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(2)
4-6
After comedy buff Noah Cohen's best friend's dad commits suicide, Noah's responses are decidedly immature, damaging the friendship and calling into question rather-dense narrator Noah's readiness to be a bar mitzvah. Perl ably explains both details of classic comedy bits and modern Jewish ritual. A welcome portrayal of a very difficult situation's impact--with funny moments to make it all easier to handle. Reading list, websites.
Reviewer: Shoshana Flax
| Horn Book Magazine Issue:
March, 2018
(3)
4-6
David Da-Wei Horowitz (who is Jewish and Chinese) is preparing for his January 1984 bar mitzvah. But reading Torah "in front of about a zillion people" is the least of his problems considering the arguing between his culturally different grandmothers, drama in his middle-school friend group, and the real possibility of nuclear war. A realistic coming-of-age novel filled with witty yet sensitive cultural observations.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Katherine Janus Kahn.
Curious Sammy the spider accidentally attends Josh's cousin Ben's bar mitzvah, where Sammy ends up on a piece of candy that is thrown at Ben after the service. Unsurprisingly, Sammy makes it back home safely. Accompanied by flat but colorful collage illustrations, the slight story does impart a few facts about this Jewish rite of passage.
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
J. P. Coovert.
After attending his friend's bar mitzvah, Charlie Joe realizes that having a coming-of-age party is a super way to make money without actually having to work. Since he's not Jewish, a bar mitzvah is out, but what about an Ethiopian cow-jumping ceremony? Although the characters are not deeply developed, the enjoyable story races forward with lots of slapstick humor.
306 pp.
| Clarion
| September, 2012
|
TradeISBN 978-0-547-61216-4$16.99
(3)
YA
Much to his dismay, Isaac's parents decide to leave his older brother, Josh, in charge while they're out of town. Determined to turn Isaac into a man before his upcoming bar mitzvah, Josh pushes the introverted and nerdy Isaac to complete a series of increasingly perilous and misguided "masculine" tasks. Isaac's witty voice crafts a humorous and surprisingly poignant tale of imperfect brotherhood.
(4)
K-3
Illustrated by
Farida Zaman.
One of the kippot (yarmulkes) made especially for Joshua Jacobs's bar mitzvah takes a whirlwind voyage around the world, tucked absentmindedly into the pockets of various travelers. As many journeys do, this one ends right where it began--back at Josh's synagogue. Though the variety of design elements create busy pages, the bright, cheery illustrations--along with the story line--have appeal. Glos.
(4)
4-6
After his parents' divorce, Evan is forced to move from Manhattan to the small town of Appleton, Indiana. As he tries to fit in with his mostly-Christian classmates--right before his bar mitzvah--he discovers who his true friends are. Though the themes (friendship, self-awareness, manhood) are run-of-the-mill, the appealing cast of quirky characters will keep readers interested.
70 pp.
| Clarion
| August, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-618-76772-4$15.00
|
PaperISBN 978-0-618-76773-1$5.95 New ed. (1984)
(4)
4-6
Illustrated by
Joan Reilly.
This updated book provides an introduction to the history and practices of the Jewish coming-of-age ceremony. The author's conversational voice and inclusion of celebrities' anecdotes (some with more kid appeal than others) may attract readers. Metter also highlights groundbreaking figures, such as the first young woman to be a bat mitzvah in 1922. New undistinguished black-and-white pencil illustrations accompany the text. Websites. Bib., ind.
219 pp.
| Hyperion
| June, 2007
|
TradeISBN 978-0-7868-3890-5$15.99
(4)
YA
Stacy Friedman and her best friend, Lydia, manage to crash the biggest bar mitzvah of the year. Matters are complicated by a to-die-for boy named Oliver and the girls' battle to win back their pal Kelly's affections. This over-the-top 'tween chick-lit romp will be enjoyed by the Limited Too set, but others won't relate to the irritating main characters.
(3)
4-6
Illustrated by
Craig Orback.
When a Dutch rabbi is sent to a concentration camp, he helps a boy have a Bar Mitzvah and entrusts a tiny Torah scroll to him. The boy survives to tell the story--and to send the Torah into space with the first Israeli astronaut, who perished in the 2003 Columbia explosion. Muted color illustrations combine well with the somber text for a moving story of survival.
282 pp.
| Atheneum
| October, 2003
|
TradeISBN 0-689-82863-2$$16.95
(4)
YA
The trials and adventures of being thirteen years old--making choices, having a crush, preparing for a bar mitzvah--are explored in a collection of short fiction. Some stories, such as Rachel Vail's dark comedy about a parakeet's funeral, are spot on; others (including a glib fantasy by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin) are slight or, in some cases, more earnest than inspired.