Faye has a tough time concentrating in School. It's easier to be silent
and fade into the woodwork than take on the challenges of kids at school
who mock her bi-racial heritage, and her competitive family at home,
none of whom are good listeners. Except possibly for her brother Shiloh,
who tries to speak extra so she doesn't have to. (Maybe a bit too much
extra?) They have a private made up language that they call "Effalese"
which is Japanese (from one side of the family) written in Hebrew
letters (from the other side of the family.) And a thousand inside
jokes.
But the family dynamic is shattered when their uncle and cousin from the
Jewish side arrive unannounced to say that it's time the children learn
the secret family magic: Golem Crafting. And it seems Faye DOES have a
gift for it, even more so than Shiloh. But will it truly be the thing
that makes Faye feel whole? And will it heal the bitter rifts in the
family?
Emi Watanabe Cohen's story travels from the most awkward surface
tensions to the beautiful depths of Jewish culture and lore for a tale
of magical and emotional discovery.