Yael and the Party of the Year (Yes No Maybe So)

Volume XXV / Issue 2 - September 14 / 2018
Yael and the Party of the Year
Yael and the Party of the Year
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Yael and the Party of the Year (Yes No Maybe So)

Author: 
Tamsin Lane
Toronto, ON: Simon & Schuster Canada, 2018
160 pp., trade pbk., hc. & ebook, $8.99 (pbk.), $23.99 (hc.)
ISBN: 
978-1-5011-7613-5 (pbk.),978-1-5011-7612-8 (hc.), 978-1-5011-7614-2 (eBook)
Grades: 
3-6
Ages: 
8-11
Review by: 
Kay Weisman
3
Excerpt: 

“Eli’s less weird than Cam, that’s for sure.” Tara said. “Maybe you should have a crush on him.”
Except that Cam’s weirdness was part of what I liked about him. He said exactly what he meant all the time, and he was really smart and just . . . I don’t know, different. But in a good way. Eli was like a still-life painting—nice to look at but nothing unexpected. Cam was like a Salvador Dali masterpiece—a little strange and always surprising.

Paloma said, “I definitely think Eli’s better boyfriend material.”

“So,” Gemma said, looking at me intently. “What are you going to do?”

I did need to practice my bat mitzvah stuff so I wouldn’t totally mess up in front of everyone, and I knew I’d have fun hanging out with Eli, but this was my chance to see Cam. And shouldn’t I go tour the Maize since I was having my party there?
______________________________________________________________________

Yael goes to Eli’s house. Turn to page 46.
Yael goes to Maize. Turn to page 34.

Yael, 13, is not looking forward to her bat mitzvah. Because she’s not comfortable being the center of attention, chanting her Torah portion and giving a speech in front of many people scares her, as does the idea of a dress-up party in a fancy hotel. A confirmed “good girl”, Yael has some difficulty confronting her parents, but eventually she negotiates a compromise in which the kids’ party will be held at an amusement park (Maize) in a barn. Longtime pal Eli (literally the boy next door) is supportive and helpful throughout, although sometimes Yael seems to take his friendship for granted. New crush Cam (whose robotic speech and guileless demeanor suggest he may be on the autistic spectrum) seems more interesting, as does the much older Gabriel (son of the DJ hired to run her party), whose ideas seem borderline dangerous.

In reviving the “Choose Your Own Adventure” concept, Lane allows readers to make choices for Yael at significant crossroads in the story. Most of the decisions involve choosing one boy over another, although, to Lane’s credit, one scenario depicts Yael and her girlfriends enjoying the party while basically ignoring the boys. Readers are also encouraged to reread, making different decisions.

Yael is portrayed as artistic (she creates all the invitations for her bat mitzvah by hand in a weekend!), and her multi-ethnic girlfriends each have their own distinct qualities. Back matter suggests that additional titles featuring these girls are in the works.

Those looking for a thoughtful exploration of the bat mitzvah experience will have to look elsewhere, but Yael and the Party of the Year fills a niche for preteens consumed with the social implications of growing up.

Recommended
Reviewer: 

Kay Weisman, former youth services librarian at West Vancouver Memorial Library, also reviews for Booklist.