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A review by courtnoodles
It's a Whole Spiel: Love, Latkes, and Other Jewish Stories by Katherine Locke, Laura Silverman
3.0
Average Rating: 3.1 stars
And in the math world, we round that down.
While there were a lot of stories that didn't quite work for me, as a whole collection, it's pretty great. From kids who are Orthodox, to kids who are Jewish by blood only, and everyone in between, the diversity within Judaism was greatly explored, and I have to give brownie points for that. Always appreciative of stories that can fit any demographic, and are applied to minorities just because. I'd be curious to check out some of the authors here. And of course, it never hurts to have more unapologetically Jewish YA.
The Breakdown
"Indoor Kids" by Alex London
A science-obsessed camp counselor bonds with a fellow Jewish counselor while tracking updates on a catastrophic spacecraft explosion. 3 stars.
"Two Truths and an Oy" by Dahlia Adler
A Modern Orthodox girl attends freshman orientation at NYU and worries about coming off too religious. 2 stars. Maybe cuz I'm not Orthodox.
"The Hold" by David Levithan
A man recounts his first relationship with another man as a teenager. 4 stars.
"Aftershocks" by Rachel Lynn Solomon
A girl meets her (more religious) boyfriend's family over Shabbat dinner. 4 stars.
"Good Shabbos" by Goldy Moldavsky
Two best friends abandon their Shabbaton to track down a party one of their crushes is attending. 2.5 stars.
"Jewbacca" by Lance Rubin
A boy who is Jewish by blood only and knows nothing of the culture dates a Jewish girl and attends her family's Hanukkah party. 3 stars.
"El Al 328" by Dana Schwartz
On layover from her Birthright trip, a girl regrets not getting more sexual gratification. This was wallowing in self-pity at its finest. 1 star.
"Some Days You're the Sidekick; Some Days You're the Superhero" by Katherine Locke
A boy attempts to apologize to a friend he wronged through fanfiction. Extremely predictable, and the reason why they had a falling out felt lackluster to me. But this was probably the least cringey integration of fanfiction lingo in a published work I've seen yet. 2.5 stars.
"He Who Revives the Dead" by Elie Litchtschein
After a near death experience, a woman tries to overcome her fears while on Birthright. 5 stars.
"Be Brave and All" by Laura Silverman
An introvert ditches a youth group convention to attend a protest. 4 stars.
"Neilah" by Hannah Moskowitz
A girl battles her eating disorder on Yom Kippur. 5 stars.
"Find the River" by Matthue Roth
A boy joins his friend's youth group and has a religious awakening. But also a knife fight? 2 stars.
"Ajshara" by Adi Alsaid
A young man who is able to communicate with ghosts takes a gap year to travel the world with his friends. 2 stars.
"Twelve Frames" by Nova Ren Suma
A girl with a unique fashion sense in a new town attempts to sell her great-grandfather's camera at a flea market. 3.5 stars.
And in the math world, we round that down.
While there were a lot of stories that didn't quite work for me, as a whole collection, it's pretty great. From kids who are Orthodox, to kids who are Jewish by blood only, and everyone in between, the diversity within Judaism was greatly explored, and I have to give brownie points for that. Always appreciative of stories that can fit any demographic, and are applied to minorities just because. I'd be curious to check out some of the authors here. And of course, it never hurts to have more unapologetically Jewish YA.
The Breakdown
"Indoor Kids" by Alex London
A science-obsessed camp counselor bonds with a fellow Jewish counselor while tracking updates on a catastrophic spacecraft explosion. 3 stars.
"Two Truths and an Oy" by Dahlia Adler
A Modern Orthodox girl attends freshman orientation at NYU and worries about coming off too religious. 2 stars. Maybe cuz I'm not Orthodox.
"The Hold" by David Levithan
A man recounts his first relationship with another man as a teenager. 4 stars.
"Aftershocks" by Rachel Lynn Solomon
A girl meets her (more religious) boyfriend's family over Shabbat dinner. 4 stars.
"Good Shabbos" by Goldy Moldavsky
Two best friends abandon their Shabbaton to track down a party one of their crushes is attending. 2.5 stars.
"Jewbacca" by Lance Rubin
A boy who is Jewish by blood only and knows nothing of the culture dates a Jewish girl and attends her family's Hanukkah party. 3 stars.
"El Al 328" by Dana Schwartz
On layover from her Birthright trip, a girl regrets not getting more sexual gratification. This was wallowing in self-pity at its finest. 1 star.
"Some Days You're the Sidekick; Some Days You're the Superhero" by Katherine Locke
A boy attempts to apologize to a friend he wronged through fanfiction. Extremely predictable, and the reason why they had a falling out felt lackluster to me. But this was probably the least cringey integration of fanfiction lingo in a published work I've seen yet. 2.5 stars.
"He Who Revives the Dead" by Elie Litchtschein
After a near death experience, a woman tries to overcome her fears while on Birthright. 5 stars.
"Be Brave and All" by Laura Silverman
An introvert ditches a youth group convention to attend a protest. 4 stars.
"Neilah" by Hannah Moskowitz
A girl battles her eating disorder on Yom Kippur. 5 stars.
"Find the River" by Matthue Roth
A boy joins his friend's youth group and has a religious awakening. But also a knife fight? 2 stars.
"Ajshara" by Adi Alsaid
A young man who is able to communicate with ghosts takes a gap year to travel the world with his friends. 2 stars.
"Twelve Frames" by Nova Ren Suma
A girl with a unique fashion sense in a new town attempts to sell her great-grandfather's camera at a flea market. 3.5 stars.