A young girl. An old woman. And the ancient bond that unites them against evil. EVIL is the furthest thing from 12-year-old Miriam Saperstein's mind. With a new stepfather, a baby brother, and a move from her tiny Long Island town to Brooklyn to live with a great-grandmother she barely knows, she feels lost, lonely, and in need of something - or someone - to entertain her. When Miriam meets the elderly woman known in the neighborhood as "The Iceberg," the stranger makes an astonishing claim: that they both are part of an ancient line of Jewish women - extending back to the biblical Miriam - capable of shielding others from the Evil Eye. First skeptical, then intrigued, Miriam is eager to learn about the amulets and Hebrew blessings that The Iceberg declares can ward off misfortune caused by the Evil Eye. Though her great-grandmother proudly confirms their family history, Miriam's mother forbids her from pursuing what she considers superstitious nonsense from an unhinged old lady. But Miriam persists in secret, believing that The Iceberg's lessons will help her defend herself and her friends against an ominous threat...one that could be even more deadly than anyone suspects. Will the ancient protective methods Miriam and The Iceberg rely on be enough when real Evil turns its eye their way? Generously seasoned with Hebrew and Yiddish, The Hand of Miriam is an original, positive coming-of-age story that weaves together Jewish folklore and tradition, the hidden inner strength of girls and women, and the struggles of finding one's place in the world.
