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.

All the way from California to New Zealand, Jenna and Rebekah (“Becky”) have exchanged emails as electronic pen pals for the last four years. This year they met—twice—to share in Jewish memories neither will soon forget.

Although their families had been friends for years, Jenna and Becky had never met. Four years ago, when Jenna's mom first told her about a friend's granddaughter—Becky—who lived almost 7,000 miles away in New Zealand, and how they thought they'd make great pen pals, Jenna jumped at the opportunity.