It's a Whole Spiel

July 1, 2019
A revelatory short story collection whose spiel is teenage longing and devotion. Locke (The Spy With the Red Balloon, 2018, etc.) and Silverman (You Asked for Perfect, 2019, etc.) have compiled #ownvoices stories by some of the hottest names in YA in which young people strive for self-discovery and belonging. From sports camp to synagogue, from a Shabbat table to an airplane, from America to Israel, readers encounter teens who feel they are not enough--not Jewish enough, not secular enough, not sexually experienced enough. Jewish teens travel alone, have crushes, make space for God, feel inadequate, and confront shame around not feeling like a good Jew. They kvetch and cry, show surprising amounts of chutzpah, and most, eventually, find their ways to what is sacred, which is not always religious. The stories are vibrant and honest portrayals of contemporary teenage life, with the stronger ones stacked at the end of the volume, most notably Locke's layered narrative of a fractured friendship healed digitally via fan fiction and Moskowitz's (Salt, 2018, etc.) purposefully fragmented and artful narrative of a young woman in her first lesbian relationship dealing with identity and disordered eating on the holiest day of the year. There is diversity in sexual orientation and levels of religious observance; one protagonist is Latinx. Although racially myopic, these are sincere and enlightening stories about achieving self-acceptance. (contributor biographies) (Short story collection. 14-18)

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July 22, 2019
In this anthology of 14 short stories by YA authors, the protagonists experience all the familiar exhilaration, embarrassment, and anxiety of late adolescence, with physical symptoms to match: they’re torn, they freeze up, they blush, and one character’s heart “crash against her rib cage.” They are also Jewish, and what that means—in terms of family, upbringing, and beliefs—adds additional layers of questioning and rumination to their fledgling sense of themselves. Several characters are growing up in interfaith or highly secularized families; the narrator in Hannah Moskowitz’s “Neilah” (named for the closing service of Yom Kippur) yearns for her family’s Christmas tree even as her relationship with a more devout young woman deepens. The voices throughout feel confiding, empathic, with just the right amount of self-deprecating humor; in several stories, a playful, meta sensibility incorporates footnotes, texting, and Tumblr posts. And throughout, the underlying assurance is that the world is largely benign or benevolent—as the narrator of Alex London’s “Indoor Kids” says, “I’d had my bar mitzvah and come out of the closet the same year, and both went... fine.” Ages 12–up.

November 15, 2019
Grades 9-12 There are many #OwnVoices anthologies out there, but this compilation of short stories by Jewish authors might be a first. Locke and Silverman have collected 14 stories, and, though the circumstances vary (there are two stories about Birthright trips), there is an underlying unity in how insecure many of the teens feel about their Judaism. A number come from nonreligious homes; some don't feel Jewish enough; and others try to pretend they are more Jewish than they are when confronting crushes who are more knowledgeable about their shared faith. This tentativeness will no doubt strike a chord with many readers who fall on the more secular side of Jewishness, but they will also be familiar with the pull of being Jewish, whatever level of worship. The stories vary in quality, with David Levithan's blend of religion and romance being the standout. But there's poignancy in Dana Schwartz' meditation about her inability fo find romance, and a fresh feel to Locke's story about a fan-fiction writer. A forward by The Big Bang Theory star Mayim Bialik is a good opener.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)