Overview
Ellie Taylor loves nothing better than a good argument. So when she gets accepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp, she's sure that if she wins the final tournament, it'll be her ticket to a scholarship to the best speech school in the country. Unfortunately, the competition at CSSPA is hot-literally. His name is Devon and, whether she likes it or not, being near him makes her sizzle. Luckily she's confident enough to take on the challenge-until she begins to suspect that the private scholarship's benefactor has negative feelings toward Jews. Will hiding her true identity and heritage be worth a shot at her dream?
Debut author Amy Fellner Dominy mixes sweet romance, surprising secrets, and even some matzo ball soup to cook up a funny yet heartfelt story about an outspoken girl who must learn to speak out for herself.
Editorials
Children's Literature -
Ellie Taylor is an oratory star. She's so good, that attendance at the prestigious Benedict's School with its outstanding forensics' program should be a no-brainer except for tuition—which she doesn't have. However, attending the Christian speech camp at Benedict's could win her a scholarship, if Ellie weren't half Jewish and her Zaydeh's (grandfather's) is adamant about Ellie's Jewish identity. Ellie thinks she can handle it until it turns out that her arch-rival and her super crush is the Uber-Christian Devon Yeats, grandson of the scholarship donor. Devon warns Ellie that his grandmother dislikes Jews. Ellie does some soul-searching and her goals trump her identity. She can always tell the truth later. That is, until Zaydeh finds out about the lie. This is a surprisingly complex question for a lot of young people dealing with a blended identity. Ellie is a smart girl and examines the problem before making the convenient decision. There are several problems with the novel. As Ellie is fourteen and the novel is set in the present day (Obama is the president), the likelihood of Zaydeh being a Tevya-like stereotype is slim and a little insulting. The use of Ellie's descriptive phrase, "New York Jew," is offensive in the context that it is used. Ellie refers to Mrs. Yeats as a "racist." This is technically incorrect as Jews are not a race but a religion or ethnic group. Ellie's concept of God, the Father, seems to have been heavily influenced by her Christian friends. The end of the book is predictable but appropriate. Ellie gives a speech that wins the debate, but loses the scholarship. Her forensic argument of judging people by the "content of their character" is an appropriate one and she is rewarded with a tuition waiver that ties the book up nicely. Reviewer: Lois Rubin GrossSchool Library Journal
Gr 6–8—Ellie Taylor, 14, is a driven young woman who desperately wants to excel at the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp so that she can win a scholarship to prestigious Benedict's Conservatory. She has a great shot at winning, because she just loves to argue. With her friend Megan, Ellie shows up full of confidence and excitement, only to get immediately sidelined by the sight of handsome Devon Yeats. Not only is he sizzling hot, but he's also an excellent debater and is the grandson of the woman who will provide the funds for the scholarship winner. There's instant chemistry the first time the two lock eyes, but alas, true love never runs smoothly. Ellie quickly finds out that Devon's grandmother is anti-Semitic, and she has to decide whether to stand up for her Jewish faith or to shoot for her goals at any cost. Despite the predictable ending, kids will enjoy reading about likable Ellie's struggles and will get a real kick out of her grandfather.—Susan Riley, Mount Kisco Public Library, NYKirkus Reviews
Speech-and-debate summer camp provides a backdrop for romance and the fight against anti-Semitism.
Ellie Taylor has been a champion orator at her middle school and is looking forward to a summer honing her persuasive skills at the prestigious Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp at Benedict's School. Her favorite, most reliable and endlessly maddening verbal sparring partner isn't a kid, though, it's her beloved grandfather, Zeydeh. Although Ellie assures Zeydeh that the camp is Christian in name only, her faith in both herself and her religion is tested when Mrs. Yeats, who endows the scholarship Ellie needs to win to afford attendance at Benedict's, is revealed as a lifelong anti-Semite. (Naturally, Mrs. Yeats' grandson Devon is Ellie's debate partner and "sizzling" crush object.) Zeydeh and Mrs. Yeats both challenge Ellie to pick a side—her heritage or her future—provoking her to resort to a variety of realistically clumsy subterfuges before staking out her identity on her own, clear terms. More mature than Fiona Rosenbloom's You Are SO Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2005) and less contemplative than Jenny Meyerhoff's The Queen of Secrets (2010), Dominy's debut balances light and heavy subject matter with ease.
There's nothing earth-shatteringly original here, but readers who like their frothy romance with a bracing dash of serious social issues will be clamoring for seconds. (Fiction. 11-14)