The Devil's Arithmetic

Hannah’s mom picks Hannah up from the house of her best friend, Rosemary. Hannah, who’s almost 13, had jelly beans, Easter candy, and a large dinner, and her mom is upset. It’s Passover, and Hannah and her family are going to Hannah’s grandma and grandpa’s house to eat. Hannah says she didn’t know it was Passover, but her mom is skeptical. Hannah doesn’t want to go. She’s not hungry. Her mom says Passover has a meaning greater than food: Passover is about remembering. Hannah doesn’t want to remember. Her mom says Hannah should remember how much family means to her grandparents. The Nazis killed Grandma Belle’s parents. They killed eight members of Grandpa Will’s family. Hannah admits that she remembers.

Hannah and her family live in New Rochelle, New York, and her grandparents live in the Bronx, a borough in New York City. In the car, Aaron, Hannah’s younger brother, worries about messing up the Four Questions, which are the responsibility of the youngest child to recite on Passover. Hannah says she’ll help him if he stumbles. After tickling him, she tells him a story loosely based on a zombie movie she watched on TV the night before. 

At the Bronx apartment, Aunt Rose tells Hannah she’s beautiful.