Golemcrafters
by Emi Watanabe Cohen
Middle School    Levine/Levine Querido    264 pp.
11/24    9781646142699    $18.99

After Shiloh receives a box of clay as a bar mitzvah present, he and his younger sister, Faye, meet their estranged grandfather, who sent it, for the first time. The siblings learn that, on their father’s side, they are part of a lineage that can create golems: “human figure[s] formed from clay and brought to life with the Hebrew alphabet.” While visiting their grandfather’s apartment to practice harnessing this power, they encounter in dreams their ancestors’ traumatic stories of antisemitism and oppression at various points in history. (These dreams include strong descriptions of cruelty and death that make this book best suited for readers who can handle realistic violence.) What they learn about their past sheds light on the present day as they grapple with contemporary antisemitism. In addition to the historical Jewish golemcrafters they meet, Shiloh and Faye also face questions of identity that arise from their Japanese ancestors on their mother’s side. This memorable story takes a strong stance against victim-blaming in favor of defending oneself and one’s beliefs. Caring familial relationships are centered, and while sibling rivalry is a factor in their dynamic (Faye has more golemcrafting power than Shiloh), the two love and support each other above all.

From the ">January/February 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.