The Witch of Fourth Street and other stories by Myron Levoy

Rating: 8.5 of 10 stars

Here are eight fine short stories suitable for reading aloud by parents or teachers. All take place in the Lower East Side of New York City many years ago. This neighborhood beneath the Second Avenue El (elevated train) has become a new home for immigrants from many countries: Russia, Greece, Ireland, Lithuania, Italy, the Ukraine, and more. There families are involved in watch repair, selling fish, peddling smallwares and in their children who run around and through these streets.

Likewise, the characters run around and through each other's stories. Aaron Kandel, a lesser character in the title story, is the protagonist of "Aaron's Gift." He, Cathy Dunn and Joey Basuto of "Witch," figure in "Andreas and the Magic Bells." This sense of being in each other's stories both conveys and reflects the reality of neighborliness.

But this permeability of relationship and acquaintance is not the recommending feature of this collection. Rather it is the psychological truth in the behavior of the neighborhood children, both for good and not. For example, the willingness and technique used by an older boy to trick Aaron into surrendering his most treasured possession rings true...as does Cathy Dunn's bias against what she doesn't understand about an old woman, and the gift of kindness for Keplik, the burnt match buyer, by his friends.

To me, today's writing for children seem strongly colored by a number of cultural influences and cliches. Among these are dialogue patterns from situation comedies, events of continuing destruction similar to car chase movies, and a sense of playing to the audience as a substitute for believable character development.

Contrarily, Levoy offers us the truth of these human attributes: idealism, superstition, selflessness, jealousy, love, greed, embarrassment, and hope. We get to see them at work and become the wiser for his honest and clear vision of what it means to be vulnerably human.

Usual Borrowers: Fourth grade and up
Genres: Historical fiction, People and relationships, Short stories
Also: 8 1/2 or Better List