David and Max

Great and moving book about family and legacies and friendship. And it was delivered very promptly.

This beautiful book, originally published in 1988, has been newly updated and revised. None of the compelling style of the original edition has been lost. On the surface, this is a story of a special relationship between a 12-year old boy that loves basketball and his grandfather, Max. The two share many experiences together. In reality, it is also an opportunity, through Max and David's shared experiences, to make the Holocaust real and to create real people living rich and full lives prior to the coming of the Nazis. On a vacation to coastal Massachusetts, Max thinks he has seen an old friend who he thought had been killed during World War Two. David is the only one who believes that Max may be correct, and attempts to help him find this friend, whose art is exhibited in a local gallery. While they are attempting to locate his grandfather's old friend, David begins to learn about the Holocaust and about his grandfather's background for the first time. This book is replete with wonderful values of friendship and family and honesty, and serves as an introduction for preteens to this horrific period in Jewish history. The revised edition has several updates, which succeed in making the story more appealing to contemporary readers. For instance, David has seen the documentary, Paper Clips, which had not been created twenty years ago. Highly recommended for ages 10-13.