Louey Levy’s Greatest Catch

in English, 408 pages,
The Troy Book Makers, 2010
Order here

It’s 1959 in the little city of Newburgh, New York, and all 11-year-old Louisa (“Louey”) Levy wants to do is listen to rock ‘n roll and play baseball with her big brother and their pals. It’s an idyllic, small-town life — until that life starts to crumble around her. In the space of just a few months, Louey’s hero Buddy Holly is killed in a plane crash; her mother dies; and her father, Newburgh’s city manager, suffers a stroke as he prepares for the city’s 250th anniversary celebration. When she finds her best friend’s teenage sister bleeding in an alley, Louey must quickly — and painfully — learn the meaning of loyalty and courage in the midst of loss. In the tradition of “Dirty Dancing” and “To Kill a Mockingbird,” this touching novel is filled with endearing, eccentric characters, a great deal of humor, and an exploration of Jewish and American values — all of which Louey needs to pull her through.