The Bearer of the Paper Crown

With touching simplicity, these stories depict Amalia’s struggles to keep her fantasy world alive in the strict atmosphere of a kibbutz in the 1950s. Amalia, age 8, is a nonconformist, a dreamer and a spinner of fantastic yarns.

The title story tells of Amalia’s friendship with a recent immigrant from Egypt. Proclaiming that the newcomer is an Egyptian princess, Amalia calls her “Nefertiti” or “Titi.” In another story, Amalia refuses to share her new life-size doll, even when it means taking on the entire kibbutz.

Amalia’s bravado and the acrobatics she performs on the tightrope between her rich fantasies and reality are irresistible. Each of these stories seems more eloquent than the preceding one, all acutely perceptive about the heroine’s complex inner world.