Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure | CM: Canadian Review of Materials

Volume XXVII / Issue 22 - February 12 / 2021

Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure

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Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure

Author:

Anne Dublin

Toronto, ON: Second Story Press, March, 2021

219 pp., trade pbk., $10.95 (pbk.)

Grades:

Grades 4-7

Ages:

Ages 9-12

Review by:

Review by Rachel Seigel (Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy)

Excerpt:

There was a jerk as the brakes were released. The train whistle blew its warning blast. As the train began to move, Jacob felt the vibration of the iron wheels under the car and smelled the acrid smoke seeping in through the windows. Still no sign of David.

He could scarcely see outside as the rain sheeted against the pane. He pulled the window up and twisted his body to see better. The rain pelted on his face and ran down his neck and onto his back. He pulled his jacket closer but it did little good.

Then he saw David running along the platform. His mandolin case was in one hand and his suitcase in the other.

Jacob leaned out the window. “Hurry, David! Run!” the other kids crowed around where Ezra and Jacob were sitting.

“You can do it!” Abe the Tall yelled.

“You have to!” Benjamin called.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew David’s cap off his head. He stopped in his tracks, dropped his cases, and ran after his cap.

“What’s he doing?” Ezra said. “He’s going to miss the train because of a cap!”

“He’s got to wear it!” Perla said.

“He’s a religious boy” Rose said.

David scooped up the cap, plunked it on his head, grabbed his cases, and started after the train again.

“Hurry!” Everyone shouted.

“Run like you’ve never run before!” Rose and Perla said together.

At the last minute David threw his cases onto the platform of the car, clambered up the steps, and sank in a heap on the floor. He was gasping for breath; his cap and clothes were sopping wet.

The kids clapped and cheered.

For 13-year-old Jacob, growing up in 1920s Poland is no picnic. After the deaths of his parents and younger sister, he’s sent to live with his uncle and his family. Although they are good to him, when the new baby arrives, they can no longer feed Jacob, and he’s sent to live in an orphanage for Jewish children. The staff at the orphanage are kind, but life is bleak and prospects few. The one thing that brightens his days is playing in the orphanage mandolin orchestra.

When a benefactor arrives with the opportunity for Jacob and his friends to start a new life in Canada at a Farm school, Jacob and his friends are excited beyond belief. They travel by train and by ship, but, when a stowaway becomes dangerously ill, Jacob will have to overcome his fears and doubts to help his new friends face the challenges of their journey and their new life.

In Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure, author Anne Dublin has created a fascinating work of historical fiction that will introduce children to a little-known part of Canadian history. Inspired by real events, the story chronicles what life was like for Jewish orphans growing up in Eastern Europe, and what it might have been like to be one of the child immigrants coming to Canada.

The story is rich with detail, and Dublin does an excellent job of painting a picture from a child’s lens of how tough a journey it would have been. Jacob and his fellow travellers face difficult and uncomfortable conditions on the ship and are confronted with racism and ignorance when their orchestra plays for the wealthy passengers. She also captures their trepidation about leaving everything behind and arriving in a new country where they don’t speak the language or understand their customs.

Not everything about the journey is bad, however, and Dublin is careful to balance the negative with the hope and optimism that Jacob and his friends feel about their new lives in Canada, and readers will get caught up in their excitement over their arrival in Halifax and the joy Jacob feels at playing his mandolin.

The story is well-paced and straightforward, and, while the Yiddish terms are explained directly in the text, it might have been helpful to include a glossary and pronunciation guide for additional reference. The author did include a section of historical notes about the real places, events, and people on which the story is based, as well as a list of consulted sources, both of which help provide students with additional context.

Overall, Jacob and the Mandolin Adventure is an interesting and relatable story, and it is an excellent text to supplement a classroom study of immigration to Canada.

Recommended

Reviewer:

Rachel Seigel is an Adult selection Specialist at LSC and an author.