Review: Black Bird, Blue Road

By: Sofiya Pasternack

Versify, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022. Fiction. 313 pgs.

Ziva and Pesah are twins living in 10th century Khazaria. They live with their family in a Jewish community called Atil. For many years Pesah has slowly been dying of a disease called leprosy and his twin sister Ziva is desperate to find a cure. When their uncle, who is a doctor, recommends that Pesah be moved to a leper colony Ziva decides she must do something quickly. She packs up a few supplies into one of the families wagons and Pesah and Ziva leave their home in the middle of the night. Ziva plans to take her brother to the city of Constantinople but along the way they run into bandits and meet up with a half-sheydim boy. Ziva's plans change and now all three of them are racing against the clock to get to the eternal city of Luz, where no one ever dies, before the angel of death claims the life of Pesah.

This is a sweeping fantasy books that depicts a world where spirits are manifest, healers come in many forms, and a strong girl is brave enough to bargain with the Angel of Death. Lots of adventure, Jewish mythology, and history along with a message to accept the things you cannot change. A fantasy adventure story that will appeal to middle school readers, both boys and girls.

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