How to Deal with Unfairness in a Father

A chapter book for middle grades

Bonnie Ferrante talks about the complex issue of how a child deals with an unfair father in her review of Janet Heller's chapter book for middle grades, The Passover Surprise.

Read Bonnie Ferrante's in-depth interview with Janet Heller, "A Life-long Mission of Equality and Inclusion."

P.J. le Pooch Featured in Nanaimo Bulletin

A big thank-you to Rachel Stern
of the Nanaimo News Bulletin
for her article about my middle-grades novel,
P.J. le Pooch & the Magic Sketchbook.

The Passover Surprise: Recommended for Children 11-15

"In Janet Ruth Heller’s The Passover Surprise  (illustrated by Ronald Kauffman; Fictive Press, 48 pp. $11), Jewish traditions, stamp collecting, sibling rivalry and familial affection are all part of the story of Lisa, who craves a “big blue stamp album” as a gift for finding the afikoman. Readers will root for Lisa and a happy holiday."

Reviewed by Gloria Goldreich, "Stories for Children to Celebrate and Commemorate," Hadassah Magazine, Dec., 2016

Serious Moral Issues Discussed in Wide-ranging Interview with Carol Matas

Tucson Tales, a publication showcasing new and established writers, has posted a thoughtful, wide-ranging interview about Tucson Jo, Carol Matas' award-winning historical novel for middle grades.

 

Carol talks about the story behind the story—cowboys and Jews, antisemitism, even in the American Wild West, and important moral issues of relevance in today's world. A must read for teachers—and for kids of all ages.

Carol Matas talks about the meaning of fredom in this excerpt from the Tucson Tales interview:

Q: Incorporating more serious themes into your work for children seems to be an important part of what you do. Does this ever extend beyond the page? Do you ever engage in a dialogue with children, say, after a reading? If so, what comes of it? How do you children react after reading your stories?

JUST PUBLISHED IN ENGLISH – THE FOUNDATION OF ETHICS

IS THERE A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THE ETHICAL CONCEPT OF THE GOOD?

Danish-Jewish thinker Andreas Simonsen explores this “ancient all-important question initially debated by the Sophists, Socrates and Plato” using an ancient technique – the dialogue form. Three separate conversations, three different interlocutors, three different worldviews: skeptical, rationalist and existentialist.

This eclectic, thought-provoking work takes the reader on a fascinating journey through Western philosophy and scientific theory – to the author’s unique adaptation of Niels Bohr’s theory of “complementarity” to ethics.