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Cramel (Hebrew: כראמל) is an Israeli children's book series by Meira Barnea Goldberg, illustrated by Keren Mai Metcalfe (books 1–4) and Rami Tal (books 5-present). As of December 2022, the series has sold over 300,000 copies.[1] In December 2023, the eighth book in the series called "Mrs. Bloom rules" was released.[2]
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| Author | Meira Barnea-Goldberg |
|---|---|
| Language | Hebrew |
| Publisher | Kinneret Zmora-Bitan Dvir |
| No. of books | 8 |
Premise
editA woman named Mila adopts three orphans: Robbie (Robert), El El (Elliot) and Gol (Gabriel). One morning, they receive a mysterious package from their uncle Arthur Jerome who informs them that he has passed away and divided his inheritance into three gold rings. El El chooses the Ring of Happiness, which grants him Jerome's castle and all 500 of its servants. Gol chooses the Ring of Industry, which grants him both of his uncle's automotive factories. Robbie chooses the Nameless Ring and it grants him Arthur's cat, Cramel. Two of the rings have restrictions: El El must live with Mila and his brothers until Robbie turns 18 and Gol will only get the factories at 18. Nonetheless, Robbie receives no warnings or rules. When they move to the castle, they discover that the housemaster, Mimi Bloom and her daughter Helena live there and cannot be fired due to an intervention set up by Arthur many years ago. Robbie discovers that the cat, Cramel, can talk and hides his other abilities from Robbie, such as: mind reading, turning stone into gold, invisibility and more. Mimi and Helena try to steal the three brothers' inheritance, focusing especially on the cat.[3]
Reception
editOverall, the book received praise. Critics noted the resemblance to Roald Dahl's books[4] and the feelings evoked by the story "with the scent of the past ... along with important lessons about true friendship, courage, self-belief and true love."[5]
Events
editFrom August 8 to 26, the Dizengoff Center hosted attractions promoting the Cramel book and TV series. The attraction was planned to take place despite the recent Gaza–Israel clashes. The attractions included: cat adoption, workshops with Cramel book illustrator Rami Tal, story time with actor and voice-actor Tomer Sharon, an activity and creative complex with activity booklets and riddles, Daily prize-bearing quizzes compiled by the author, and a cat themed cake-making contest.[6][7]
Adaptations
editTV Series
editThe books were adapted into a television series also titled "Cramel", with its first, second, and third seasons airing on Kan Educational with the first season releasing on January-February 2022, [8] The second season on February-March 2023, and the third season on February-March 2024. A fourth season is officially in the works, expected to release as early as January-April 2025.
Comic Book
editA comic book adaptation of Cramel was published in June 2022[6] and was illustrated by Nadav Nachmani.[9] It takes place when Cramel is still a kitten.
Musical
editOn Hanukkah, December 19, 2022, a musical inspired by the Cramel book series had its first showing at the Orna Porat Children's Theater and was released concurrently with the 7th book.[10][6] It was written by Roi Segev and Shireli Desha and directed by the original author Meira Barnea Goldberg. The release was paired with an opportunity to get Barnea-Goldberg's signature and partake in a communal menorah lighting.[11]
Awards and Nominations
editIn 2017, the second book in the series was selected as a candidate for the "Ha-pinkas" outstanding youth book award category.[12]
In 2018, the book won the Devorah Omer Award in the field of Hebrew literary work for children as an outstanding book for youth.[13]
References
edit- ^ Uziel, Reut (December 20, 2022). "5,000 איש הגיעו להשקה של הספר החדש בסדרת כראמל". mako.co.il. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "איזבו, נוער שוליים ומחווה לאבי נשר: 7 המלצות לאמצע דצמבר". Voila! (in Hebrew). December 15, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "כראמל 1". Wikikids (ויקיקידס) (in Hebrew). 2020-03-22. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ Ref, David (June 20, 2017). "כראמל" הוא חתול לא פראייר"". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ Ben Shlomi, Dana (2014-09-23). "כראמל: ביקורת ספרים". Mako. Retrieved 2022-12-22.
- ^ a b c Kimchi, Yosefa (August 7, 2022). "נשמה של חתול: פסטיבל כראמל בדיזינגוף סנטר יפתח כמתוכנן". Maariv (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Cramel Festival 2022 - Dizengoff Center". Dizengoff Center (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Gili, Izakovich (January 3, 2022). "מפלט פנטסטי מהמציאות עבור ילדים ישראלים". Haaretz (in Hebrew). Retrieved 2022-08-26.
- ^ "כראמל הקומיקס: ההשקה". bac.org.il. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
- ^ Davis, Barry (December 15, 2022). "Hanukkah entertainment and family-friendly activities across Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Shachal, Maya Nachum (December 18, 2022). "מדליקים נרות עם כראמל - ועוד אירועי חנוכה למתקדמים". calcalist.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "עיטורי "הפנקס" ליצירות מצטיינות 2017 – הרשימה הקצרה : הפנקס – כתב עת מקוון לתרבות וספרות לילדים". ha-pinkas.co.il. November 21, 2017. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "פרס דבורה עומר, או בשמו המלא פרס שרת התרבות והספורט בתחום הי" (in Hebrew). 2021-05-19. Archived from the original on 2021-05-19. Retrieved 2022-12-18.