Shalom, Geneva, Peace: 2 - Hardcover

Eighth grader Andi Applebaum has just been pigeonholed as a brain by her preppy new classmates at the Barth Academy ("They were all tall," Andi says, "with the kind of skin that made me vow to drink more milk"). But she is spared the fate of the social pariah when 14-year-old sophisticate Geneva Peace notices her in their class at the local temple. Geneva courts Andi with tales of her heartless, slatternly young stepmother and goads the overprotected girl into exploring new fields--some innocent (yoga), some not (driving Geneva's father's car). Enter a cute young rabbinic intern (he sports a ponytail and handmade yarmulkes, and invites the students to call him R.J., short for Rabbi Jeff), and both girls are due for a sentimental education. Shalant's carefully and delicately developed story line uses believable episodes to reveal the seemingly independent Geneva's deep neediness and to score a few points about Andi's own self-sufficiency. With her unusual ear for dialogue and her refusal to draw overt conclusions, Shalant will win her readers' attention--and sympathy. A definite cut above the genre. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 6-9-- Thirteen-year-old Andi Applebaum faces more than a new school as she enters eighth grade. Her brother has gone away to college and rarely visits; her former best friend finds someone else at the old school to pal around with; the girls at the new school are challenging her to fit in; her former nemesis in her post-b'nai mitzvah class suddenly treats her nicely; the new rabbinical intern is young, handsome, and set on having her class repair the world by helping just one person at a time. As she faces these changes, Andi explores her own feelings and learns to understand the emo tions and motivations of others. As in her first two books, Shalant focuses on the issue of friendship. This time, however, she adds depth by weaving information about the Jewish cul ture throughout the novel. The writing style, message, and credible plot and character devel opment will hold readers' interest.
- Dona Weisman, Northeast Texas Library System, Garland
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.