The fiasco of this year's holidays has angered [Sam Goodman]. Why can't his parents just choose one or the other? Why is there a conflict, especially if religion doesn't mean that much to them?

In a slightly breathless style, but with an enthusiasm that is catching, [Bruce Feiler] tells his young readers about a visit to Israel. "In the Middle East, I realized, the Bible is not just a book. It's a living, breathing entity. The stories didn't just happen anywhere. They happened here."

Feiler's story is an adventure that both excites and inspires. It's a terrific way to add another dimension to the Bible stories, to see them as real stories that occurred in real places.