By 
As a retired teacher, I wish that “The Chestnut Tree” by Mathew Tekulsky was published while I was teaching so I could share this literary treasure with my children. This book is small but mighty. I also love the name of number one songs in previous years being discussed during the time period of the sixties. The Genres for this book are Coming of Age, Historical Literary Fiction, and Fiction. Adam Jacobs is a Jewish boy that is coming of age in a suburban town in New York. Adam is getting ready for his Bar Mitzvah, and is obsessed with Sally Fletcher, a Catholic girl, his age. Both parents aren’t thrilled if there were to be a “match” at a later date, because Jewish and Catholic boys and girls were told to stay with their own kind. Some of the boys bully Adam for being Jewish, and also one of Adam’s friends with a learning disability. An older neighbor Gladys Mckinley is quirky and a writer. At one time her books were banned because she was blamed for including Communist information. Gladys provides the the safe place for Adam and Sally’s friendship. Gladys was friends with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and introduces Adam and Sally to him. Adam is impressed with Dr. Martin Luther King’s peaceful ideas, and thinks about writing and including this in his Bar Mitzvah speech. Adam starts to ponder and develop a new consciousness of all people getting along together, (all religions and colors)and starts to think about the animal population, and children that are different. It is a breath of fresh air to see how friends share their differences and are brave to learn from them. I highly recommend this thought-provoking book.
Linda's Book Obsession: 