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Wordwings

Wordwings

By Sydelle Pearl

In 1941, 12-year-old Rivka Rosenfeld lives in the Warsaw Ghetto with her grandfather and two sisters in a synagogue because housing is scarce. When German soldiers slash her grandfather's beard, Rivka is compelled to write in between the pages of a library book by Hans Christian Andersen. Dr. Emanuel Ringelblum, founder of the Underground Archive--a compilation of Warsaw Ghetto experiences, asks her to contribute her stories to the archives and Rivka agrees, imagining her words rising up from the ground on wings of their own.

Details

Guernica Editions (Essential Prose Series)

9781771831963

170 pages |

$17.95 USD
$17.95 USD
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Reviews

A fully engaging and compellingly entertaining read from beginning to end, Wordwings showcases author Sydelle Pearl's genuine flair for character and narrative driven storytelling. An original and deftly crafted novel, Wordwings is very highly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections.

Midwest Review of Books

The award-winning Sydelle Pearl’s Wordwings is a poignant depiction of these tragic, yet uplifting events, written as the diary of twelve-year-old. It is an especially good work to introduce the Holocaust to younger readers, but enjoyable for adults as well. If there is hope to be found in such horror, Ms. Pearl offers it in the words of a child who imagines her words pushing up from the ground and taking wing.

Historical Novel Society

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Awards

2017 Sydney Taylor Notable Book

2018 Skipping Stones Honor Award

2018 American Folklore Society Accolade

2018 Royal Dragonfly Award

2019 Storytelling World Honor Award

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About the author

Sydelle Pearl has published books in various genres including multicultural folktales, biography, and historical fiction. She creates Teacher Guides to accompany her books. A professional storyteller for over twenty years, Sydelle has her Bachelor’s in Education and a Master’s in Library Science from Simmons College. She has worked as a children’s librarian, and performed in schools, libraries, festivals, and international and regional conferences. Through Storypearls, Sydelle Pearl presents author programs and residencies to children in preschools, child care centers, elementary schools, and after-school programs. Three words sum up the mission of Storypearls: imagination, culture, and kindness.