Beni's War

by Tammar Stein

Overview

It's Yom Kippur Eve in 1973, and twelve-year-old Beni thinks his biggest problem is settling in at his new school in the Golan, where his family moved at the end of the Six-Day War.

But on Yom Kippur, shocking news comes over the radio: a stunning strike on Israel has begun, led by a coalition of Arab states. In the blink of an eye, Beni's older brother Motti is off to war, leaving Beni behind with his mother and father.

As bombs drop around Beni and his family, they flee to safety, every day hoping for news of Motti and the developments of the war. Beni must find a way to aid the war effort in his own way, proving that he too can be a hero, even as he learns along the way that there is dignity in every person, including the people he considers the enemy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728405506
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/01/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	280
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	9 - 10 Years

About the Author

Tammar Stein is the award-winning author of four young adult novels including Beni's War, which was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book of Jewish Content. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia with a degree in English Literature. She has lived on three continents, in four countries and five states. She lives in Virginia with her family.

Editorial Reviews

"Readers will be motivated by Beni's perceptiveness and inspired by the strength he demonstrates through acceptance―even towards the enemy."―School Library Journal Starred Review

From the Publisher

★ 10/01/2020

Gr 5–7—A sequel to The Six-Day Hero, this historical novel set during Israel's Yom Kippur War is a coming-of-age story about the importance of love, courage, and acceptance. Twelve-year-old Beni and his family have just moved to a new community, and Beni hates it. Worst of all are the bullies. Beni wishes he could be brave like his brother Motti, who is in the army. He knows how to be a hero. But Yom Kippur is not even half over when Motti must leave. Suddenly, the country is at war. As everyone tries to evacuate, bombs begin to fall. Relocating to safety, all they can do is wait. Yet life must go on. Beni makes friends with an unlikely trio, and together they dream of helping the war effort. When they learn that Motti is a prisoner of war in Egypt, Beni knows he must act—but will he succeed? Utilizing the perspective of one boy caught between confidence and fear, Stein masterfully weaves together the country's rich cultural heritage and tenacity with the anxieties and sorrows of war. Using strong characters, striking landscapes, and accurate historic details, she provides a gripping glimpse of Israel in the 1970s. Readers will be motivated by Beni's perceptiveness and inspired by the strength he demonstrates through acceptance—even towards the enemy. VERDICT Radiating a sense of hope grounded in love of family and community, Beni's story rises above the historic details of war and provides an important perspective for those living in uncertain times.—Rebecca Redinger, Lincoln Park Branch, Chicago P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-08-04
When a 12-year-old’s tiny country is invaded, everyone is touched by war.

Beni doesn’t like his new home on the moshav in this Israeli farming community. He misses Jerusalem, and he’s bullied by the other boys. But everything changes on the Yom Kippur holiday in 1973 when his country is unexpectedly invaded. Beni lives only a 10-minute drive from the border with Syria, and his home takes heavy fire from mortar shells. After hours in a shelter, Beni emerges to rubble and burning fields. Evacuated to his grandparents’ house, he can’t stop worrying about his brother, Motti, headed to the Egyptian front in a tank. But life goes on, even in a national crisis. Beni learns about fixing cars, becomes friends with the boys who were once his enemies, and always, always, worries about Motti. When Beni’s family receives devastating and terrifying news, he just wants to feel less helpless. And so Beni embarks on a quest to help his brother. His rage at Egypt conflicts with his emerging questions about Egyptian prisoners of war: Do they eat the same food, have the same fears as the Israelis? 1970s Israel is fully realized with loving attention to detail, and subplots about daily human concerns further round out the characters. The Jewish characters are cued as Ashkenazim.

Readers coping with shattered contemporary realities will recognize themselves in a child’s fears and growing empathy. (historical note) (Historical fiction. 9-11)

Kirkus Reviews