Sauerkraut

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The hero of this funny, kindhearted novel is HD Schenk, a 12-year-old self-proclaimed "black geek"--he's a biracial German-American-- who dreams of building his own computer with help from his understanding parents, his best friend Eli, and others in his small town. His summer takes a turn when he discovers an old pickling crock among his late grandmother's belongings. "All pickling crocks are haunted," says a local mystery writer. Enter Marietta, the ghost of his German great-great-grandmother, who has an agenda of her own: get other to make her famous sauerkraut and win the title of Pickle Queen at the county fair. Jones weaves identity into the story seamlessly, and offers a model for incidental representation: the diverse cast of characters (including HD's disabled veteran father and gay uncles, and Eli, who grapples with a learning difference), encounter casual racism as well as brief ableism and homophobia, but these incidents are more like bumps in the road than central plot points, and HD and company confront them swiftly and effectively. Jones's nimbly constructed plot features no adversary beyond competing needs for time and attention in a happy family, and it doesn't bother with the usual conflicts about who can see the ghost (everyone, eventually). Celebrating the collision of old and new worlds, this simple but smart saga will appeal to kids who like their ghost stories more sweet than sour. Ages 8--12. (Sept.)

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Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--6--Maker and superhero-loving HD Schenk has a plan to build his own computer from scratch and enter it into the county fair this summer. But first he must earn enough money to buy parts, so he offers to help clear out his uncle's basement. On his first trip downstairs, HD encounters a ghostly voice. When he finds an old pickling crock that had been used by his great-great grandmother (Oma) to make sauerkraut, HD realizes that Oma is haunting the crock and she has a singular mission: to enter her sauerkraut in the county fair and win. As the only person who can hear Oma's voice, HD is compelled to help her but has trouble balancing his own dreams and goals for the summer with the demanding Oma's. Instead of keeping Oma a secret, HD introduces her first to his best friend Eli and then to his family and trusted members of his community. Oma is a strong enough ghost to work a pencil (among other kitchen equipment) and communicates with everyone through notes. This thoroughly quirky tale highlights the importance of mutual respect, community, and family heritage. HD, who is biracial and bicultural (black and German American), must constantly explain why he doesn't look like his dad, and has integrated his parents' different cultural backgrounds into his worldview. The grown-ups encourage HD and his friend to make time for their own goals and summer plans and respectfully accept Oma into their lives. Lists and plans and scientific observations of various projects are featured throughout, as well as warm, evocative pencil illustrations by Davey. VERDICT A ghost story about family heritage and obligations that will appeal to fans of family-driven, slice-of-life tales.--Kristy Pasquariello, Westwood Public Library, MA

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

A spectral great-great-grandmother and a secret sauerkraut recipe trigger an exploration of family, identity, and community.Hans Dieter "HD" Schenk is a maker, creating everything from a goat obstacle course to a computer of his own design to enter into a tech contest at the county fair. HD navigates the world as a biracial, bicultural black German American who loves Wakanda and who can converse in polite, formal German. When, one day, he comes across an old sauerkraut pickling crock inhabited by the ghost of his great-great-grandmother, he and his family find themselves enlisted in Oma's project to win the fair's pickle prize with her famous sauerkraut. While Oma and the ghost-story vehicle are an ingenious storytelling device, the adults seem to accept the ghost almost too readily. However, they also do so without shaming or infantilizing HD, his little brother, or his friend. The book foregrounds race, culture, and identity, but they are not the entirety of the plot. Being black and German American is an ongoing negotiation for HD, but Jones presents this as a feature and not a bug; as HD says, "I've had a lot of practice explaining why I don't look like my dad." Nuanced conversations about aging, disability, language, sexual orientation, mental health, race, and culture are hidden in the nooks and crannies of every chapter. Davey's spot illustrations enliven the proceedings.A ghost story full of nuance and depth. (Paranormal adventure. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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You know, there are a lot of ghost stories out there that just aren't that realistic. Maybe somewhere there's a ghost that wants to spend all their time clanking chains around or whatever. But I bet most ghosts have better things to do. They're busy people, after all, and they're pretty focused on what they need to do. Kind of like me. Only, more ghostly. My full name is Hans Dieter Schenk. My dad's name is Hans Peter Schenk. Before him came Hans Frederich Schenk, and before that came Hans Franz Schenk. (He wanted to be called Franz, because, come on, would you introduce yourself as Hans Franz? It would not be good, not even in olden times.) Before him came more guys back in Germany called Hans Something too. They all looked pretty much the same in old photos, with pale skin and pale hair and square chins and eyes that were probably blue, like my dad's. All except for Hans Franz, who had a bigger nose than the rest. They all fit their names exactly. Mom says I got my chin from my dad. But honestly, I look a lot more like her and my little brother, Asad. I have short black locs, and medium- brown skin, and brown eyes, and no one ever thinks my dad is my dad unless they know us. (Sometimes they even think my dad is my best friend Eli's dad, not mine, just because they're both white. It's . . . awkward.) So, people call me HD. My mom's name is Kikora Davis Schenk. She has darker skin than me and much longer locs, and she is a no- nonsense person. She says that knowing where you came from is important, but so is knowing who you are, and what kind of person you want to become. I've been thinking about that a lot lately. Right now, most adults know me as "Kikora's son-- the older one" (because everybody knows my mom) or "Hans Peter's son-- the older one," or "Gregor's oldest nephew," or "that boy who takes care of Mr. Ziedrich's goats for him." Most kids know me as "that Black kid with the white dad and the weird name-- the older one," or even "Asad's older brother." But after they've seen the computer I'm going to build from scratch, old- school- style, they'll know me as "HD, the maker." I like the sound of that. Excerpted from Sauerkraut by Kelly Jones, Paul Davey All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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