Hanukkah Ghosts

by Malka Penn

Fending off her homesickness by wandering the English moors where she is visiting her great aunt, Susan is delighted when she discovers a barn full of horses, until her aunt tells her that they have not kept horses since the Second World War.

Genres: Jewish, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

Reviews

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating is a bit generous. This is a very quick read, but that's because it's honestly too short—Susan's character arc, Alex's motivation and other details needed a bit more space to develop. That said, it feels a lot closer to completion than you'd expect in only 76 pages; Penn gives you a strong grasp of character and theme with only a few words. The basic story is cool (though heads up, it's less a ghost story and more about time travel) and overall I enjoyed it.

[Simone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look at that incredible 90s cover! The book is more like a novella or short story, but it's sweet and sort of tangentially related to Hanukkah.

[Jamie Hall]

A lovely story about the intersection of history and the present, family and ourselves, ghosts and the living; written by my Baba. <3