Read the first few chapters and was drawn in by the characters. Wasn’t until a little way through that the tone of the book changed and the realization dawned that in this book an adult (father) commits suicide.

The author does a good job prefacing the relationship all the boys had with that one father: they’d all watch the Three Stooges and recite lines from it, Alas, I didn’t venture further than the point where the word starts to spread about the father’s death.

It’s a book that’s difficult but still engaging, I’ll have to return to it to finish.

It has become increasingly common to address grief with a middle grade audience. This one diverges from the pack in two significant ways: the death is a freind's parent and its is a suicide. So we add in anger and difficulty in adequately expressing emotion to the standard grief struggles. All of this adds up to a rather uncomfortable read, especially as Noah continually makes the worst possible choices, making an already bad situation exponentially worse. Which is one thing I like about it. Things don't magically get better. Noah nearly irreparably destroys his friendship. there are Consequences.

This book... So well done - tackles a tough subject with grace, understanding, and even a bit of humor.
Noah and Dash are best friends. They go to Hebrew school together and love comedy. The best thing is that Dash's dad shares their love of comedy. Their sleepovers are filled with comedy sketches and humor. Things are going so well. Noah's bar mitzvah is coming up and even though he has to share it with a girl Noa (cue the ark jokes) he is excited. Then there is the comedy project that the school is doing. Noah, Dash, and Noa are going to be the Three Stooges. Epic!
Then the unthinkable happens. It turns out Dash's dad suffered from depression and commits suicide. The repercussions, emotions, and misunderstandings threaten Noah and Dash's friendship and even Noah's bar mitzvah.
I was skeptical when I read what this book was about but I was impressed by the balance and the understanding that was evident. There was a point where I felt the book was getting really heavy but it was soon balanced out with some light humor. I really appreciated the references to famous comedians including those who have dealt with depression and even suicide. For a heavy topic this was approached well and would be a good book to build understanding.

Seventh graders Noah and Dash are on the fast track to careers in comedy. They spend every extra moment studying comedy, trying out new comedy routines, listening to Dash's dad's old comedy records, and looking up old and new comedy clips on the internet. Noah looks forward to the time he gets to spend with Dash and his dad on the weekends. 

But during the week, Noah has a lot on his plate. First of all, there's his nemesis, Noa. While they have the same name, Noa is a girl, and not just any kind of girl, but the kind who is smart and who is universally good at everything and loved by adults. And she is his bar mitzvah partner. 

Things aren't all bad for Noah. He has two moms who love him and an older sister who, despite being a devout vegan, is okay at being an older sister when he needs one. And she makes good cookies. Usually. Plus, when they asked for ideas for a project at Hebrew school, he suggested they study Jewish comedians, and his idea was picked. Now, he and Dash can do their presentation on The Three Stooges, even if they do have to include Noa on their team. 

And then something happens. The worst happens. Dash's dad dies. 

As Noah tries to find out what happened and to be there for his best friend, he finds that he just keeps saying the wrong thing and doing the wrong thing and making both Dash and himself feel worse. And then when he finds out that Dash's dad killed himself, he is shocked and has no idea how to be a good friend to Dash. A series of mistakes and bad choices create a rift between the two boys that Noah may not be able to fix, even with a classic slip on a banana peel. 

Erica S. Perl's All Three Stooges is a challenging but warm look at friendship and grief. Noah is far from a smart character, but his bad choices show his humanity in a very difficult situation. As Noah tries to repair his relationship with Dash, and just to understand a little bit of what Dash is going through, we as readers follow along step by step. It's a journey of grief, healing, and compassion, and Perl has expertly lead us through from the beginning to the end. 

I highly recommended this one for young readers, for those who have found themselves in one of life's painful situations as well as for those who haven't yet tasted grief. It's funny and well written, smart and interesting. An excellent middle grade book (for all ages). 



Galleys for All Three Stooges were provided by Knopf Books for Young Readers through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.

There aren't many books with Jewish main characters and I loved the richness of this cultural perspective, especially the way the main character interacts with his Rabbi. Noah and Dash have always loved comedy -- but when Dash's dad commits suicide, their friendship is shattered. The author contrasts comedy with grief as Noah tries to make sense of what happened to his friendship with Dash.

E ARC from Netgalley

Noah Cohen and Dash are best friends who like to hang out and goof around, watching old comedies movies and drinking root bear with Dash's father Gil. They also go to Hebrew school together and are preparing for their bar mitzvahs. Noah isn't happy to find out that a girl who goes to his school, NOA Cohen, is scheduled to have her ceremony on the same day as his. That's the least of his worries, however, when Dash's father dies suddenly. Noah's mothers, Jenny and Karen, don't have a lot of details, even after the funeral. Dash is avoiding Noah, and loses his phone. Noah picks it up, and scrolls through the messages, uncovering the fact that Gil has killed himself. His mothers say this is the case, but don't elaborate or talk to him too much about it. Noa seems to be closer to Dash that Noah is, and the two boys just end up not talking. Noah doesn't manage to give the phone back in a timely fashion, and eventually gets in trouble for it, which almost cancels his bar mitzvah. In the meantime, life in Noah's school and home goes on, although he and Dash both need help in dealing not only with Gil's death but with their estrangement from each other.
Strengths: There are lots of good details about what it is like to come of age in a community with a significant Jewish population(near D.C.), which would be a good window book for many of my students, whether they are Jewish or not, since the Jewish population in my community is very small. The inclusion of Jewish comedians is interesting. The difficulties that Noah and Dash have following Gil's death are very realistic and understandable.
Weaknesses: I found it difficult to believe that Noah's mothers weren't up front with him about Gil's death, knowing how close he was with Dash's father, since he himself does not have any other father figure in his life. People on the east coast seem to overshare all kinds of unpleasant information, and with the concerns surrounding suicide today, I found it unfathomable that Noah wasn't given more support.
What I really think: This was a really good attempt at dealing with the death of a parent by suicide, and also a good, detailed description of the preparations involved in a bar mitzvah. With the addition of the trouble between Noah and Dash, this was a lot for one book, and having so many issues diluted all of them. I don't know that I will purchase this book, although my main objection is that the cover is horrible and the book would have to be hand sold. Conflicted about this one.

Wow! All Three Stooges by Erica Perl was one of those books I didn't want to put down and at the same time didn't want to be over. I was struck by the relationships and raw emotion throughout the book. Friendships change during tragedy and triumph and often all we see in books are friendships during triumphs. Perl delved deep into a very difficult topic with extreme sensitivity and at the same time a realness that children and people who had experienced the type of loss and pain could relate to easily.
If I am being completely honest I have not always been a huge fan of Perl's work. Some I enjoyed and some I did not, but this book, this book made me a fan for life. I am so impressed by her writing and story-telling ability through this book. All Three Stooges is a book I will recommend as a window, mirror and sliding glass door book for years to come. It is a book that sticks with you.