As if middle school weren’t complicated enough, Caroline Hoffman, best friend to Rachel Miller (they were “separated at birth”) and the sometimes shy girl from an interfaith family, is confused. In the novel The Truth About My Bat Mitzvah by Nora Raleigh Baskin, Caroline’s unsolved mysteries include the meaning of her nana’s necklace, how Jewish is too Jewish and what is a knish, anyway? When Caroline’s family hardly acknowledges religion in general, the perplexed girl does not know where to turn.

Caroline’s spiritual quest begins at her nana’s shivah, a concept foreign to her from the start. She is given an heirloom necklace, clearly a beautiful antique, but a symbol unfamiliar to the seventh-grader. After talking to her Aunt Gertrude to trace back her family roots, Caroline is shocked at the story of her nana’s near-shunning by her own family after marrying someone “too Jewish.” “What does that mean? Too Jewish?” Caroline asks. By learning about her family’s yiddishkeit (or Jewishness), Caroline is more understanding of her background but still very puzzled.

The curious preteen begins seeing things from different eyes. At a sleepover, Caroline overhears gossip about her friend Rachel’s Judaism, prompting her to feel defensive. Rachel’s blond hair leads Lauren, a popular girl, to act surprised after finding out Rachel is a Jew. Caroline thinks: “I’m Jewish, I could say. And I find what you are saying very insulting. But then again, I wasn’t really Jewish, was I? I didn’t know anything about it. You’re not even having a bat mitzvah. Lauren could say that, couldn’t she? And she’d be right.”

Another challenge arises when Yom Kippur comes up, and Caroline fakes being sick in order to stay home. Caroline does not feel right going to school but doesn’t know how to feel connected to her creed. She feels close ties to her religion but still feels like a stranger to the faith.

In the end, Caroline opens up about her journey of faith. After attending Rachel’s meaningful bat mitzvah, Caroline realizes the celebration is not all about parties like in MTV’s My Super Sweet 16 or the movie Keeping Up with the Steins. A bat mitzvah is not a party you throw, but a person you become.

Caroline learns to honor her Judaism as a major part of her life and decides that being a Jewish young woman makes her a bat mitzvah. By reaching the age of accepting mitzvot and devoting her time to learn about Judaism, Caroline is automatically a bat mitzvah. On this pursuit of answers, some things are simple.

Enter to win one of five copies of the book HERE!

Elizabeth Kirshner is passionate about being Jewish, being on the JTab, people-watching, living life to the fullest and collecting quotes. She always has a song stuck in her head, usually Regina Spektor (a MOT), KT Tunstall or Jason Mraz. The Style Network is a must and fashion magazines are more than just a guilty pleasure.