What do you think?
Rate this book
The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah
I put my fingers up to my throat and touched the pointy Star of David, my grandmother's necklace, a delicate chain made up of countless tiny links. If I wear this, will people think I am Jewish?
Is that what I want to be?
Seventh-grader Caroline Weeks has a Jewish mom and a non-Jewish dad. When Caroline's nana dies around the same time that Caroline's best friend, Rachel, is having her bat mitzvah, Caroline starts to become more interested in her Jewish identity.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published March 25, 2008
7 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
About the author
Nora Raleigh Baskin
27 books304 followersI am seriously an open book. I've been writing semi-autiobiographical fiction since I was in 6th grade (1972) then, in 2001, Little, Brown published my first middle grade novel, about my life in 6th grade! titled "What Every Girl (except me) Knows." Twenty years and fifteen books later, that still, pretty much sums things up.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
July 8, 2024
Yiddish Proverb: “If I try to be like him, who will be like me?”
My Review:
I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book!
12-year-old Caroline is devastated when her Nana passes away unexpectedly. She and Poppy were Jewish, so technically, that makes Caroline Jewish. As her best friend Rachel prepares for her Bat Mitzvah, Caroline begins to question her own heritage. She risks hurting her non-Jewish father in the process, though.
Another reviewer commented that this was a book that you want to read again right after finishing it, and I totally agree!
Big bonus was the author’s details about New York City, because she grew up there. The Yiddish glossary was very well-written, also.
Memorable Quote:
(Pg.127)-“People become memories, but they are still there…We are like links on my chain; something to connect us to everyone who came before. And everyone who will come after.”
Overall:
A 😀 book
My Review:
I honestly cannot say enough good things about this book!
12-year-old Caroline is devastated when her Nana passes away unexpectedly. She and Poppy were Jewish, so technically, that makes Caroline Jewish. As her best friend Rachel prepares for her Bat Mitzvah, Caroline begins to question her own heritage. She risks hurting her non-Jewish father in the process, though.
Another reviewer commented that this was a book that you want to read again right after finishing it, and I totally agree!
Big bonus was the author’s details about New York City, because she grew up there. The Yiddish glossary was very well-written, also.
Memorable Quote:
(Pg.127)-“People become memories, but they are still there…We are like links on my chain; something to connect us to everyone who came before. And everyone who will come after.”
Overall:
A 😀 book
February 17, 2017
"The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah" by Norah Raleigh Baskin, is about a 12 year old girl, Caroline, who is just discovering a part of her life she never even knew before. After receiving a star of David necklace from her grandmother, who recently passed away, she begins to embrace her Jewish identity. While her best friend Rachel is having her Bat Mitzvah, they are both discovering what it means to be Jewish.
June 22, 2008
One of the blurbs called this a modern Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, but other than having a main character who's entering puberty and uncertain about her religious identity, there's not much that the two have in common. Baskin's verision of twelve-going-on-thirteen doesn't have the news flashes that made Are You There, God? required reading for my generation so that we could find out everything the adults weren't telling us about feminine hygeine. (Baskin mentions bras, but not periods.)
The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah is really about the main character's warm relationship with her grandmother and how she handles her grandmother's death. The description of grief is well done and realistic. The story just doesn't add up to much. While part of the story involves long-standing family grudges - lots of people aren't talking to lots of people - as soon as the narrator finds out about them, they seem to evaporate. In the end, there's very little for the main character to do. This one is only for kids who appreciate character-driven stories and denouments that are all about a moment of realization.
The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah is really about the main character's warm relationship with her grandmother and how she handles her grandmother's death. The description of grief is well done and realistic. The story just doesn't add up to much. While part of the story involves long-standing family grudges - lots of people aren't talking to lots of people - as soon as the narrator finds out about them, they seem to evaporate. In the end, there's very little for the main character to do. This one is only for kids who appreciate character-driven stories and denouments that are all about a moment of realization.
January 8, 2013
This wonderful book begins with a quote, in Yiddish: "If I try to be like him, who will be like me?" How do we know who we are? Our family is not Jewish, but I think that many tweens and teens (and adults!) struggle with their religious and cultural identity: What do I really believe? What will people think of me? Why is my family the way it is? Family history shapes so much of who we are and who we will be, often without our knowing it. As Caroline remembers her grandmother, and learns more about her family's history, she get a clearer picture of who SHE is, and might become. Touching, funny, sad and terrific, with a wonderful sense of the importance of being yourself, no matter what religion you might follow.
May 23, 2012
The main character in this book, Caroline, is twelve, going on thirteen, and she is going through a lot of changes in her life. Her grandmother, to whom she was very close, has passed away. Her grandmother, Nana, left her a necklace with a Jewish Star of David on it. Meanwhile, her best friend, Rachel, is getting ready to have her bat mitzvah. Caroline says that she is half Christian/half Jew, but it seems, to me, as though she has just been raised American with no religion. She starts to wonder if she wants a bat mitzvah and to be known as a Jew.
I enjoyed the book. I thought the author did a good job describing Caroline's mourning for her grandmother, her confusion at discovering more about her parents and family, her embarrassment about her changing body (having to wear a bra), and her desire to know who she is and where she fits. Twelve/thirteen can be a very complicated age to be without throwing in the dilemma of whether to present yourself as Jewish or not.
One thing I thought very interesting is the separation of culture and religion. The only Christian part about Caroline seemed to be that she celebrated Christmas, but whenever she talked about Christmas it was about presents and Santa Claus, not a Savior being born. Likewise, when she talked about Judaism, she didn't seem to know about their commandments, or holidays, or core beliefs. This lack on both sides makes it clear that religion wasn't important to her parents or perhaps since they came from different religions they couldn't find a place for both of their religions in their marriage. I don't know. It would be interesting to read a book in the parents' points of views, watching them navigate those differences and raising their children. Anyway, I am not trying to critique what the author did, because I thought she did a really good job writing the book; I am merely saying how interesting it is how separated they are. Because being a Jew is an ethnic as well as religious label, I think.
And maybe now that Caroline has made her decision, she'll start learning more about the religious side of her choice. But even if she doesn't, it is still good to embrace her family heritage and learn more about her ancestors' lives.
I think this is a great book for any young girl (ten to fourteen) to read. She may not be navigating the exact same issues, but she is probably trying to figure out who she is, just like Caroline.
"I may have been only seven, but I still thought they were making way too big a deal out of it. Lighting candles and eating latkas—even spinning a dreidel was nothing compared to going to bed, too excited to even lie down, then somehow falling asleep, waking up way before you were supposed to, and running downstairs in your pajamas to a magical pile of presents that hadn't been there the night before." [See what I mean about cultural rather than religious? Nothing about the Maccabees rededicating the temple or about Jesus being born. I just thought that was interesting.]
"Thinking about my grandmother still hurt, like a sharp pain in my throat I had to will away if I didn't want to cry. Sometimes it would come to me like a sense, like a memory—not of her, exactly, but the feel of her hugging me or taking my hand. The smell of her perfume, hanging in the air."
[This quote starts out in a flashback.] "'Oh, I love this,' I said. I was looking at a crystal. I suppose it wasn't really crystal since it was only a twelve-dollar necklace, but the rose-colored, cut surfaces sparkled like a diamond's, a crystal cross shape on a black rope.
'Try it on,' Rachel said from behind the earring display. 'Let me see.'
I stepped around to stand in front of her and show her what I was wearing.
'Oh,' she said. 'It's a cross.'
'So? Isn't it pretty?' It lay just below my collarbone and was the exact hue of the shirt I happened to be wearing. 'It's cool. It doesn't mean anything. I mean, it doesn't have to.'
'But it does,' Rachel said.
I shrugged and hung the necklace back up where I had gotten it from.
Now I put my fingers up to my throat and touched the pointy Star of David, my grandmother's necklace, a delicate chain made up of countless tiny links. If I wear this, will people think I am Jewish?
Is that what I want to be?
Will I be?"
"I pulled the elastic bra, the tan-colored one, down over my head, slipped my arms in, and adjusted it over my chest.
'Okay, now you can look,' I said, turning around.
'You're a woman now,' my mother said. 'Just imagine that.'
'I can't,' I answered. 'I'm not ready.'
'Nobody feels really ready. Ever. If you waited until you felt totally ready for something, you'd probably be waiting forever. You'd never try anything new.'"
[This quote is something Caroline is thinking, not something she says.] "Mom, I want to be Jewish too. Like you. I want to know funny little Yiddish words. Like Nana and Poppy. I want to know what you do on Yom Kippur. Like Rachel."
"I used to get homesick at sleepovers all the time, even at Rachel's, long past the age it was more acceptable. So even in fifth grade my dad would sometimes have to come and pick me up in the middle of the night. I remember once, I had fallen asleep waiting for him to show up, after I broke down crying and wanting to go home. I heard him come into the dark house. My friend—whoever it was, I don't remember—was already fast asleep. I heard the mom talking to my dad, laughing softly, telling him not to worry. No problem, she was saying. And I pretended to stay asleep. I kept my eyes shut as he carried me out to the warm car and slipped me into the backseat.
I felt so safe and comfortable listening to the vibrations of the car and my dad's soft humming as we rode toward home. Later I would act as if I had been disappointed in myself for being such a baby, but secretly I loved it. I loved knowing I could go home anytime I wanted.
All I had to do was call and it would be there waiting for me."
"Even if I didn't get to have a bat mitzvah, that didn't mean I wasn't Jewish. I didn't need to prove anything to anyone, not to anyone but myself. I could be whatever I wanted, even Jewish. It was mine if I wanted, like a gift that someone gave me a long time ago that I forgot to open."
"Things aren't always as they sound. Sometimes they sound worse when they are taken out of context. I think a lot of life's problems are just misunderstandings no one bothers to fix." [A quote from Aunt Gert talking to Caroline.]
"Aunt Gert went on. 'We weren't blessed with any children; I was too old. But we had love.'
I heard her make a little sound, almost a sob, but she swallowed it away.
'My husband was my great love,' she told me. 'I was a very lucky woman.'"
"I like riding in the car because I could look straight ahead. I didn't have to show my face or look at someone else's. I could just talk and listen. But nobody could leave, nobody could go anywhere."
"People become memories but they are still there. They are there to grab on to when you are swimming in the ocean, when you dream that you are drowning. We are all like the links on my chain. Something to connect us to everyone who came before. And everyone who will come after."
I enjoyed the book. I thought the author did a good job describing Caroline's mourning for her grandmother, her confusion at discovering more about her parents and family, her embarrassment about her changing body (having to wear a bra), and her desire to know who she is and where she fits. Twelve/thirteen can be a very complicated age to be without throwing in the dilemma of whether to present yourself as Jewish or not.
One thing I thought very interesting is the separation of culture and religion. The only Christian part about Caroline seemed to be that she celebrated Christmas, but whenever she talked about Christmas it was about presents and Santa Claus, not a Savior being born. Likewise, when she talked about Judaism, she didn't seem to know about their commandments, or holidays, or core beliefs. This lack on both sides makes it clear that religion wasn't important to her parents or perhaps since they came from different religions they couldn't find a place for both of their religions in their marriage. I don't know. It would be interesting to read a book in the parents' points of views, watching them navigate those differences and raising their children. Anyway, I am not trying to critique what the author did, because I thought she did a really good job writing the book; I am merely saying how interesting it is how separated they are. Because being a Jew is an ethnic as well as religious label, I think.
And maybe now that Caroline has made her decision, she'll start learning more about the religious side of her choice. But even if she doesn't, it is still good to embrace her family heritage and learn more about her ancestors' lives.
I think this is a great book for any young girl (ten to fourteen) to read. She may not be navigating the exact same issues, but she is probably trying to figure out who she is, just like Caroline.
"I may have been only seven, but I still thought they were making way too big a deal out of it. Lighting candles and eating latkas—even spinning a dreidel was nothing compared to going to bed, too excited to even lie down, then somehow falling asleep, waking up way before you were supposed to, and running downstairs in your pajamas to a magical pile of presents that hadn't been there the night before." [See what I mean about cultural rather than religious? Nothing about the Maccabees rededicating the temple or about Jesus being born. I just thought that was interesting.]
"Thinking about my grandmother still hurt, like a sharp pain in my throat I had to will away if I didn't want to cry. Sometimes it would come to me like a sense, like a memory—not of her, exactly, but the feel of her hugging me or taking my hand. The smell of her perfume, hanging in the air."
[This quote starts out in a flashback.] "'Oh, I love this,' I said. I was looking at a crystal. I suppose it wasn't really crystal since it was only a twelve-dollar necklace, but the rose-colored, cut surfaces sparkled like a diamond's, a crystal cross shape on a black rope.
'Try it on,' Rachel said from behind the earring display. 'Let me see.'
I stepped around to stand in front of her and show her what I was wearing.
'Oh,' she said. 'It's a cross.'
'So? Isn't it pretty?' It lay just below my collarbone and was the exact hue of the shirt I happened to be wearing. 'It's cool. It doesn't mean anything. I mean, it doesn't have to.'
'But it does,' Rachel said.
I shrugged and hung the necklace back up where I had gotten it from.
Now I put my fingers up to my throat and touched the pointy Star of David, my grandmother's necklace, a delicate chain made up of countless tiny links. If I wear this, will people think I am Jewish?
Is that what I want to be?
Will I be?"
"I pulled the elastic bra, the tan-colored one, down over my head, slipped my arms in, and adjusted it over my chest.
'Okay, now you can look,' I said, turning around.
'You're a woman now,' my mother said. 'Just imagine that.'
'I can't,' I answered. 'I'm not ready.'
'Nobody feels really ready. Ever. If you waited until you felt totally ready for something, you'd probably be waiting forever. You'd never try anything new.'"
[This quote is something Caroline is thinking, not something she says.] "Mom, I want to be Jewish too. Like you. I want to know funny little Yiddish words. Like Nana and Poppy. I want to know what you do on Yom Kippur. Like Rachel."
"I used to get homesick at sleepovers all the time, even at Rachel's, long past the age it was more acceptable. So even in fifth grade my dad would sometimes have to come and pick me up in the middle of the night. I remember once, I had fallen asleep waiting for him to show up, after I broke down crying and wanting to go home. I heard him come into the dark house. My friend—whoever it was, I don't remember—was already fast asleep. I heard the mom talking to my dad, laughing softly, telling him not to worry. No problem, she was saying. And I pretended to stay asleep. I kept my eyes shut as he carried me out to the warm car and slipped me into the backseat.
I felt so safe and comfortable listening to the vibrations of the car and my dad's soft humming as we rode toward home. Later I would act as if I had been disappointed in myself for being such a baby, but secretly I loved it. I loved knowing I could go home anytime I wanted.
All I had to do was call and it would be there waiting for me."
"Even if I didn't get to have a bat mitzvah, that didn't mean I wasn't Jewish. I didn't need to prove anything to anyone, not to anyone but myself. I could be whatever I wanted, even Jewish. It was mine if I wanted, like a gift that someone gave me a long time ago that I forgot to open."
"Things aren't always as they sound. Sometimes they sound worse when they are taken out of context. I think a lot of life's problems are just misunderstandings no one bothers to fix." [A quote from Aunt Gert talking to Caroline.]
"Aunt Gert went on. 'We weren't blessed with any children; I was too old. But we had love.'
I heard her make a little sound, almost a sob, but she swallowed it away.
'My husband was my great love,' she told me. 'I was a very lucky woman.'"
"I like riding in the car because I could look straight ahead. I didn't have to show my face or look at someone else's. I could just talk and listen. But nobody could leave, nobody could go anywhere."
"People become memories but they are still there. They are there to grab on to when you are swimming in the ocean, when you dream that you are drowning. We are all like the links on my chain. Something to connect us to everyone who came before. And everyone who will come after."
May 24, 2022
I'm currently reading through random books I find at my synagogue book exchange and it's lead to some weird stuff. This was a random grab that was simple and dramatic and nothing I'm planning on ever reading again but I'm also not upset I read this. It's mostly about struggling with identity and the social expectations of who we should be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 16, 2018
With the passing away of Caroline’s grandmother, she begins to have so many questions about her Jewish heritage and herself. Follow along as Caroline ventures on a path of self-discovery between her Christianity and her Jewish faith.
August 6, 2017
Caroline grows to accept her Jewish identity in the midst of middle school angst.
September 3, 2023
There was more to this book that I thought there'd be.
Want to read
November 2, 2023DID I EVER ACTUALLY READ THIS OR DID I JUST WALK PAST IT IN THE LIBRARY SEVERAL TIMES
March 9, 2016
Nora Raleigh Baskin has written a really useful Young Adult novel, The Truth about My Bat Mitzvah. It is a coming of age story that many may relate to - boys as well as girls, adults as well as teens and preteens, and anyone who has ever tried to sort out which aspects of a mixed heritage make one - oneself.
Caroline's Mom is Jewish, her Dad is not, and the family does not seem to practice any religion. But Carline's best friend is planning her Bat Mitzvah, and Caroline sort of wishes she could have one too. And then her beloved Nana dies, and her Poppy gives her Nana's gold Star of David necklace. Caroline struggles with her grief at losing Nana, the social anxieties of middle school, trying to make sense of some family secrets she has discovered, and most of all, what it means to be Jewish. She has a sense of what other people think but she must work out what it means to her.
I suspect that most children of mixed heritage may experience something like what Caroline feels. She finds herself being pulled toward Judaism but is unsure what her parents think. Since her Mom is nonobservant, will she think Caroline's interest is silly? Since her Dad is not Jewish, will he be hurt or think she is disloyal? And how can she be Jewish without knowing more about it? She doesn't even know what to do on Yom Kippur!
The details are particular to Jewish religion and culture, and the author has thoughtfully included a glossary of terms used. People interested in how Jewish - or half-Jewish - children might feel in a majority gentile setting may find insights here. But while the details are particular, the plot is pretty inclusive of any mixed child's quest for understanding and identity. This book would be a good resource for any class or program on intergroup understanding.
Caroline's Mom is Jewish, her Dad is not, and the family does not seem to practice any religion. But Carline's best friend is planning her Bat Mitzvah, and Caroline sort of wishes she could have one too. And then her beloved Nana dies, and her Poppy gives her Nana's gold Star of David necklace. Caroline struggles with her grief at losing Nana, the social anxieties of middle school, trying to make sense of some family secrets she has discovered, and most of all, what it means to be Jewish. She has a sense of what other people think but she must work out what it means to her.
I suspect that most children of mixed heritage may experience something like what Caroline feels. She finds herself being pulled toward Judaism but is unsure what her parents think. Since her Mom is nonobservant, will she think Caroline's interest is silly? Since her Dad is not Jewish, will he be hurt or think she is disloyal? And how can she be Jewish without knowing more about it? She doesn't even know what to do on Yom Kippur!
The details are particular to Jewish religion and culture, and the author has thoughtfully included a glossary of terms used. People interested in how Jewish - or half-Jewish - children might feel in a majority gentile setting may find insights here. But while the details are particular, the plot is pretty inclusive of any mixed child's quest for understanding and identity. This book would be a good resource for any class or program on intergroup understanding.
May 15, 2014
Do you know what your religion is and what it means? The book I read was The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah. The book was good and explain the Jewish religion very well. The book takes place after Carolin's grandmother passed away. Caroline was very close to her grandmother and everything she did reminded her of her grandmother. Knowing where you came from is a big part you are going to want to know when you get older.
The book was very good. I liked it and how it was laid out. If someone is going through a death and is needing some guidance this book will do a good job of doing that. The challenges that Caroline over came by herself were huge and it's unexpected that a 12 year should go through by themselves. Caroline has been through a lot and she can only count on one very special person which is her best friend Rachel. Caroline and Rachel have been best friends since kids school. Everybody thought that Rachel and Caroline were sisters because they looked so much alike. Rachel and Caroline thought they were separated at birth. This book reminds me so much of my childhood. Things happen for a reason. No one can change what happened to Caroline's grandmother.
The book was very good. I liked it and how it was laid out. If someone is going through a death and is needing some guidance this book will do a good job of doing that. The challenges that Caroline over came by herself were huge and it's unexpected that a 12 year should go through by themselves. Caroline has been through a lot and she can only count on one very special person which is her best friend Rachel. Caroline and Rachel have been best friends since kids school. Everybody thought that Rachel and Caroline were sisters because they looked so much alike. Rachel and Caroline thought they were separated at birth. This book reminds me so much of my childhood. Things happen for a reason. No one can change what happened to Caroline's grandmother.
Read
March 15, 2010I think Caroline's Grandma's death led to her finding her true religion! For example, after her grandma died she's got the necklace and she wore it almost everyday. She also started to want a Bat Mitzvah for herself!
A lot of times, people don't know their religion or they are atheist. It all affects your lifestyle. People are judged by their religion too! Like people used to make fun of religious jews even though they knew I was jewish too!
Caroline also was so sensitive with religion. She always felt bad when she wanted to be jewish because of her father. And it upset her so much when she lost her necklace because it was showing who she was to the world!
Sometimes people use signs to send a message to the world. Like gangs have colors. And jews have like stars of David. Instead of telling what you're trying to get across, you wear it or do something that doesn't use words! It makes people look, and it makes you stand out. caroline's necklace was a way to hide her words!
February 11, 2016
The story is about Caroline, a twelve-year-old girl. Her mother is Jewish but her father isn't, and she has been brought up without any firm religious direction one way or the other.
Her grandmother dies and leaves her a necklace with the Star of David on it, and from that point on in the story she starts to get more interested in her Jewish heritage, although much of that is because her best friend is also Jewish and is having her Bat Mitzvah.
The book does make some reference to prejudicial stereotypes of Jewish people but doesn't go overboard on it.
I don't really feel that the book had a very satisfactory conclusion. There's no indication at all that Caroline really plans to seriously explore or learn more about her Jewish heritage. Everything seems to center on her Bat Mitzvah, but that is considered more of an event along the lines of a birthday party than a serious religious experience. To me, it seems she becomes somewhat more interested in being Jewish, but not really seriously. It's just sort of a light-weight ending as far as I'm concerned.
Her grandmother dies and leaves her a necklace with the Star of David on it, and from that point on in the story she starts to get more interested in her Jewish heritage, although much of that is because her best friend is also Jewish and is having her Bat Mitzvah.
The book does make some reference to prejudicial stereotypes of Jewish people but doesn't go overboard on it.
I don't really feel that the book had a very satisfactory conclusion. There's no indication at all that Caroline really plans to seriously explore or learn more about her Jewish heritage. Everything seems to center on her Bat Mitzvah, but that is considered more of an event along the lines of a birthday party than a serious religious experience. To me, it seems she becomes somewhat more interested in being Jewish, but not really seriously. It's just sort of a light-weight ending as far as I'm concerned.
September 22, 2008
I wanted to read this one because of the mixed reviews it got in different journals. Caroline Weeks is Jewish by birth, but not as far as her beliefs. When her grandmother dies, Caroline starts thinking more about "being Jewish" but not because of the recent death. Her grandmother left her a star of David necklace. Baskin doesn't go deeper than religious symbols to talk about what it really means to have faith and believe. Sadly, when Caroline's best friend has her bat mitzvah, Caroline negates all of the work that her friend has put into preparing for the event by saying that she is already a bat mitzvah, just by being born Jewish. It may be an alright book for kids wanting to learn something about their Jewish friends' preparation for the big event, but I would probably recommend something deeper for a girl getting ready to go through it herself.
April 18, 2009
When I picked up this book, I thought it would be about a twelve-year old girl trying to decide whether or not she wanted to have a Bat Mitzvah. It was more about a young girl who was deeply grieving over her grandmother's death. Caroline's mother is Jewish and her father is Christian and Caroline doesn't know what she is. Besides a token celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas, she has grown up religious at all. When her grandfather gives her the Star of David necklace that belonged to her grandmother, Caroline is thrown for a loop. Does she want to be Jewish? Her best friend is busy planning her Bat Mitzvah -- does Caroline want one too?
For the most part I liked this book. My one complaint is that I thought it was too short. I wanted Baskin to delve more deeply into Caroline's exploration of her heritage and her faith.
For the most part I liked this book. My one complaint is that I thought it was too short. I wanted Baskin to delve more deeply into Caroline's exploration of her heritage and her faith.
October 5, 2016
This book is about a girl. Her mom is Jewish and her dad is not Jewish. She dose not know what to believe in her grandma was Jewish but then she died. It troubled the little girl that she would never see her grandmother again. I think that Caroline changed the most. I think that because she did not believe in every thing before her grandmother died. After her grandmother died she started thinking about what she wanted to believe in. Caroline´s friend was Jewish and she about to have her Bat Mitzvah in a couple a of months and that kind of made Caroline feel left out, at the end of the book Caroline decided to be Jewish. i think the book had the right amount of drama. it did not have to much. I didn like how they went into detail when it came to her grandmothers funeral. I liked how there was more than one place where they would go. I really liked it though.
October 11, 2009
Caroline’s grandmother has just died, and when she is given her grandmother’s Star of David, she begins to ponder her heritage. Her mother is Jewish, but Caroline has been raised as a “lax Jew” for most of her life. Soon Caroline is wondering about who she is, and what impact her religious decisions will have on the rest of her family.
Like another reviewer said, this book is not about Bat Mitzvahs, as the title implies, but about a girl’s self-discovery and finding out about her heritage. While I enjoyed the story, I’m not sure others would, if that makes sense. Also listened to this on disc; I loved the grandmother character, Nana, I hated the intro music, the classic Jewish “clarinet playing in minor keys”.
Like another reviewer said, this book is not about Bat Mitzvahs, as the title implies, but about a girl’s self-discovery and finding out about her heritage. While I enjoyed the story, I’m not sure others would, if that makes sense. Also listened to this on disc; I loved the grandmother character, Nana, I hated the intro music, the classic Jewish “clarinet playing in minor keys”.
March 18, 2010
3.5 stars
This was a sweet little book. Caroline is sad when her grandmother dies and she receives a Star of David necklace from her. Slowly she begins to explore her Jewish identity as her best friend prepares for her bat mitzvah. She begins to understand the grown-up relationships around her are not as simple as she assumed. She wonders if she has the right to become bat mitzvah because her family is lax about keeping the customs and religious days and her father is not Jewish. But then, with the help of her friends and family, she starts to decide that maybe it is okay to be Jewish and that she has the right to be.
The Little Bookworm
This was a sweet little book. Caroline is sad when her grandmother dies and she receives a Star of David necklace from her. Slowly she begins to explore her Jewish identity as her best friend prepares for her bat mitzvah. She begins to understand the grown-up relationships around her are not as simple as she assumed. She wonders if she has the right to become bat mitzvah because her family is lax about keeping the customs and religious days and her father is not Jewish. But then, with the help of her friends and family, she starts to decide that maybe it is okay to be Jewish and that she has the right to be.
The Little Bookworm
September 24, 2008
I have never read a book compared to "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" that wasn't an insult to Judy Blume. This book is about a jewish girl and that's where the similarity ends. "Truth" is a formulaic, predictable book that does have some thought-provoking faith-based ideas in it. However, it is too little and too generic to really be powerful. It has no cultural context to redeem it either. It is appropriate for the age group and may bring some good questions to the pre-teen mind: who you are and what do you believe in. Most likely it'll be a quick read that doesn't have any effect at all.
May 24, 2009
Some reviewers wanted this book to have more specific information and detail about Judaism and Jewish culture. This would have been wonderful, but I can't fault the author for handling the story the way she did. Unfortunately it's very hard to have a book about an ethnic or religious minority group published if it doesn't work very hard to present itself as something that non-group members will be able to easily relate to. Caroline wonders what the phrase "too Jewish" means. This is something children's writers are forced to think about as well. Kudos to Nora Raleigh Baskin for creating such a thoughtful well-written story and for getting it out there.
Read
July 25, 2009I loved this book! It was very religious, but that doesn't mean you have to be religious or that certain religion to read this book.
Caroline has always had trouble deciding whether she is Christian or Jewish, but when her extremely Jewish Grandmother passes away and leaves her her Star of David necklace she is determined to decide. There are many ups and downs in this book and not everything has a happy ending. Even with that though, this book was full of lessons and it really gave me a new view of life!
Caroline has always had trouble deciding whether she is Christian or Jewish, but when her extremely Jewish Grandmother passes away and leaves her her Star of David necklace she is determined to decide. There are many ups and downs in this book and not everything has a happy ending. Even with that though, this book was full of lessons and it really gave me a new view of life!
April 6, 2009
I liked this book but read it because I was hoping to learn more about the Jewish culture as I have a Jewish child in my classroom. I learned more about the culture from the glossary than I did the entire story. The story was cute but didn't explore the Jewsih religion. I found it to be a cute story of friendship between Caroline and Rachel and I liked how there was a love interest in a male character in this story.
Read
May 4, 2009A really nice story about a twelve-year-old girl, raised without religion, beginning to wrestle with questions of faith as she faces her Jewish grandmother's death and her best friend's impending bat mitzvah. Great pick for older elementary/middle school readers; could be a good follow up to Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (though some readers would be disappointed in the lack of discussion around periods, in this book).
October 17, 2010
This book will find many comparisons to the classic Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret? The story is does not delve too deeply into questions about faith, but it does offer a nice portrait of a young girl trying to determine what it means to her to be Jewish. It is a good title for children who have parents of different religions and for kids who are looking for a protagonist who is trying to decide who she really wants to be in life.
August 31, 2012
This was an interesting book.
Caroline is a girl with a Jewish mother and a Christian father who is trying to decide which religion to choose.
When her Jewish Nana dies, Caroline is lead to discover many ideas and stories of the struggle of her Nana's Jewish family.
This is a great book for people of all religions and ages, but especially pre-teen and teen girls.
This book is clearly able to capture the feelings, thoughts, and struggles of a young girl. It's very well-written.
Caroline is a girl with a Jewish mother and a Christian father who is trying to decide which religion to choose.
When her Jewish Nana dies, Caroline is lead to discover many ideas and stories of the struggle of her Nana's Jewish family.
This is a great book for people of all religions and ages, but especially pre-teen and teen girls.
This book is clearly able to capture the feelings, thoughts, and struggles of a young girl. It's very well-written.
January 18, 2014
Thirteen-year-old Caroline, daughter of a Jewish mom and a non-Jewish dad, takes more interest in her Jewish heritage after the death of her grandmother. While grappling with identiy issues, Caroline helps her best friend plan her Bat Mitzvah and comes to terms with who she wants to be.
I enjoyed the character growth of Caroline, the way she expressed herself, and her age-appropriate emotions.
I enjoyed the character growth of Caroline, the way she expressed herself, and her age-appropriate emotions.
October 13, 2008
Recommended for gr. 5-9. A young girl becomes interested in her Jewish heritage, although her father is Christian and her mother does not practice Jewish traditions. In the process, she becomes close to older relatives and discovers their history, and finds out about true friendship. A very enjoyable book, Caroline's voice rings true and her family seems real.
August 26, 2010
i read this because one of my voracious readers wanted to know my opinion before she dug in. meanwhile she's reading another one and we're gonna swap opinions next time she's in. this is a total three-and-a-halfer; a thoughtful read with a winning protagonist. as a half-jewish girl herself, i think she'll be into this, so i'm definitely recommending.
Read
October 27, 2015I really liked this book. I think that it could have had a better ending because it didn't have anything about Caroline's Bat Mitzvah. One thing that I didn't like is all the weird jewish words it used. I loved the stories that the characters told to Caroline. I just over all really liked this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews