This book made me cry and think about death (accepting death, fearing death, and even death as a character, which of course made me think of [b:The Book Thief|19063|The Book Thief|Markus Zusak|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522157426l/19063._SY75_.jpg|878368]). Right from the beginning, you know this book is going to be sad, but I didn't think it would make me sob. Which it did.

I'm not sure if this would be good bibliotherapy for a reader who is grieving the loss of a loved one. On the one hand, I'd say no because this book is brutal in its depiction of illness, suffering, and desperation. On the other hand, maybe yes because there is a journey that leads to peace and acceptance.

The story is told in four parts with each part introduced by a narrator whose identity isn't revealed until the end. I really liked these parts. It's sort of like what [b:The Patron Thief of Bread|39909124|The Patron Thief of Bread|Lindsay Eagar|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630074755l/39909124._SY75_.jpg|61763378] did with the gargoyle, but better because of the brevity of these sections. It's also sort of like the reveal of the narrator in [b:The Ogress and the Orphans|58328436|The Ogress and the Orphans|Kelly Barnhill|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1644818724l/58328436._SY75_.jpg|91457082].

I also liked that this book has a message to offer readers, but it leaves some room for interpretation. What would have happened if Ziva had succeeded in stealing a magic feather and healing her brother? We'll never know. I liked that the people who live in Luz were just left there and the Milcham doesn't change. If BBBR were more didactic, I think Ziva would have given a speech intended to enlighten the residents of Luz and the Milcham. But instead, readers might ask if the Milcham is right in refusing to magically heal people. We might ask why some people are content to stay in Luz where they can't eat or read or age.

The only thing that kept this from being a 5-star read for me was that there were times I felt a little lost in the narrative. Maybe if I understood history and Judaism better I would understand the whole story better. Some things seemed like important symbols but I wasn't sure of their meaning. So that's personally a 4-star book for me. Even with the glossary and afterward, I was still left feeling a little unsatisfied, e.g. the garlic (spear-leek) at the end, the significance of the ravens, and how Tengrism relates to Judaism.

Updated to add: I just got the spear-leek/garlic thing! Garlic is a powerful remedy to protect against infections of many bacteria, fungi, and viruses. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458355/

( )

I said it yesterday and I will say it today

If this does not receive any recognition at the ALA Youth Media Awards, I will be VERY surprised. Yes, I need to dive more into just what the committee looks for, but in the meantime, I think of the things that stand out to me.

1.) An amazing storyline. Where I flitted between the line of magic realism and fantasy with the realistic fiction components.
2) A different setting. I do not often see books that involve Jewish protagonists (especially in NON Holocaust/WWII texts).
3.) The LOVE between brother and sister. Ziva would do anything for Pesch, even face Death in the face. I loved the sacrificial love and bond that the both shared at different times throughout Black Bird, Blue Road. It made me teary.
4.) I found the dialogue to be very well written. I know, I know, this shouldn't stand out to me. It should be the case all the time. But let's be real. It's middle grade fiction and there is a lot of garbage out there.

Read this book, y'all. I need to process it more but right now, all I can say is wow. This story will be enjoyed by many of my patrons. It reads like an adventure novel. It would have mythology elements that appeal to fans of Percy Jackson. It is a sibling story. It's clean of content. It's a winner in my book. ( )

Ziva will stop at nothing to keep her gravely ill brother alive, even if that means teaming up with a half-sheyd to outrun the Angel of Death. Racing across a folkloric ancient Khazaria to a city where it is said Death cannot enter, the companions must confront their greatest fears. (Sydney Taylor Middle Grade Honor) ( )

This novel is a 2023 Lone Star selection. Yes, it's well done, however, I feel it's a book students will enjoy more if read with a class or in a book club. It would also be a good book for someone dealing with grief and loss. It's a book about death. This book can sort of be seen as historical fiction, representing the 10th-century Khazar kingdom. The note at the end of the novel asks you to get a map and find the places discussed in the novel.

The book begins with Ziva cutting off one of Pesah's fingers. You eventually learn that Ziva's twin brother has leprosy. Ziva is the only person in the household who visits with him regularly, in person, and is also the only one who amputates his fingers as the body slowly dies off. He's covered in bandages from where the leprosy has attacked his skin. Pesah wants to be a doctor; he's super smart and, if given the chance, could find the cure for leprosy. Ziva determine that Pesah will NOT die on her watch.

No one can match Ziva's stubbornness. She listens to absolutely no one. She yells and does what she wants. It's her birthday, which means it's Pesah's birthday. He MUST be there. They try to explain that he can't. She dresses him and takes him; afterall, he likes parties and she doesn't. It's a very short party. No one will get near Pesah and then he seizes and has a vision. The vision shows him on a road with the Angel of Death. After this disastrous night, Ziva and Pesah's father dictates that she can no longer visit Pesah. She could get sick as well. Pesah will be moved to a colony for people like him. Ziva can't imagine life without Pesah. She sneaks the family wagon to Pesah's house and loads him up. They will undergo a journey to Luz, the fabled city where death cannot reach anyone. You can live forever.

The journey is the heart of the novel. When bandits appear quickly, they also find a shedim, a half-shade. He has some powers and will help them if they help him. He also does not fear Pesah and spends time with him as well. This journey is Ziva's journey to understanding and accepting death. The conversations that she has with the Angel of Death are enlightening and thought-provoking. The novel possesses so much love and grief--the value of death. If you've experienced loss, this novel will have to much to say to you. It's truly really good, but I'm not sure how many middle schoolers will read it because it's a thought-provoking novel instead of action. ( )

Ziva is determined to help her brother Pesah discover a cure for his leprosy and live a long, full life, even if their parents have already given up on him. When the twins' uncle comes on Rosh Hashanah, he is going to take Pesah with him and send him to live in a leper colony. Ziva won't stand for this: she takes Pesah, his wheeled chair, their family's wagon and two horses, and they run away. At first, they are heading to Byzantium to see if there are any doctors there who could cure Pesah, but when they run into a half-sheyd, Almas, their destination changes: they are now headed for a city called Luz, the one place the Angel of Death won't go. There, they will be safe - but at what cost? And does Luz really exist?

Ziva is strongheaded, with a passion for justice and fairness - she wants to be a judge like her father - but her quickness and passion sometimes come at the expense of listening to what those around her truly want, or understanding their true feelings and behaviors beyond what she has observed and concluded. She is determined and fearless, willing to poke out the eyes of the Angel of Death in order to keep her brother with her, but in the end, it's a different deal she makes.

Back matter includes afterword, acknowledgments, and a glossary of Jewish/Hebrew words and terms as well as some other specialized vocabulary used in the book.

See also: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Quotes

Hello!
Come in.
Sit down.
Don't be scared. This is a very important story, after all, and you shouldn't be afraid to hear it. It's from a very long time ago. A thousand years! IN those days, they used to begin their stories like this: There was one, there was no one. (first sentences)

"I wonder if, before we were born, you pulled all the fire out of me for yourself." (Pesah to Ziva, ch. 7)

Ziva's mother just wasn't at all knowledgeable about her children. (ch. 8)

"I was standing on a road. A blue road through a red land." (Pesah's vision, ch. 11)

"Do you really think there's a cure in Byzantium?"
"We won't know until we get there." (Pesah and Ziva, ch. 13)

"I know a place he'll be safe from the Angel of Death." (Almas to Ziva, ch. 19)

"Where I come from, kindness is enough." (Almas, ch. 20)

"And what does that matter anyway - who my parents were, and what they did?" (Almas to Ziva, ch. 25)

But she wasn't good at apologizing or admitting she was wrong. (ch. 26)

"I can't fix how I acted before. I can just change how I act in the future." (Ziva to Almas, ch. 26)

"I really needed someone and no one came, and then you two really needed someone, and I was there, so..." (Almas to Ziva, ch. 26)

"Mankind has been given five fingers, because one finger would not be enough."
..."So?"
"So," the boy said. "There are many paths to the heavens. Because one path would not be enough." (ch. 31)

"But once you're there, you can never leave. Death waits outside the city, and anyone who steps outside..." (ch. 31)

And if Pesah died, Ziva would be alone, too. They would each be without the other. They'd never been alone in their lives; not really. They'd never done something without the other one there. Even birth.They'd come into the world together, but Pesah's illness had forced Ziva to face the knowledge that they would very likely leave the world far, far apart. (ch. 37)

"Life!" Ziva said. She motioned to the room around them. "No food. No books. No...anything that we love. Do you think this is living? No, Pesah. This is just...this is just not dying." (ch. 43)

"Smart people aren't the only ones who can do good! Anyone can do good. Anyone can change the world. Not just the brilliant people." (Almas to Ziva, ch. 45)

"Being smart is not the best thing someone can be. Smart people aren't better than everyone else. Your life is worth living, and Pesah's is going to end soon, and you can't trade. Death doesn't work on trades." (ch. 45)

Ziva was going to bargain with the Angel of Death for her brother's life. (ch. 45)

"But I don't kill anyone. I mean, I don't cause the circumstances that lead to their death. I'm there at the end, to free them from whatever pain they have." (Angel of Death to Ziva, ch. 46)

"I'm just a regular angel," he said. "Nothing special. And my time came to perform the Angel of Death role, so here I am. And it's not my favorite, but..." He leaned closer and whispered, "Baklava."

"What's better, stars or baklava?" Ziva asked.
"Baklava." He answered immediately. "No contest." (ch. 47)

"Death is not a punishment....The kindest and most noble people still pass into my darkness, but not because of any crime or sin, but because they must." (ch. 47)

"Why is it okay that you die for me, but not the other way around?"
"Because--" Ziva said...
Because she loved him. And she didn't know how she'd live without him. (ch. 48)

"Are you okay?"
"No," she said...."But I think I will be. Someday." (Almas and Ziva, ch. 50)

The hole in her heart was still there, but its edges were softer. Somehow. (ch. 51)

Once, Ziva has wondered if, when the Angel of Death came for her, he would remember who she was and what she had done. And I can assure you that yes, yes indeed, the Angel of Death remembered her. Still remembers her. (ch. 52 - he is the narrator) ( )