil in their lives. They lost their homes, families, and country, but they still found a way to find friendship and start a new life in Jerusalem.

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The Storyteller's Beads

Video review by Abby

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The Storyteller's Beads
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The Storyteller's Beads

Video review by Hadar

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The Storyteller's Beads

Reader Reviews

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Educational and Interesting

Review by samhugo2012

This book was really interesting because it was about a topic I hadn't learned about in Jewish history. It taught you a lot about Ethiopian culture and stuff. It wasn't very action filled though. But I enjoyed it and learned from it. I'm glad I picked this book.

Oct 06, 2024 09:21 PM
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Fine

Review by revik

It was good

Oct 02, 2024 08:38 AM
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The storytellers beads

Review by bellablue10

I like this book. It shows how through bad events in our lives we can make friends still and if we trust what we believe we will be ok in the end

Jul 10, 2024 02:06 AM
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Meh

Review by Jordana31

I read it one time, and it wasn't very good. The beginning is misleading, because it gives you a feeling of an exciting book, and it turns dull. If you like adventure books, take my advice, and DO NOT READ THIS BOOK!

Mar 04, 2024 08:05 PM
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Two girls who are hungry and lost become beat friends

Review by Ilikefood

I had read this book right after reading ...too far from home. It showed me what the mother and grandmother's lives might have been like. It had all this hallmarks of a good book, adventure and friendship and the flute added music. I wish every child would read ...too far from home and the story tellers beads.

Feb 21, 2024 09:55 PM