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  • The Trouble with Good Ideas by Amanda Panitch
  • April Spisak

Panitch, Amanda The Trouble with Good Ideas. Roaring Brook, 2021 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250245106 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781250245113 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-7

Twelve-year-old Leah loves her Saturdays at her zaide's house. Her grandfather has always been one of her favorite people, and she's afraid of the changes if he has to move into assisted living. Exasperated when her parents keep telling her it is their decision to make, she decides to do something about it herself, remembering a story her zaide told her about golems. She manages to create one, Elsa, and the golem is all of the things that Leah wishes she was: extroverted, confident, beautiful, and, of course, able to take care of her grandfather. There is a reason why enormous life decisions shouldn't generally be left up to naïve tweens, however, as it quickly becomes clear that Elsa is not under Leah's control, and that her caretaking methods are more harmful than beneficial. Leah's early refusal to ask for help means that [End Page 184] more harm comes to her grandfather than should have, although she eventually manages to clean up the well-intentioned disaster she created. Panitch deftly provides context for Leah's feelings of isolation and vulnerability after leaving Jewish school, noting the antisemitic beliefs of some of her schoolmates; that context will also help create sympathy for Leah's desperate and ultimately dangerous decisions. Wisdom doesn't always come easily, however, and there's enough nuance and careful character development built in that Leah's missteps can ultimately be understood.

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