🕎A Dreidel in Time: A new Spin on an Old Tale by Marcia Berneger, illustrated by Beatriz Castro

 

It's the last night of Hanukkah and Devorah, 12, can't to finally open her present. To make it happen faster, she convinces her brother Benjamin, 9, that it will be alright if they light the eight menorah candles and say the blessing while they wait for their parents to come home from work. But Mom isn't too happy to see what they have done, and Devorah isn't too happy when she learns she will have to wait even longer to open her gift - grandparents Bubbe and Zayde are coming over with a very special gift. 

But Devorah's excitement turns to disappointment when she learns it is a gift she must share with Benjamin, and she feels letdown even more when the present turns out to be a large, lopsided old dreidel with red and gray speckles. Encouraged to play the dreidel game with it, Devorah and Benjamin don't notice when they surroundings being to fade as the dreidel spins. But when the stops, the dreidel falls on the Hebrew letter Shin ש. Devorah knows it's not a good spin, Shin means the player loses what is in the pot. 

And indeed, they have lost something. No longer at home, Devorah and Benjamin suddenly find themselves in an unknown place. When they meet siblings Simon and Shoshana, they learn they are in ancient Modi'in and that the Macccabees are leaving to escape the cruel Syrian ruler King Antiochus so that they can practice their Jewish religion in peace. Antiochus had ordered his soldiers to kill anyone observing Jewish traditions. 

Arriving at the Maccabee camp, Devorah and Benjamin, mistaken for Antiochus' spies, are taken to the leader of the Jews, Mattisyahu. Already knowing what happens, they warn Mattisyahu of a coming attack. Mattisyahu orders the children held while his sons Judah and Jonathan investigate this information. Luckily, the old dreidel appears again, and this time, the spin lands on Nun נ, meaning the player neither loses nor gains from the pot. 

Everything looks the same as before, but two years have passed. Simon is now 15 and Shoshana is 12, yet Devorah and Benjamin haven't aged at all. When they learn that the Maccabees are losing to the Syrian soldiers because they are outnumbered, Benjamin remembers how George Washington fooled the British into thinking he had more soldiers than he actually did. Washington's plan is relayed to Mattisyahu's sons Judah, now the leader of the Maccabees after the death in battle of his father. Judah accept the plan, but when Benjamin is too impatient to see if it worked, he gets captured by the Syrians. The original plan is called off and a another strategy is found, one that would rescue Benjamin. 

In the midst of battle, Devorah spins the dreidel, which lands on Hey ה, meaning the player gets half of what would be in the pot. A year has passed, and the Maccabees have been victorious and are now returning to their temple in Jerusalem. But when they get there, they discover everything in the Temple has been destroyed. They spend days cleaning it up, and finally the saved menorah is brought out for the Temple's rededication.  But there is no oil for the menorah. A search is made and Devorah finds a small jar of oil, enough for one night. But the dreidel has once again appeared and it is time for another spin. 

The last spin lands on Gimmel ג, meaning the player gets everything in the pot. For Devorah and Benjamin, it means a return to home in the present and a much better understanding of the history and meaning of their Hanukkah traditions.  

A Dreidel in Time is a fun retelling of the Hanukkah story. And a great way to remember that holidays like Hanukkah and Christmas are not only about the gifts, but are more about the reason why we celebrate them in the first place. Berneger has included all the important parts of the Hanukkah story including how the Jews brought gifts to the rededication of the Temple, which is how the tradition of gift giving began. 

How the dreidel game is played isn't explained at first, not until 15-year-old Simon asks about it and, hearing Devorah's explanation and that the meaning of the four Hebrew letters is "a great miracle happened there," to which Simon responds "Your story is nonsense. There's no holiday called Hanukkah." 

It is a well-written book with humorous black and while illustrations that should appeal to young chapter book readers.  

This book is recommended for readers age 7+

This book was borrowed from the Brooklyn Public Library 

If you are wondering how to play the dreidel game, Scholastic offers simple instructions you can download HERE 

You can also download a template for making a paper dreidel that can be printed out, colored and glued together HERE