What do you think?
Rate this book
Calling Cobber
Eleven-year-old Jacob “Cobber” Stern has the world on his shoulders. Still grieving for his mother six years after her death; frustrated by his distant workaholic father; abandoned by his best friend Boolkie, who now has to study for his barmitzvah; and overwhelmed by his sense of responsibility for his ailing almost one-hundred-year-old great-grandfather, Papa-Ben. On top of that, Boolkie is pressuring him to perform his magic act at the school talent show, a terrifying prospect given how badly wrong that went last time Cobber performed at school.
As Cobber navigates the multiple challenges of his life, he learns more about the people around him: why his father works so hard and Boolkie’s reasons for having a barmitzvah. In the process, he begins to understand more about himself and the threads that bind them all together. And as events force him to negotiate his complicated relationship with Judaism, he begins to see what it means to those he is closest to, and what it could mean to him.
Calling Cobber is about making decisions, answering life’s big questions, and working out how to process the past in order look to the future. Full of warmth and compassion and at once funny, emotional and profound, it is a touching, thought-provoking story of grief, faith, family and friendship.
As Cobber navigates the multiple challenges of his life, he learns more about the people around him: why his father works so hard and Boolkie’s reasons for having a barmitzvah. In the process, he begins to understand more about himself and the threads that bind them all together. And as events force him to negotiate his complicated relationship with Judaism, he begins to see what it means to those he is closest to, and what it could mean to him.
Calling Cobber is about making decisions, answering life’s big questions, and working out how to process the past in order look to the future. Full of warmth and compassion and at once funny, emotional and profound, it is a touching, thought-provoking story of grief, faith, family and friendship.
256 pages, Paperback
Published October 30, 2020
5 people want to read
About the author
Sheri Cooper Sinykin
31 books13 followersSheri Sinykin was lead author of the Magic Attic Club series in the mid-90s, and published nine other books for young readers. She lives in Wisconsin and in Arizona."
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 3, 2021
I feel like I learned a lot about bar mitzvah's in this book. The author really delved into the purpose of the ceremony, what goes on, and whether you need to have one to be truly Jewish.
Cobber is firmly against having a bar mitzvah, but when his best friend decides to start classes in preparation he feels alone and left out. Cobber is also worried about disappointing his great grandfather, who's health is declining as he approaches 100 years old. I felt bad for Cobber, his dad worked the majority of the time, his best friend was busy with classes, and his PapaBen is starting to forget things and needs more care. That's a lot for an eleven year old to go through.
I was happy to see Cobber's family come together and for him to realize that there's no right way to practice Judaism. He gained confidence in himself and I was proud when he performed at the talent show. I did think the story could have included Cobber and his dad having a conversation about how lonely he felt. They made up but I thought some tough conversations were left out. I also thought there was an overload of information about bar mitzvahs, especially for a middle grade book.
The cover of this is misleading to me. I thought the focus would be on magic, maybe even real magic. Instead, magic tricks are more in the background and religion is at the forefront. I'd appreciate a different cover that reflected more of the plot.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Green Bean Books and NetGalley for the copy.
Cobber is firmly against having a bar mitzvah, but when his best friend decides to start classes in preparation he feels alone and left out. Cobber is also worried about disappointing his great grandfather, who's health is declining as he approaches 100 years old. I felt bad for Cobber, his dad worked the majority of the time, his best friend was busy with classes, and his PapaBen is starting to forget things and needs more care. That's a lot for an eleven year old to go through.
I was happy to see Cobber's family come together and for him to realize that there's no right way to practice Judaism. He gained confidence in himself and I was proud when he performed at the talent show. I did think the story could have included Cobber and his dad having a conversation about how lonely he felt. They made up but I thought some tough conversations were left out. I also thought there was an overload of information about bar mitzvahs, especially for a middle grade book.
The cover of this is misleading to me. I thought the focus would be on magic, maybe even real magic. Instead, magic tricks are more in the background and religion is at the forefront. I'd appreciate a different cover that reflected more of the plot.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thank you to Green Bean Books and NetGalley for the copy.
September 14, 2020
It's the year 2000 and 11 year old Cobber has just started the 6th grade. He is still sad about his mother's death 6 years ago. He wants to be closer to his father but his father is always working. Cobber and his dad both spend time looking out for Cobber's 100 year old great grandfather Papa-Ben who lives in nearby Senior Housing. Cobber loves magic and wants to be a magician but is too shy to perform in front of anyone. Cobber also isn't sure of his identity or culture. His family is Jewish but they aren't pressuring him to make his bar-mitzvah and he isn't sure if he wants to. Basically, Cobber is having a rough time of life emotionally and feeling disconnected from his family.
This was a sweet and emotional story about a boy trying to figure out who he is and also trying to figure out how to make his family feel like a family again. I enjoyed it but didn't feel fully drawn into the story.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book!
This was a sweet and emotional story about a boy trying to figure out who he is and also trying to figure out how to make his family feel like a family again. I enjoyed it but didn't feel fully drawn into the story.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews