cover image CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC

CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC

Sarah Littman, . . Dutton, $15.99 (176pp) ISBN 978-0-525-47365-7

An "eleven-going-on-twelve-year-old Jewish girl" searches for her identity in this reassuring debut novel about finding one's personal peace-and-comfort zone. Justine, who narrates, has been getting mixed signals about who she's supposed to be all her life. Her father's parents survived the Holocaust and to this day, her grandmother Bubbe keeps kosher. Justine's maternal grandparents, on the other hand, want her to be "Jewish but not 'too Jewish,' " and Justine calls her own parents " 'twice a year' Jews." Justine's best friend, meanwhile, is Catholic—the faith Justine has decided secretly to adopt. Making confession in her bedroom closet to "Father Ted" (her Teddy bear priest), memorizing prayers with rosary beads and pretending to take communion (matzo and grape juice) are some of her rituals. After Bubbe suffers a stroke and the family goes into crisis mode, nothing seems to make sense. Bubbe's support of her religious curiosity bolsters Justine. And when Bubbe dies, she's faced with still more searching. Littman gets at the heart of the tug-of-war that goes on between brain and soul as Justine's true personality and value system begin to emerge. The heroine comes across as a likeable kid who tries to make the most informed decisions she can about who she should be—and ultimately embraces who she has been all along. Young readers will find much to savor in the warm, angst-lite tone here, and will likely relate to the universal conflicts and emotional challenges that Littman explores. Ages 10-up. (Feb.)