"The Matzo Ball Boy"

This book helps a reader to explore an imaginative event that happens to a Bubbe, or a Jewish grandma as she prepares for Passover Sedar. The story discusses one of the most important Jewish holidays Passover very generally by bringing in a key food made for the dinner, matzo ball soup. To keep herself from sadness Bubbe makes herself a Matzo Ball Boy in her soup but magically he comes to life and runs away. The Matzo Ball Boy’s adventures are many before he meets a man who offers him his home to sleep and to share Passover Sedar with him and his wife. Without trying to give it away, the Matzo Ball Boy does not make it to dinner, but he is an integral part to the dinner.

As far as this book being considered a quality piece of literature I would say that it is a good book to share with children, but it does have some weaknesses to consider. The first weakness was literary, the author randomly placed in Yiddish words, for example “yenta” which is described as a “gossip” but actually means match maker or “Oy” which is used as a term to get attention but really is meant to be used as “Oh my gosh.” At some points in the text it feels as though the Yiddish words are not necessary to the story or may be inappropriately used. Another literary weakness is the ending to this story. The story remotely relates to The Gingerbread Man, the problem with this is that in the end the Matzo Ball Boy is eaten by the Jewish man and wife, who take him in. Although the boy is food it seems like a bad cultural message to send to children, Jewish adults eating a little boy. Overall, I would rate this book as being a fun piece of literature that incorporates some of the culinary customs of the Jewish people during Passover Sedar.
Citation:
Shulman, Lisa. The Matzo Ball Boy:. Dutton Juvenile, 2005.