The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story | 
 enlarge | Author: Lemony Snicket
Creator: Lisa Brown
Publisher: McSweeney's
Category: Book
List Price: $11.00
Buy New: $5.85
You Save: $5.15 (47%)
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Rating:  29 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Pages: 48
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.6 x 6.1 x 0.4
ISBN: 1932416870
EAN: 9781932416879
Publication Date: October 28, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
Latkes are potato pancakes served at Hanukkah, and Lemony Snicket is an alleged children’s author. For the first time in literary history, these two elements are combined in one book. A particularly irate latke is the star of The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming, but many other holiday icons appear and even speak: flashing colored lights, cane-shaped candy, a pine tree. Santa Claus is briefly discussed as well. The ending is happy, at least for some. People who are interested in any or all of these things will find this book so enjoyable it will feel as though Hanukkah were being celebrated for several years, rather than eight nights.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Something totally different December 21, 2008
Marbled Rye (New York, NY)
There's a delightful irony in the confused reviews who think this book is critical of Christmas. "The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story" is a *Hanukkah* story about the difficulty of being misunderstood. It's a wonderful little story that manages to fit a lot of laughter and insight into very few pages (the illustrations are also great). It's also a Lemony Snicket book, so yes, there's some subversive humor (the crack about pagan holidays is a good one), but this book was a big hit in my mixed-faith household where just the other day we had an argument over whether latkes are "like hashbrowns" or instead something "totally different."
At last, the real meaning of Chanukah emerges December 20, 2008
dnk (Boston, MA United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is about as funny as Snicket's other works- definite humor, but very dark. It says something that the hero of the story ends up being eaten at the end. (I mean, didn't the kids from A Series of Unfortunate Events fare better?)
After a harrowing "birth", the latke goes on to have encounters with some of the symbols of Christmas, including Christmas lights, candy canes and a pine tree during which it (he?) explains why Chanukah came into being. The latke starts off in righteous, loudmouthed indignation, but by the time he gets to the pine tree he's hoarse and resigned, so much so that he's about to have to endure his own schooling about pagan rituals. Thankfully, he's rescued by a family who already knows about the true meaning of Chanukah and takes him home. And then they eat him.
While I thoroughly enjoyed this little book, I hope your child's Chanukah literature includes works that are little lighter and take more joy in the tradition as opposed to emphasizing the (all too real) isolation most Jews feel during "the holidays." But I've got to say, that's part of what makes this so funny.
The best Hannukah/Holiday book I've seen yet! December 10, 2008
J. Levine (Amherst, MA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Wow! I just read this book to my 8 year-old & my 5 year-old. A lot of it went over the little one's head, but my 8 year-old & I were rolling on the floor! It's tough to be Jewish in December, to have neighbors telling us that the block would look so much better if we decorated our houses, too, to have to explain to the kids why Santa doesn't visit their house. There's pressure to embrace it all, (attempts to outlaw "Happy Holidays" in favor of "Merry Christmas"! Ack!!) & just assimilate to the point where Jews are decorating "Hannukah bushes". This remarkable little picture book eloquently demonstrates this frustration & feeling of being an outsider through the voice of a freaked-out & fed-up potato pancake! A fractured "gingerbread man", the latke runs screaming from first the family frying it in hot oil, then a string of lights & a candy cane & finally falls exhausted at the foot of a pine tree--where the final hilairous twist occurs. I'm buying it for all the cousins for Hannukah this year. A "not to be missed" book for Jews on Christmas & curious non-Jews as well.
 The Lemony Snicket Who Wouldn't Stop Screaming November 18, 2008
Stephanie Spicer (Cincinnati, Ohio USA)
5 out of 44 found this review helpful
This is the worst children's book I have read for a long time, and that's saying something, considering the junk that is on a market which I try to keep myself informed upon. Tell me something, Mr. Snicket: would you tolerate a book containing the level of prejudice yours contains, if its sentiments were antisemitic rather than antichristian? I am a Christian, but I stand up for the Jews when I hear antisemitic comments. You are obviously not interested in combating prejudice, but in promoting your own ideology at the expense of others. Why don't you find something more important to scream about than people confusing two holidays together, something like the plight of your people in Israel at this moment? I don't know why you should even care about the "real" meaning of Hanukkah since you are an atheist to begin with. And you seem to forget that there are many Christians who care about and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, that it is not just about presents and candy to us, and that some of the objects we use in celebrating it are also symbolic, as are those used to celebrate Hanukkah. If someone wishes me a happy Hanukkah, it does not offend me or make me have an identity crisis; if I thought you felt the same way, I would wish you a merry Christmas.
A story that educates and entertains November 7, 2008
Feathered Quill Book Reviews (Goshen, MA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
A latke makes a quick getaway from a frying pan hoping to challenge its fate, and so begins this Chanukah adventure. Along its journey, the latke encounters a Christmas tree, Christmas lights and a candy cane. Lemony Snicket's, The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: a Christmas Story, is a clever tale that offers a cursory overview of the history and meaning of Chanukah; simultaneously presenting a unique perspective of how it feels to celebrate a holiday that has no affiliation to the tsunami of all holidays, Christmas.
Because of its proximity to Christmas, Chanukah is often thought to be the Jewish version of that holiday. The Latke who Couldn't Stop Screaming provides the reader a tongue-in-cheek look into some of the real frustrations Jews face when dealing with misconceptions about Chanukah. The candy cane thinks that someone should write a carol about the latke; the Christmas lights, mistaking the delicacy for hash browns, envision the latke looking sublime next to a Christmas ham, and on it goes. The whimsical illustrations by Lisa Brown, keep the tale light, while the author vigorously repeats the theme that Chanukah is not related to Christmas. In the final pages of the story we see a Jewish family searching in the woods, the father holding an ax. When they come upon the perfect Christmas tree the family rejoices, but when the father peers under the tree and sees a latke, he is reminded of his own birthright. The importance of respecting one's cultural heritage is brought to the fore.
The author details some of the differences between the two holidays, such as the fact that gifts play a minimal role in the Chanukah celebration, also noting that the menorah candles are not just for ornamentation, but that they symbolize the Jewish history of survival. The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming serves as a reminder to Jews of the power and beauty of their faith, while for non-Jews it is a primer, educating them about the differences between the two holidays. The overwhelming message is that all traditions are meaningful and unique, and must be honored as such. This tale is audacious and creative, and a welcomed addition to the holiday genre.
Quill says: A wonderful book for both children and parents that educates and entertains.
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