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The Ninth Night of Hanukkah

Erica S. Perl - Author

Shahar Kober - Author

A Hanukkah picture-book story about a family settling into a new apartment, neighbours’ practical and humorous help, and an idea for thanking them through a ninth-night celebration.

More about this book

"It's Hanukkah, and Max and Rachel are excited to light the menorah in their family's new apartment. But, unfortunately, their Hanukkah box is missing. So now they have no menorah, candles, dreidels, or, well, anything! Luckily, their neighbors are happy to help, offering thoughtful and often humorous stand-in items each night. And then, just as Hanukkah is about to end, Max and Rachel, inspired by the shamash ("helper") candle, have a brilliant idea: they're going to celebrate the Ninth Night of Hanukkah as a way to say thanks to everyone who's helped them!" --

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

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Helping· AffirmedGratitude· AffirmedCommunity· Affirmed

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

helpinggratitudecommunity

FictionPicture book

Themes in Context

Neighbourly help and gratitude

Neighbours offer Max and Rachel stand-ins for the Hanukkah items they lack; the children then plan a ninth night to thank those who helped.

How the book presents it: The children’s response presents gratitude and neighbourly help positively, through their decision to create a celebration of thanks.

Talk about: What forms of help do the neighbours offer, and how do the children choose to respond?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The story connects Hanukkah’s shamash, or helper candle, with gratitude and neighbourly kindness. Its focus is on the children’s response to receiving help and creating a way to express thanks.

What Deserves Attention

The missing holiday box is the story’s starting problem; neighbours supply substitutes. Consider whether moving or misplaced belongings might connect with a child’s own experience of settling somewhere new.

A Conversation Worth Having

What might the shamash’s role as a helper candle suggest about the children’s idea for thanking their neighbours?

Reading Approach

Enjoy the neighbours’ stand-in items as part of the humour, then pause at the shamash-inspired idea to talk about different ways people can show thanks.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Neighbourly help and gratitude: The children plan a ninth-night celebration to thank their helpers; the celebration itself and the neighbours’ responses are not described.

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah - Erica S. Perl - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Neighbourly help and gratitude

The Ninth Night of Hanukkah by Erica S. Perl | Open Library