Ellen Schwartz – författare

Winner of the 2025 Western Canada Jewish Book Award Diamond Foundation PrizeHolocaust survivors are depicted as more than just victims in this historical fiction novel for middle grade readers.Inspired by a true story, and told in two different time periods, Friends to the Rescue takes place in Fossa, Italy, a small mountain village that offered refuge to Jews during World War II. When the village suffered a devastating earthquake 65 years later, the Jewish refugees whom the town had helped traveled to Fossa to return the favor. On April 6, 2009, Luca and his grandfather Roberto were eating lunch together in their quiet home in Fossa, Italy when disaster struck. An earthquake shook the house, forcing them to scramble out and into the streets. As wave after wave trembled the ground, Luca watched as his home and small village fell to rubble.In the days ahead, with roads impassable, the village was cut off from the rest of the world. Luca and his neighbors needed to work together to survive. Nurses, doctors, and Luca's grandfather Roberto tended to the wounded, while others scoured the ruins of homes and businesses to look for food and water. It took four days for aid to arrive. When the rescue workers came, they brought welcomed surprise visitors.During World War II, Luca's grandfather Roberto, then just a boy, had helped in another type of rescue. One afternoon, Roberto found his parents clearing out their basement pantry and replacing food with beds. They told him there would be visitors coming to stay with them for a while . . . visitors that must remain hidden. A family of Jews from Rome moved into their pantry, seeking refuge from the German armies that were now in Italy. Their young daughter Sara and Roberto became the closest of friends but lost touch after the war. It would take an emergency to bring them back together.

It's 1785 and flyers are showing up all around Boston complaining that the Hays family is holding Jewish religious services in their home.Armed only with courage, conviction, and some amateur sleuthing skills, cousins Catherine Hays and Judah Truro set out to investigate, joined by their friend Joseph, Paul Revere's son. Can the three friends find the culprit and get him to stop?This historical fiction transitional chapter book for ages 6-8 features real-life American heroes, focuses attention on the principle of religious freedom in the early days of the United States, and introduces young readers to Moses Michael Hays, Boston's most prominent Jewish citizen of that time."A thought-provoking and insightful historical mystery." —Kirkus Reviews"Not only a good introduction to the period, but an excellent way to introduce religious tolerance." —Historical Novel Society"This is an entertaining way for children to learn American history." —Jewish Book Garden"Recommended for synagogue and public libraries." —Association of Jewish Libraries

It is 1947 and Yankee fever grips the Bronx. Nine-year-old Joey Sexton joins the neighborhood kids who flock to the park to team up and play. However, Joey is of mixed race and his skin is lighter than the other kids’. He is seldom picked.When Joey’s mother dies, he is sent to live with his mother’s estranged family. Joey is whisked away to Brooklyn. Though it’s just across town, it might as well be a different world. His grandfather, his aunt Frieda, and his ten-year-old cousin Roberta are not only white, they are Jewish. Joey knows nothing about Brooklyn or Judaism. The only thing that’s constant is the baseball madness that grips the community. Only this time, the heroes aren’t Joey’s beloved Yankees. They are the Brooklyn Dodgers, especially Jackie Robinson, a man whose struggle to integrate baseball helped set the stage for black America’s struggle for acceptance and civil rights.Joey’s story takes readers to a time when America’s favorite pastime became a battleground for human rights.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Whether it’s for health, humane, or taste reasons, many young people are vegetarians. This is the perfect book to help them be healthy ones. It provides a history of vegetarianism, advice on balancing one’s diet, yummy food ideas, and, best of all, ways to cope with sticky situations. How do you handle the inevitable trips to the local burger joint? How do you resist Grandma’s attempts to get you to try just a bit of her famous roast turkey? How do you respond to dire predictions that it’s meat that makes you strong? For young people who are vegetarians, or for those who are thinking about making the switch, this is an invaluable resource.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Selected for inclusion in the Best Books for the Teen Age 2004 List by the New York Public Library.Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, but its surge in popularity among young people is new. I Love Yoga is not a how-to book. It is the book for those who are already hooked, as well as for those who are just curious about this ancient activity.Ellen Schwartz – author of I’m a Vegetarian – presents the history of yoga, different styles, yoga benefits, concerns, cautions, misconceptions, equipment, and basic postures. There is information for those with physical disabilities and tips on yoga as part of a lifestyle – even for those who do not use the poses – especially to de-stress. Fascinating information is offered in a teen-friendly format.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Gwen lives for dancing. When she has the chance to take an intensive - and expensive - course far from home, she knows her parents will object. She also knows that she can usually convince her father to support her. She raises the subject when they''re together skiing, but the discussion turns into an angry confrontation that is cut short by a sudden dreadful avalanche that almost kills her dad.The avalanche leaves terrible damage in its wake. Gwen is left wracked with guilt and injuries that may end her career as a dancer. Her life is complicated by her best friend, Molly. Molly has her own demons, and may either be a danger to Gwen or part of her salvation. Gwen must find a way to make peace with Molly, with her family, and with her own conscience if she is ever again going to experience the freedom that dancing brought her.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Take a dash of colorful characters, a pinch of danger, and generous scoops of adventure and you have a terrific culinary mystery for young readers.Five cousins are looking forward to their annual vacation at their grandmother’s cottage. None of them knows that this may be their last such summer. A mining company has set its sights on the land and is determined to seize it. Grandma must produce the deed to prove that the property is really hers, but her memory is not what it used to be, and she can’t find it. The children suspect there may be clues to the deed’s whereabouts somewhere in the family’s cherished trove of recipes. But can they solve the mystery in time?Adult mystery buffs have had many culinary mysteries to choose from. Ellen Schwartz introduces her young readers to a delicious genre. She even provides easy-to-follow and yummy to eat recipes.

From the Hardcover edition.

Ten-year-old Kenny (Kenji in Japanese) worships his older brother, Mickey (Mitsuo), a baseball hero whose outstanding performance on the Asahi baseball team has given him fame and popularity. Despite Kenny''s suspected heart condition, he is determined to practice secretly with Mickey so he, too, can one day try out for the Asahi. But world events soon overtake life in this quiet community. When Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in 1941, everything for Kenny and his family spirals out of control: schools are closed, businesses are confiscated, fathers are arrested and sent to work camps in the BC interior and mothers and children are relocated to internment camps. When Mickey is arrested for a small act of violence, Kenny manages to keep his family''s spirits up, despite the deplorable conditions in camp. Coming across a "vacant" field covered with scrap wood, broken shakes and torn tar paper, Kenny gets permission to clear it and convert it into a baseball field. One by one, the boys in the camp pitch in, and the work gives purpose to their long days. Kenny''s persistence, hard work and big dreams shape the teen he is to become in this story of happiness found despite all odds.