The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden

A review of Robert J. Avrech's new book in The Ithica Journal:

My hands-down favorite book for middle school readers is "The Hebrew Kid and the Apache Maiden," by Robert J. Avrech. This is an adventure story, set in the 1870s. Ariel Isaacson and his family are taking the dangerous trip through the Arizona desert after they were chased out of a small town because they were Jewish.

All 13-year-old Ariel wants is to become a bar mitzvah boy, but first the family had to find a place to settle. They were warned by the cavalry that they were heading right into Apache territory, where the feared Victorio and his sister, Lozen, killed white settlers. But Ariel's father is both a rabbi and a mystic who believes in prayer and his dreams. When they do meet up with Victorio and Lozen, a magical friendship develops between Lozen and Ariel. But before Ariel can have his bar mitzvah, he encounters gun slinger Doc Holliday, a band of thugs who kidnap his sister and other characters unsavory and otherwise.

The dialog flows smoothly, the scenes are memorable; it's a terrific story filled with the best of Judaism ... and the surprising Apache culture.