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Seven Stories Press

Works of Radical Imagination

Book cover for Adam and Thomas
Book cover for Adam and ThomasBook cover for Adam and Thomas

A 2016 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book

Winner of the 2016 Sydney Taylor Book Award, Association of Jewish Libraries

Finalist for the 2016 National Jewish Book Awards

Translated by Jeffrey Green

Illustrated by Philippe Dumas

In Adam and Thomas, Aharon Appelfeld gives us the story of two nine-year-old Jewish boys who survive World War II by banding together in the forest. They are alone, visited only furtively, every few days by Mina, a mercurial girl who herself has found refuge from the war by living with a peasant family. She makes secret journeys and brings the boys parcels of food at her own risk.

Adam and Thomas must learn to survive and do. They forage and build a small tree house, although it's more like a bird's nest. Adam's family dog, Miro, manages to find his way to him, to the joy of both boys. Miro brings the warmth of home with him. Echoes of the war are felt in the forest. The boys meet fugitives fleeing for their lives and try to help them. They learn to disappear in moments of danger. And they barely survive winter's harshest weather, but when things seem to be at their worst, a miracle happens.

Book cover for Adam and Thomas
Book cover for Adam and ThomasBook cover for Adam and Thomas

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“Deeply moving and powerful: unforgettable”

“A real masterpiece . . . . The best book of the year."”

Adam and Thomas is at once a finely wrought fable and a realistic tale of survival—a tale of resourcefulness, of friendship, of the kindness of strangers, of the mysterious ways of fate. It’s a book that shows us how sheer will and hope can sustain life in the direst of circumstances. It’s a book that teaches us to marvel at simple miracles: a piece of bread, a sip of milk, the sight of a familiar dog. Most of all it’s a story of generosity, one that suggests that the act of giving may be as necessary to our survival as food or drink. Thank you, Mr. Appelfeld, for the gift of this magical book.”

blog — September 24

35% Off Seven Titles from Triangle Square

For One Week Only: 35% Off Seven Titles from Triangle Square, our Imprint for Young Readers

At Seven Stories and at our children’s imprint, Triangle Square, we believe in talking *up* to young readers, not down to them. That’s why you’ll always find works on our children’s list that both challenge and inspire. Check out seven select titles below! All of them are 35% off through October 2, 5PM EST. Each comes bundled with a free e-book edition, and there’s free shipping for all books within the U.S. (Please Note: All these books are 35% off! They are for sale for the lower of the two prices displayed above the buy buttons.)

Zinn’s first book for young adults retells US history from the viewpoints of slaves, workers, immi- grants, women, and Native Americans, reminding younger readers that America’s true greatness is shaped by common people, outcasts, and dissidents, not military and corporate leadership.

“This is the edition of A People’s History that we have all been waiting for.”—Deborah Menkart, Executive Director, Teaching for Change

The gripping story of globalization as told through travel, trade, colonization, and migration from its beginnings in the fifteenth century to the present. Here is the story of how sometimes the greatest leaps also posed the greatest threats to human advancement. 1493 for Young People provides tools for wrestling with the most pressing issues of today, and will empower young people as they struggle with a changing world.
 

Jared Diamond’s first foray into illustrated young adult nonfiction is both an explosive indictment of human nature and a hopeful case for a better survival.

“This is exactly the kind of book that should be a ‘set text’ for a reinvigorated science curriculum: en- gaging, thought-provoking and bang up to the minute. If your teachers aren’t recommending books like this —go out and get them anyway.”––Guy Claxton, author of What’s the Point of School?

From artist and Egypt specialist Tamara Bower comes her third, gorgeous book about Ancient Egypt. Using the classic style of Egyptian art, the book is painstakingly accurate in facts and illustrative style. Artifacts, funerary customs, kid-pleasing gory details of the mummification process, hieroglyphs, and details of life in ancient Egypt are told through the eyes of Ipy, whose father is embalmer to the King.

“Spectacular! The art is fabulous. The text is fascinating. This is going to be a classic.” —Dr. Bob Brier, Egyptologist, author of Egyptian Mummies: Unraveling the Secrets of an Ancient Art

Two nine-year-old Jewish boys survive World War II by banding together in the forest. They are alone, visited only furtively, every few days by Mina, a mercurial girl who herself has found refuge from the war by living with a peasant family. Adam and Thomas must learn to survive and do, and barely make it through winter’s harshest weather, but when things seem to be at their worst, a miracle happens.

“Adam and Thomas is at once a finely wrought fable and a realistic tale of survival—a tale of resourcefulness, of friendship, of the kindness of strangers, of the mysterious ways of fate. . . . Most of all it’s a story of generosity, one that suggests that the act of giving may be as necessary to our survival as food or drink. Thank you, Mr. Appelfeld, for the gift of this magical book.”––Julie Orringer, author of The Invisible Bridge 

A comic book for kids that reimagines “sex talk” for the twenty-first century. Including children and families of all makeups, orientations, and gender identities, Sex Is a Funny Word is an essential resource about bodies, gender, and sexuality for children ages 8 to 10 as well as their parents and caregivers.

“You could send your kid to college and graduate school, and years of therapy, to learn how to lovingly come to terms with their gender and sexuality. Or you could simply read this book with them—it’s that thorough, and that good.”—Kate Bornstein, author of My New Gender Workbook

Trevor mixes humor and realism in an urgent look at what it is like to feel alienated from everything around you. And more importantly, what critical ties can appear at the most unlikely moment, to save you from despair, and give you reason to go on living. James Lecesne is co-founder of The Trevor Project, the only nationwide 24-hour crisis intervention and suicide prevention lifeline for LGBT and Questioning teens.

“Trevor is important because its protagonist does not represent a single character, but serves as a vessel for the joy, despair, and alienation that LGBTQ youth can encounter every day at school and at home.”—Porter Square Books Blog 

Aharon Appelfeld

First championed in the English language by Irving Howe and Philip Roth, Aharon Appelfeld was born in a village near Czernowitz, Bukovina, in 1932. During World War II, he was deported to a concentration camp in Transnistria, but escaped. For the next three years, he wandered the forests. In 1944, he was picked up by the Red Army, served in field kitchens in Ukraine, then made his way to Italy. He reached Palestine in 1946. Today, Appelfeld is Professor Emeritus of Hebrew literature at Ben-Gurion University at Beersheva, a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He has authored numerous books including Long Summer Nights and Adam and Thomas, and has won numerous prizes, including the Israel Prize; the MLA Commonwealth Award in Literature; the Prix Médicis étranger in France; the Premio Grinzane Cavour and Premio Boccaccio Internazionale; the Bertha von Suttner Award for Culture and Peace; and the 2012 Independent Foreign Fiction Prize. In 2013, he was a finalist for the Man Booker International Prize. Appelfeld died in 2018.