A Problem Called Chavi / When the Mendel family moves into the small Jewish community of Newfield, England, the quiet neighborhood is quickly disrupted. Mr. Mendel must work out of town all week, leaving Mrs. Mendel to cope with eight very active and energetic children. The biggest problem is belligerent daughter Chavithe most unfriendly, uncooperative young teen at Beis Leah Senior School. Things progress from bad to worse until Chavi's next-door neighbor, Shifra Perlstein, tries to overcome Chavi's hostile attitude and become her friend. In the end it is a serious accident that improves the situation. Vogiel's characters are nicely developed, and the story moves along smoothly. The text is interspersed with several full-page black-and-white illustrations. Non-Jewish readers may be confused by unexplained terms and customs. The action of the story and Shifra's optimism and sincerity, however, will sustain wider appeal.
