LOVED this book! I gobbled up every story. So many different aspects of the Jewish experience, yet all recognizable too. 💙 ✡️

I received a netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review.

I never realized how great it feels to read an own voices book. I love the feeling of “getting it”, of understanding that my experiences as a Jewish person is shared by others. That there are universal things we as Jews experience and feel.

I loved this collection of stories and related to many of them. The feelings and questions that each of these young Jewish characters have in the stories are all ones I’ve experienced as I was growing up. I would have to say that my favourite and the most powerful to me was the entry by David Levithan.

I think this collection is great for young Jews to get them to embrace their Jewishness in whatever way they feel suits them. I wish I had this collection to read as I was growing up.

I’m always looking for anthologies to read because it’s a nice way to discover new authors. When this collection was first announced, I was very excited because it features many authors I follow on social media and enjoy interacting with. Despite not knowing much about Judaism as a religion or culture, I really had a lot of fun reading these stories. They are a wonderful exploration of what being Jewish means, how there are various expressions of the faith and no one of them is better than the other. It’s also about community and belonging and I really connected to that aspect of the stories. Also, the authors don’t shy away from using a lot of Hebrew words which would be unfamiliar for non ownvoices readers like me, but I liked it and it gave me an opportunity to look them up and try to get to know about them better. Overall, this is a nice group of stories about young Jewish kids just finding their way in life.

Indoor Kids - Alex London

A cute story about one science nerd and one intense religious artsy kid just getting to know each other during summer camp. It was funny, geeky, and a whole lot of awkward but also a lovely beginning to the anthology.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Two Truths and an Oy - Dahlia Adler

Mali is a Modern Orthodox Jew at the orientation for NYU and she is pretty excited to start her real life. But she also finds it very difficult to socialize with others she meets because they are so different from her faith. This is a beautiful story about the importance of community and that it’s ok to feel comfortable only with people who relate to your experience.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Hold - David Levithan

A story of first love and heartbreak, and what all different things being Jewish can mean, this one was full of wisdom and heart and made me a bit emotional.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aftershocks - Rachel Lynn Solomon

A sweet story about a non religious girl feeling unsure about meeting the very religious parents of her boyfriend. Other than exploring the different spectrums of being Jewish, this story also has OCD and anxiety representation and I thought it was done very well.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good Shabbos - Goldy Moldavsky

I don’t think I got the point of this story. It did have a lot of Jewish customs being talked about which I liked and the theme of best friends wanting to spend time together. But there were a couple of things that put me off. I also didn’t particularly like the footnotes.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Jewbecca - Lance Rubin

This story about a boy feeling like a fake Jew because he doesn’t follow the customs was very relatable and quite sweet. But the best part was him realizing that it was still ok, that he could still be Jewish without knowing everything about the faith.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

El Al 328 - Dana Schwartz

While I could totally see the terror of being in a flight during severe turbulence, and the desperation of a young women to be kissed atleast once, I can’t say I really enjoyed this story or even understood the point of it.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️

Some days you’re the sidekick; Somedays you’re the superhero - Katherine Locke

A story about two friends who’ve lost their way a little and are trying to find it again, I really enjoyed this one. I particularly loved the nod to fandoms and the way it’s all written in the form of a tumblr fic. Made me smile and lot.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

He Who Revives the Dead - Elie Lichtschein

Taking place during a Birthright trip, this is the story of a young woman trying to face her fears after her next experience with death. It has a great hopeful message which I enjoyed. I loved the descriptions of the places in Israel that the group visits and I was intrigued to listen to the discussions they had about the occupation.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Be Brave and All - Laura Silverman

The tale of two introverts who meet during a convention in DC and decide to be brave and step out of their comfort zone to be part of a greater cause. Their whole anxiety about being social and among crowds felt totally relatable.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Neilah - Hannah Moskowitz

With a very painful but sensitive representation of an eating disorder, this is a story of a college girl trying to find her place in the world where she has always felt the need to be smaller. It’s about finally accepting that she can occupy the space that is hers and just be herself. Very beautifully written.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

From the River - Matthue Roth

This story confused me a lot and the whole idea of fifteen year olds contemplating becoming Orthodox because they feel everything else is just superficial, felt very weird to me. Not my kind of story.

Rating: ⭐️.5

Ajshara - Adi Alsaid

The only paranormal story in this collection, it’s about a young man who can communicate with ghosts. And it’s a nice coming of age story of him accepting his ability and understanding some inherent truths about himself and moving ahead in his life.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Twelve Frames - Nova Ren Suma

A story about identity and roots, this one follows a young girl who just wants to live her life true to herself, not conforming to any societal standards, despite facing a lot of opposition to her choices. Another interesting coming of age story.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Average Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.67

It's a Whole Spiel is an extremely important book for the YA community. We don't have enough books on religions other than Christianity and I really enjoyed all of the different perspectives on what it's like being Jewish and what being a Jew means. I learned a lot about the religion, the rules, and traditions.

Unfortunately, I either loved the stories or hated them. Anthologies are hit or miss. It's so wonderful to see all of the different authors writing on the same theme or about the same subject because we get to see the same thing through so many different lenses and life experiences. But at the same time, there's a higher chance you're not going to like everything in the anthology. I think this book is a must read for everyone and should find itself on the shelves of as many libraries and classrooms as possible. I really wish I liked more of the stories in here, but I still learned a lot and the stories I did like, I adored.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*

This is such a great set of stories! I was so excited to receive this one because so many authors I enjoy are contributors, and it did not disappoint. I loved the representation of so many different backgrounds within the Jewish faith and actually learned a lot myself. The inclusion of these stories is so important right now and I think readers from all walks of life will appreciate and enjoy them.

Short story anthologies are popping up everywhere in YA, and I LOVE IT! I hope there are more #ownvoices anthologies like this one coming soon, because It's a Whole Spiel was AMAZING!!! I also hope that everyone else enjoys this book as much as I do!

Reading this is like eating fresh challah smothered in honey.

It deserves all the love and attention because of how rare it is to see my religion portrayed in fiction. More importantly, portrayed in its various forms. No matter the level of observance each story had and how they identified themselves, I truly felt connected.

These stories were interesting and definitely help with solidifying the Jewish identity, particularly for those who may not live in an area that serves to cultivate one, but there were several LGBT stories in here, which was not mentioned in the book description, and therefore I cannot include it in my classroom for my students.