The Zigzag Kid

I teach 8th grade literature at a Jewish Day School, so I am always looking for high quality literature that will speak to 13 year olds, and if it has some Jewish content, all the better. This is by far my students' favorite book of the year. We read it at the end of the year as they are getting ready to transition into high school, and it offers great discussion opportunities. But it is by no means a children's book--I loved reading it in its own right, as did my principal. In fact, another teacher walked into the Teacher's Lounge and saw it and said, "Oh, you're reading that! He's one of my favorite authors!" She was surprised to learn I was teaching the book. What a joy to find a book that speaks to young adults and adults alike!

Though I read it in the Hebrew, the story was so rich and intriguing that the translation sure transmits the wonder and excitement of this book. Through style and story, Zizag Kid is a success.

Let me start by applauding an excellent translation (from the Hebrew) by Betsy Rosenberg. Only once or twice in reading this humorous coming of age tale did I recall it was a translation, which is always a good sign. The novel is written from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy just about to have his Bar Mitzvah in late '60 or early '70s Israel. Nonny is an only child, raised by a workaholic policeman father and his secretary girlfriend. At first we know little more than this, as the boy is placed by himself on a train to Haifa. Then, some odd events occur which had me worried that the book was headed into magical realism. Fortunately, this is not the case, but the boy is involved in a wild several days where it is not clear what is truth and what is deception. The boy's character and the mystery of his mother is unveiled with in tantalizing tidbits. For me the tension mounted and mounted all the way to the end, when the boy fully learns and understands his past. Very nice.

I have read this book in Hebrew, this is one of my favourite books ever! I couldn't stop reading it.

Twelve-year-old Amnon Feuerberg, only one week before his bar mitzvah, is placed on a train in Jerusalem by his dad and Gabi, his dad's secretary and (for many years) live-in female companion. Not especially happy about this trip, "Nonny" is enroute to the home of his uncle in Haifa...or so he believes. His actual destination is far more exciting than that. Neither Nonny Feuerberg nor the reader will have any idea where he is headed, but both are in for a wild, unbelievable ride!Grossman does a terrific job with this novel. He aptly combines a young boy's sense of adventure, flamboyant characters, a fine-tuned mystery, two love stories, and a family revelation. Then he turns these all into one fun and frolicsome page-turner. Kol ha-kavod (loosely translated: Cheers!)!