Rebecca Reznik Reboots The Universe

I am a sucker for Jewish monsters and demons. I devoured the Golem of Prague books as a kid, and while I avoided most horror novels, I delighted in the late night stories about Sheidim we kids would tell each other in the bungalow colony when no adults were watching. Still, my menagerie of Jewish monsters remained fairly small – a tiny flock in comparison to the hordes of mythical beasts and creatures I read about in non-Jewish books and stories. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that Jewish tradition is actually steeped in monster lore and many of the small traditions we practiced – like never fully boarding up a window – were rooted in demonology. Kids today have better reading options and far more access to these stories. 

In her debut, Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World, Samara Shanker gave us a nice picture of golems and one or two other creatures. In the sequel, Rebecca Reznik Reboots the Universe, she dives right back into the well, displaying the fact that according to some passages in the Talmud, everything from stubbing your toe to wearing a hole in your sweater, can be attributed to magical beings up to no good. 

The main characters are the same trio of friends we have already come to know and love, but this time Rebecca takes center stage as the viewpoint character. This narrative choice results in two interesting developments for the reader. First, by seeing the former viewpoint character of Naomi through Becca’s eyes, we get a more nuanced feel for her than when we were inside her head in book one. Rebecca is keenly observant and the adage that nobody knows us better than our friends is very true in this case. It was fascinating to see the characters through this new pair of eyes. 

The second difference, which is more pivotal to the plot, is that Naomi and Becca’s heads work very differently. Naomi is presented a neurotypical, whereas Becca is neurodivergent. A label is never affixed to her in the text but we are given enough context clues to figure it out and experience Becca’s world her way. This is especially important when it comes to how she views the magical creatures vs. how Naomi does. There is nothing magical about Becca, the book does not fall into the common trap of romanticizing or mythologizing neurodivergence, but rather Becca’s unique viewpoint proves crucial to the plot and resolution. 

The creatures that appear in Becca’s home over the eight nights of Hanukkah are some of my favorites, and I guarantee they will be favorites of MG readers too. The shirika panda even appears! (Do not worry if you don’t know what that is. It’s one of the more obscure, but delightful or terrifying depending on who you are, creatures mentioned in Jewish demonology.  The trio approaches things with their usual charming optimism and friendship, and some old their allies from the last book make cameo appearances, as do Naomi’s moms who are indeed very different when viewed through Becca’s eyes. 

Another major difference between the two books, is that now that the friends are older topics like dating (none of them are interested), and bras now come up. Becca is also struggling to reconcile maturing emotionally with her neurodivergence. She describes feeling sometimes left behind by her friends, despite their reassurances, and a crucial part of the books conclusion is her realization that different is not necessarily a bad thing and that she too is maturing right along with her peers. 

I don’t know if we will get a third book from Eitan’s point of view. I’d certainly be interested to see how that shifts the dynamic, and there are plenty of magical creatures left. But in the interim, I’d recommend this one as a great Hanukkah gift to help young readers learn about some of our more entertaining creatures as well as seeing the world from different perspectives. And if that’s not enough, there’s a tiny creature-that-is-definitely-not-a-Hanukkah-goblin holding a dreidel on the cover. What more could you ask for?

Find It: Goodreads | Bookshop | Amazon