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MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Name: MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
Author: Sylvie Weil
ISBN: 0-439-57681-4

by Sylvie Weil & translated by Gillian Rosner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2004

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Troyes, France, 1096, and Crusaders are heading to Jerusalem. The Jews, including Elvina, the 12-year-old granddaughter of the famed rabbi and Talmudic scholar Solomon ben Isaac, are terrified of the soldiers and their evil leader. Unlike most females of her time, feisty Elvina is literate, adores studying, and loves writing as much for its tactile satisfaction as for the intellectual exercise. She derives strength from this as well as from her mazal (Hebrew for guardian angel), whom she addresses in times of trouble and doubt. Elvina has much to ask from and tell her guiding spirit in the course of her tale: she secretly aids a wounded young deserter, a brazen act of charity that will have dangerous but ultimately joyful consequences for her and her community. Readers don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate this beautifully written story and its wonderfully realized characters and fascinating setting. Elvina, her grandfather (also known as “Rashi”), and their family members actually lived. Lovely. (afterword, glossary) (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-439-57681-4

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Levine/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORICAL FICTION | CHILDREN'S RELIGIOUS FICTION

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THE SCHOOL FOR THIEVES

From the School for Thieves series , Vol. 1

by Peter Burns ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 26, 2025

A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series.

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An orphaned street urchin is recruited into an elite school for thieves.

In an alternate world where France is the dominant world power, 13-year-old Tom Morgan has had to scrimp, starve, and steal on the streets of London to survive. Born into a workhouse, he doesn’t know anything about his father, while his mother may have been from North Africa. One thing he does know is the sort of cruelty that awaits the poor who are sent to the workhouse, and he’s determined not to go back. But when their camp is raided and his friends are captured by workhouse agents, the only thing Tom can think of is how to get them out. Enter the Corsair, a cunning and mysterious man with a proposition: He wants to recruit Tom into Beaufort’s School for Deceptive Arts. From nabbing treasures to forging identity papers, Beaufort’s promises to teach Tom everything he needs to know to become a Shadow Thief and a member of the Shadow League, the secret global organization that helps keep the world’s political power in balance. But Beaufort’s has its own rules and secrets, and if Tom is to survive long enough to help his friends, he’ll need to figure them out quickly. Clever and gripping, this fast-paced boarding school story will appeal to fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society and Spy School series.

A thrilling first installment in an adventurous new series. (Adventure. 10-14)