“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jordan and the Dreadful Golem by Karen Goldman
244 pages – ages 9+Published by: Penlight Publications on November 1, 2013
Synopsis – Jordan lives in the Israeli town of Kfar Keshet, where the kids get special powers based around nature that start to appear around the time they turn 13, but sometimes younger, sometimes older, and sometimes never.
Jordan is behind on the Power Train. When Jordan, his younger brother and two friends go camping by a lake, they witness a man make another man out of clay.
The clay man is a golem, and the creator is Lavan, a sly magician who uses dark magic and tries to stop the kids of Kfar Keshet from being unique with their special powers. The golem could be a danger to the inhabitants of Kfar Keshet!
Jordan and the Dreadful Golem by Karen Goldman – Our Review
This is a riveting adventure story based on Jewish folklore. It is based in Israel and the reader gains a lot of knowledge about Kabbalah and other Jewish teachings.
I learned that in Jewish folklore a golem is a creature made by magic out of rock or clay. I love learning parts of different cultures and am happy now that I know a golem isn’t just a character in Pokémon. 
I love the idea of a bunch of super-powered kids and the part of the story where they must learn what their powers are and how to use them. One problem I had with the plot is that it didn’t explain why none of the adults had powers (or maybe they did and they didn’t use them).
I like the action and the mystery in the book too. The Amazon rates the book for kids 12+ but I think it is totally fine for kids 9+. The cover is scary, but Ms. Goldman writes a great story that can be enjoyed by all ages. Ms Goldman made Jordan into a great character who the reader can understand.
I love how he solves problems and figures out how to use his abilities. This is a great book for boys but girls will also enjoy the adventure!
With Multicultural Children’s Book Day coming up on January 27th, this is a great choice for reading!
To learn more, please visit the publisher’s website by clicking HERE.