When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

National Jewish Book Award Finalist

Imag­ine Neil Gaiman meets Fid­dler on the Roof. Or Sher­lock Holmes meets Fiv­el Goes West. Nei­ther com­par­i­son is exact­ly accu­rate, but they do help paint a pic­ture of When the Angels Left the Old Coun­try–a sweep­ing, engross­ing tale that fol­lows two mys­ti­cal crea­tures, an angel and a demon, as they jour­ney to Amer­i­ca from their small shtetl in the ear­ly twen­ti­eth century. -Evie Saphire-Bern­stein, Jewish Book Council

Uriel the angel and Little Ash (short for Ashmedai) are the only two supernatural creatures in their shtetl (which is so tiny, it doesn't have a name other than Shtetl). The angel and the demon have been studying together for centuries, but pogroms and the search for a new life have drawn all the young people from their village to America. When one of those young emigrants goes missing, Uriel and Little Ash set off to find her.

Along the way the angel and demon encounter humans in need of their help, including Rose Cohen, whose best friend (and the love of her life) has abandoned her to marry a man, and Malke Shulman, whose father died mysteriously on his way to America. But there are obstacles ahead of them as difficult as what they’ve left behind. Medical exams (and demons) at Ellis Island. Corrupt officials, cruel mob bosses, murderers, poverty. The streets are far from paved with gold.

Ages 12-18