Steve Sheinkin is an American author of suspenseful history books for young adults. A former textbook writer, Sheinkin began writing full-time nonfiction books for young readers in 2008. His work has been praised for making historical information more accessible.

Rabbi Harvey

Sheinkin has written and illustrated three fictional

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

s about Rabbi Harvey, a fictional

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

who also functions as an

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

sheriff, using Jewish rabbinical wisdom to solve problems usually solved with firearms in the fictional Rocky Mountain town of Elk Spring, Colorado. The books, which were published through

Jewish Lights Publishing Jewish Lights Publishing is a publishing company. Founded in 1990 by Stuart Matlins in Woodstock, Vermont, the company publishes works for children and adults that come from a Judaic perspective, yet provide wisdom to readers of any spiritual back ...

, consist of ''The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey, Rabbi Harvey Rides Again,'' and ''Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid.'' The eclectic stories, which combine Jewish legends and frontier legends, sprung from Sheinkin's own eclectic childhood as a

Jewish-American American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora J ...

boy raised on both Jewish folktales and American

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. The character of Rabbi Harvey also contains elements of the author's own father, David Sheinkin.

Awards & honors

Sheinkin's nonfiction books, '' Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon'' and ''The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights'', were both

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The N ...

finalists. In 2013, ''Bomb'' also won the

Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist * Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), ...

and

Sibert Medal The Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal established by the Association for Library Service to Children in 2001 with support from Bound to Stay Bound Books, Inc., is awarded annually to the writer and illustrator of the most distinguished in ...

from the American Library Association. ''The Port Chicago 50'' won the Carter G. Woodson Book Award in 2015. His 2015 book, ''Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War'', was also a finalist for the National Book Award, and was called “easily the best study of the Vietnam War available for teen readers.

Select bibliography

*''Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown'',

Roaring Brook Press A roar is a type of animal vocalization that is deep and resonating. Many mammals have evolved to produce roars and other roar-like vocals for purposes such as long-distance communication and intimidation. These include various species of big cat ...

, 2021 *''Born to Fly: The First Women's Air Race Across America'',

, 2019 *Time Twisters series **''Neil Armstrong and Nat Love, Space Cowboys'',

, 2019 **''Amelia Earhart and the Flying Chariot'',

, 2019 **''Abigail Adams, Pirate of the Caribbean'',

, 2018 **''Abraham Lincoln, Pro Wrestler'',

, 2018 *'' Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team'',

, 2017 *'' Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War'',

, 2015 *''The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights'',

, 2014 *''

The Notorious Benedict Arnold ''The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery'' is a non-fiction biographical adolescent book about Benedict Arnold. Written in 2010 by Steve Sheinkin, the book encompasses the whole life of Benedict Arnold, f ...

: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & Treachery'',

Square Fish In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length ad ...

, 2013 *''Lincoln's Grave Robbers'',

Scholastic Press Scholastic Corporation () is an American multinational publishing, education, and media company that publishes and distributes books, comics, and educational materials for schools, parents, and children. Products are distributed via retail and on ...

, 2013 *'' Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon'',

, 2012 *''Which Way to the Wild West? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About Westward Expansion'', Flash Point, 2009 *''Two Miserable Presidents, Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the Civil War'',

, 2008 * Rabbi Harvey graphic novel series **''Rabbi Harvey vs. the Wisdom Kid: A Graphic Novel of Dueling Jewish Folktales in the Wild West,''

, 2010 **''Rabbi Harvey Rides Again: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Folktales Let Loose in the Wild West,''

, 2008 **''The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom and Wit in the Wild West,''

, 2006 *''King George: What Was His Problem?: Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution'', Flash Point, 2005

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheinkin, Steve American writers of young adult literature Carter G. Woodson Book Award winners Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Jewish American novelists American graphic novelists American historical fiction writers 21st-century American Jews