Ruthie and the Golem

Ruthie Lev is only ten years old, but her life is already full of more trouble than most. Her mother is deathly ill, the other children are bullying her at school over it, and in the distance looms the threat of Cossack violence against her tiny town. So when Ruthie hears the story of the golem at school, she knows that it's exactly what she needs in order to help bring her life back into order. She steals a small amount of clay from school - and much to her amazement, when she finishes building her tiny clay man and carves the word emet (truth) into his forehead, he comes immediately to life.