Honey and Me
by Meira Drazin
Intermediate, Middle School    Scholastic    304 pp.
10/22    9781338155433    $17.99

Milla and Honey are best friends who spend time together at synagogue but have always attended different Orthodox schools. When Honey and her siblings transfer to narrator Milla’s school at the beginning of sixth grade, the colliding worlds take some adjustment and lead to comparisons between the two friends and between their families. A mostly light episodic novel with a number of strong through lines, the story follows the characters through the school year, with sections named for Jewish holidays and other observances. The honest narrative highlights the sorts of differences within communities that a sixth grader might notice: which families allow more independence, which are stricter about religious practices, and which can afford fancy bat mitzvah parties. And while much of the focus is on family, it’s also on the maturing girls as individuals as they each figure out what matters to them. (Notably, Honey finds a way to chant publicly from the Megillah at her bat mitzvah, a solution that satisfies both herself and her traditionally Orthodox parents.) Back matter includes an extensive glossary, a guide to Jewish holidays, and an author’s note about a wish to see herself in books like her childhood favorites.

From the January/February 2023 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.