Beinoni [Hardcover]

In a Beinoni time there should be no war, no terrible illness, no crime. Even if that also means there won’t be any great discoveries, any cures, anything extraordinary. Ezra believes that’s worth fighting for.

In fact, he’s been training most of his life to fight a battle to determine whether Beinoni time continues, or gives way to a more violent, less certain future. He is the Nivchar, the chosen one, with the sign of the scales on his skin. When he comes of age at his bar mitzvah, so too will the gurya, a fiery beast of uncertain form, emerging from a cave to conquer, destroy, and herald a time of conflict.

But Ezra begins to sense that something is very wrong. His friends, his neighbors, the whole world is losing the careful, even balance he’s come to expect in a Beinoni time. It was always uncertain whether he’d be able to best his terrifying, magical foe. But now, is it even possible?

Mari Lowehas too little free time and spends it all on writing and escape rooms. As the daughter of a rabbi and a middle school teacher at an Orthodox Jewish school, she looks forward to sharing little glimpses into her community with her books. She lives in New York with her family, menagerie of pets, and robotic vacuum. Her debut middle grade novel,Aviva vs. the Dybbuk,received critical praise and was named a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner.

Author Residence:Queens, NYThis coming-of-age tale packs in a lot of worldbuilding that develops Ezra as a character while explaining the complicated rules of his destiny. His dual lives as a student in an Orthodox community and a chosen hero are compelling, with real stakes and interesting side characters& a thrilling, nuanced adventure novel about destiny and what it means to be a hero.?"Part mystery, part Jewish fairytale, and plenty of fun. Readers will be rooting for Ezra as he does his best to save the world."Jewish readers, particullÃ'