The Trouble with Good Ideas

Name: The Trouble with Good Ideas
Brand: Penguin Random House
Availability: InStock
Author: Amanda Panitch
ISBN: 9780593633694

Author: Amanda Panitch

Narrator: Gabi Epstein

Unabridged: 6 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Listening Library

Published: 08/09/2022

Categories: Children's Fiction, Fairy Tales, Children's Social Themes

Synopsis

From author Amanda Panitch comes a hilarious middle-grade novel with a magical realism twist about a girl, a golem, and her ailing grandfather, perfect for fans of The Fourteenth Goldfish.

Eleven-year old Leah Nevins is NOT a fan of change.

So when her parents start whispering about sending her beloved grandpa Zaide to an assisted living facility (hospital jail!), she is very resistant. Zaide’s house, where her family gathers on Saturday afternoons, is the only place where Leah feels like she truly belongs. Sending Zaide away would change everything.

Luckily, Leah remembers a story Zaide once told her about building a golem—a creature of Jewish mythology made out of clay—to protect their family from the Nazis in Poland. So, of course, Leah decides to make a golem of her own to look after Zaide. The directions he gave her were pretty easy to follow, but there is one thing he never told her: what to do when a golem turns against its creator.

About The Author

Amanda Panitch grew up next to an amusement park in New Jersey and went to college next to the White House in Washington, DC. She now resides in New York City, where she works in book publishing by day, writes by night, and lives under constant threat of being crushed beneath giant stacks of books. Follow Amanda on Twitter @AmandaPanitch.

Reviews

Goodreads review by belle ☆ﾐ (thisbellereadstoo) on February 06, 2021

trigger and content warning: antisemitism in the trouble with good ideas, leah calls her great-grandfather zaide even though it's the yiddish word for grandfather. i adored leah and zaide's relationship. leah's desperation to create a golem so that it can take care of zaide shows how close they are a......more

Goodreads review by Rajiv on February 18, 2021

[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin] “The Trouble with Good Ideas” is a neat middle-grade novel with a touch of magic that I enjoyed reading. There are many aspects which I enjoyed about this book. Firstly, I loved how the author focused importance on the Jewish cult......more

Goodreads review by Alison on October 07, 2023

This book is thought-provoking and serious about antisemitism, the Holocaust, aging, grief, and family, while also being lighthearted and campy in much of the book and being really funny in parts. I don't know how the author made that all work, but she did. She is creative in talking about how disow......more

Goodreads review by Clara on December 04, 2023

I don't think I knew what I was getting into when I picked this one up; I certainly got more emotional than I was expecting to. It covers a lot of ground but does it all so skillfully. CW: antisemitism, Alzheimer's, the Holocaust, hospitalization, body horror......more

Goodreads review by Lilli on March 08, 2021

Oh my freakin heart this book is SO CUTE 😊 and nails that Jewish rep The Trouble with Good Ideas by is a MUST READ! Especially if you like middle grade/YA (this one is middle grade). The story follows 12-year-old Leah who has just moved to a new town, started a new school, and now is told her beloved......more