Love this Jewish rep! It's great to see such awesome rep in a middle grade novel. I'm excited to share this one with my students.

A heartwarming and fun middle grade novel that explores family, identity, and what it really means to belong. Ruby feels like the less-favorite granddaughter, convinced she isn't "Jewish enough" compared to her perfect cousin Sarah. But when Sarah starts rebelling, Ruby seizes the chance to step up as the "good granddaughter." In trying to save Sarah from what she suspects is a dybbuk possession, Ruby embarks on a journey of self-discovery to embrace her complex identity. An endearing, thoughtful tale about finding yourself and navigating cultural heritage. The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor hits the mark for young readers seeking entertainment with heart.

I thought this was a good book to represent stories when characters come from two different backgrounds. It talks about generational trauma in a way where children can understand. The only thing that was difficult to get through was the writing for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the published for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Rating : 4 out of 5
Blurbs :
Funny and poignant, Amanda Panitch's new middle-grade novel The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor is an exploration of mixed families, identity, hundred-year-old curses, and the terrifying challenge of standing up for yourself against your loved ones.

Of her two granddaughters, Grandma Yvette clearly prefers Ruby Taylor's perfect—and perfectly Jewish—cousin, Sarah. They do everything together, including bake cookies and have secret sleep overs that Ruby isn't invited to. Twelve-year-old Ruby suspects Grandma Yvette doesn't think she's Jewish enough. The Jewish religion is matrilineal, which means it's passed down from mother to child, and unlike Sarah, Ruby’s mother isn’t Jewish.

But when Sarah starts acting out--trading in her skirts and cardigans for ripped jeans and stained t-shirts, getting in trouble at school--Ruby can’t help but be somewhat pleased. Then Sarah suddenly takes things too far, and Ruby is convinced Sarah is possessed by a dybbuk, an evil spirit... that Ruby may or may not have accidentally released from Grandma Yvette's basement. Ruby is determined to save her cousin, but a dybbuk can only be expelled by a "pious Jew." If Ruby isn't Jewish enough for her own grandmother, how can she possibly be Jewish enough to fight a dybbuk?

Amanda Panitch writes with a humorous, irresistible, and authentic voice. This character-driven story with a magic twist about speaking up and finding your place in the world is for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly, Stacey McAnulty, and Greg Howard.

Thoughts :
It's very funny, fresh, and enjoyable middle-grade fantasy book. I liked it and highly recommend this book to any reader out there!
Thanks Netgalley for the early ARC.

First of all, I would like to give a round of applause for the cover it is gorgeous truly middle grade gets some of the best covers.

I'm in love with the magical realism trend in middle grade, it provides a window into a different culture and it can add a lot of nuance to what could otherwise be a pretty run of the mill middle grade contemporary. Personally, I enjoy this when it stays ambiguous throughout the story. The majority of this book does this really well, there's this lingering question of whether or not Sarah is actually possessed or if she is just acting out because of her fight with Ruby. The reveal that she is actually possessed by the dybbuk was a little bit of a let down, I think it's more interesting for Sarah's character if she got to have that moment of personal growth of coming into herself as well rather than it just being about Ruby growing as a person; but it still works fine.

The book features the occasional aside from Ruby as it's told from her POV, and they could be kind of hit or miss. I know it's pretty common for middlegrade fiction to do this I just think her parentheticals just didn't always work for me. It gives an extra glimpse at Ruby's personality but could be distracting at certain times or would seem out of spirit with the character growth that we'd seen up to that point.

It also wrapped up a bit quickly for me, there were times where the progress of the novel felt rushed. but I'm willing to forgive a lot of evils when you think about what the target age demographic is. This was still a cute book and a fun read.

I really loved the writing and description in this one. I wish it was a little bit longer because I just wanted more from it but I'm very glad I picked this up

Ruby Taylor’s father is Jewish, and her mother is Catholic. To her paternal grandmother, Ruby is not really a Jew. Grandma Yvette blatantly favors Ruby’s four-months-older cousin Sarah who, in addition to being the sort of tidy, polite, and helpful girl adults adore, has a Jewish mother. Afternoons at their grandmother’s house see Sarah cozy in the kitchen, learning to cook, while Ruby is banished to the living room with her homework. There is a growing distance between the once-close cousins, and Ruby might not be all that interested in closing it. Maybe it is just time for the two of them to make new friends and pursue different activities.

Then Sarah starts behaving strangely, acting out in ways that are downright dangerous. Ruby thinks she knows why, and it might be a little bit her fault. Possibly, she accidentally released a dybbuk, which has possessed Sarah. Ruby is the only one who recognizes what is happening, but her research (mostly searching the Internet on her phone) says that only a “pious Jew” can drive out a dybbuk. With her grandmother’s doubts nagging at her, how is Ruby supposed to defeat an angry spirit bent on revenge?

Questions of identity are central to Panitch’s novel. Grandma Yvette seems to believe Sarah is destined to be the perfect Jewish wife and mother, but she doesn’t respect Sarah’s desire to study Torah instead of baking cookies. While Ruby is not Jewish enough for her paternal grandmother, she is too Jewish for her mother’s family. When Ruby complains about being “just half and half, and somehow both halves are wrong,” her new friend Aubrey Liu drives home the point: “I don’t have to be half-Jewish and half-Chinese. No, I’m Jewish and Chinese. You can be two whole things at one time.”

Occasionally, the narrative becomes exposition-heavy before ramping up the action and emotions on the page. The supernatural aspect is kept ambiguous for a while - is Sarah really possessed? As a whole, the book is humorous and touching, filled with authentic angst about family frictions and changing friendships, focusing these universal themes on a specific - and specifically Jewish - experience.

Feeling too Jewish for her Christian family, and not Jewish enough for her Jewish Grandmother, Ruby feels trapped and frustrated by the expectations and prejudice of both sides of her family. Her cousin Sarah seems like the perfect Jewish daughter in comparison, and Ruby projects her anger towards her, leading to the Dybbuk in the basement possessing Sarah.

This story centers around Jewish identity and Ruby's struggles not being a matrilineal Jew, especially as she's seen as lesser by her overbearing Grandmother. I like that it explores how Jewish faith has and can change for more modern ideas, with a good dose of feminism too.

I really liked both Sarah and Ruby. While I understood Ruby's frustrations, I could also see that Sarah had her own struggles with her Grandmother, and loved that Sarah and Ruby both found a way to connect with each other and understand each other better, and the story showed a healthy take on modern friendships too.

I liked this one alot it gives off Spooky Season vibes. I have to see I love the cover and the whole story plot. I highly recommend this to everyone and I will be ordering myself a phyiscal copy which says somethinh cause I only buy books that I either know I will love or that I read and love and need on my shelf.

This fantastic book for middle-graders examines traditions and how they are important and also important to break, Being Jewish and Also Not Jewish Enough, and how difficult family can be. I loved this book; it’s a good addition to any middle-grade library. Five stars.

I think this may have been the best middle grade novel I've ever read. The inclusion of Ruby struggling to be accepted by both of her families (Christian and Jewish heritage) while also remaining true to herself was very well done. Also, as someone that struggled with a similar relationship to her grandmother, I think Panitch did a great job representing this extremely complex dynamic. The inclusion of Jewish mythology and folklore was a plot element equivalent to icing on top of the cake (or chocolate on a matzah ball as Ruby loves). Ruby is a main character I would love to see more of, and I will be keeping an eye out to pick up more by Panitch.

When they were younger, Ruby and her cousin Sarah were quite close; but, as they enter middle school, Ruby begins to resent Sarah's "perfect" qualities and the evident preference that their grandmother Yvette has for Sarah. Ruby isn't "as Jewish" as her cousin, in her mind, because her mother is Catholic and Judaism is a matrilineal faith. The matzah balls for the catering business may have all fallen to the cellar floor because Ruby doesn't always consider things through. Ruby discovers an old chest while cleaning up after the tragedy, but her grandma warns her not to open it since a dybbuk transported from the old nation is trapped inside. While Ruby refrains from opening the box, she does manage to start a fight with Sarah, which results in the latter tripping over the chest and opening it. Both believe that dybbuks are imaginary and carry on as normal. Ruby is thrilled that a female rabbi has been appointed. When the new rabbi agrees to establish a junior chapter of the Sisterhood to which her grandmother belongs, the young woman anticipates her cousin's enthusiasm; instead, she finds that her cousin is not only opposed to the idea, but that she has begun leaving nasty notes for the new rabbi and even egging her house. Yvette has always preferred Ruby's brother and is less fond of the rabbi since she believes traditions should be upheld. Similarly, she distracts Sarah from her Torah studies so that she can help in the kitchen. Perhaps the dybbuk is to blame for Sarah's sudden defiance. And what secrets from Sarah's past must be revealed before she can be returned to her family?

I don't know if it's because I'm not Jewish, but this didn't really hit for me. I finished it because I received an advanced reader's copy for an honest review. I would recommend for a middle school. I'm sure I requested it so I could add it to my collection. Thank you so much to @Netgalley.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Here we have a book that is pretty decent and something well needed for a whole lot of kids out there. Ruby Taylor's father is Jewish, and her mother is Christian, a practicing Catholic. Even though she's loved by her family without question, she never quite feels Jewish enough or Christian enough. And it doesn't help that her seemingly-perfect cousin Sarah is (as far as Ruby can see) their paternal grandmother's favorite out of the two of them.

So when a dybbuk box in their grandmother's basement is "accidentally" opened, Sarah starts to act...a little different. Is it the dybbuk? Or is Sarah just proving to Ruby she's not as perfect as her cousin thinks?

I enjoyed the read for the most part. The content was great and I liked the characters more than I thought I would. Middle grade is always great for a splash of hope when you're feeling down, as it usually ends on a high, hopeful note. The biggest drawback here was some of Ruby's internal dialogue. Some of it felt out of place with the way it had been inserted with a lot of parentheticals and interruptions. Sometimes this works, a la The Murderbot Diaries, but Ruby didn't seem quite sure enough of herself to snipe and comment the way she did. Maybe it's just me.

Don't get me wrong, I liked Ruby. This didn't feel like a character flaw. More like the author making Ruby say things she thought would be pithy and make her stand out. But even without the asides and little inserts, Ruby was enough of a character to make an impression as an individual. It only dragged down the prose and made it feel longer than it actually was.

Overall I think kids will really like this, and it can be a valuable tool for teaching about how to accept all the cultural parts of not only your own heritage, but the heritage of the people around you.

This book was very slow moving. There was a lot of redundancy. It was very light on actual action.

Middle school story about acceptance, identity, and standing up for yourself - even in your own family - with a touch of supernatural. Enjoyable and relatable characters.

Ruby and her cousin Sarah were close when they were younger, but as they enter middle school, Ruby is increasingly irritated by how "perfect" her cousin is, and also by the fact that their grandmother Yvette clearly prefers Sarah. She thinks it is because her mother is Catholic, and since Judaism is a matrilineal religion, Ruby isn't "as Jewish" as her cousin. Or, it could be because Ruby doesn't always think things through, which often results in incidents like all of the matzah balls for a catering job falling on the basement floor. When cleaning up from the incident, Ruby finds an old chest, but her grandmother tells her to never open it, because a dybbuk who was brought from the old country lives in it. Even though Ruby doesn't open it, she manages to get into a scuffle with Sarah, who trips over the chest and opens it. Dybbuks can't be real, so the two go about their lives without telling anyone. Ruby is excited that there is a new rabbi, and it's a woman. She expects her cousin to be excited as well, since the new rabbi agrees to start a junior chapter of the Sisterhood her grandmother belongs to, but soon her cousin is not only averse to the idea, but she's writing nasty notes to the new rabbi and egging her house. Yvette isn't as keen on the rabbi, since she feels that traditions should be maintained, and has long favored Ruby's brother. She also takes Sarah away from studying the Torah to help her cook. Could Sarah's new found rebellion be the influence of the dybbuk? And what family history must be uncovered before Sarah can be reclaimed?
Strengths: I liked that Ruby and Sarah were involved in groups at church, and that they went to the same school. A growing number of my students have a mix of family backgrounds,s so Ruby's feelings about being "too Catholic" for her Jewish side and "too Jewish" for her Catholic side will certainly resonate. There is a lot of intesting history of feminist thought, which is played out well in the modern day setting. The grandmother's attitude towards girls is also something young readers may see in their own families, but hopefully not as often as in years past. (Yvette must be... early 70s?) The dybbuk's possession of Sarah makes her do lots of things that are uncharacteristic, and it's interesting to see how Ruby is still willing to come to her cousin's aide even though they haven't been getting along, and also to see that Sarah is feeling that Ruby has been avoiding her. The Two Wrong Halfs of Ruby Taylor is a solid family story with an intriguing bit of magic in it.
Weaknesses: I think I feel fundamentally differently about family than the author does. Your family doesn't have to like you or want to spend time with you just because you are related by blood. Maybe Sarah is just more fun for the grandmother to be around. Since I had 38 cousins, my grandmother wasn't all that interested in ME, even though my mother was very close to her. I suppose with smaller families, grandparents are expected not to play favorites, just like parents. I would argue that if you aren't a nice person, even your parents don't have to spend that much time with you!
What I really think: Like this author's The Trouble with Good Ideas, this is an interesting book with lots of Jewish culture, family dynamics, and magical realism. Since my students aren't too keen on magical realism, I may wait to purchase this title.

A thoughtful and funny look at Jewish identity through the lens of a young girl and the fantastical elements of the religion. Unique and so delightful.

The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor was a delightful story about a young girl struggling to find her place in the world, especially in regard to religion. This is an issue I hear so much about, so I’m incredibly glad there’s a story like this available for young people to read and learn from. Something Ruby especially has trouble dealing with is the fact that she’s “too Jewish” for the Catholic side of her family, but “too Christian” for the Jewish side of her family.

It was so heartbreaking to watch Ruby try to come to terms with what that meant for her and her faith, but it was also such a strong storyline and was done incredibly well. This can also apply to so many things in regard to identity–not just religion–so the fact that it was addressed so explicitly throughout the story was really powerful. It also means that younger readers who are experiencing this type of divide in their life will be able to feel seen and understood, and maybe come to terms with their struggles.

That’s why books like these, especially for this age range, are so needed. I’ve read some that haven’t covered difficult topics as well, but this one certainly did. There was a lot for Ruby to overcome and learn, and she did so in an authentic and potent way.

In addition to identity, family bonds are also a huge part of The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor, with various types of relationships being explored. First, there’s the relationship between Ruby and her Grandma Yvette, who is someone Ruby desperately craves validation and praise from, despite the fact that Grandma Yvette clearly favors her cousin, and is always leaving Ruby out of things because she’s “not Jewish enough.” Even when Ruby comes to terms with the fact that she doesn’t need Grandma Yvette’s approval to be proud and accepting of herself, she still struggles with standing up to her, because deep down, she still craves that validation. Eventually, though, Ruby realizes that nothing she does will ever change Grandma Yvette’s view of her, so her own self-validation will have to be enough. This is something so many people can relate to, and I thought it was handled so well.

The next type of relationship explored in this book is the strong bonds Ruby shares with her parents, who are both loving and supportive. They truly want the best for Ruby, they always answer her questions when she asks, and any time anyone says something demeaning to her, they stand up for her. It was so lovely to see such a healthy relationship between daughter and parents, since this is something often neglected in MG and YA books. When things became difficult with the Dybbuk situation, Ruby tried to get assistance from her parents, which again is not something often seen. Even though they didn’t believe her, I loved the inclusion of that scene.

Along with those two types of relationships, different friendships are also investigated. The one I want to focus on right now though is Ruby’s rocky friendship with her cousin, Sarah. These two have done things together for so long, that neither ever stops to question why they’re doing everything as they are, which leads to a lot of pent-up frustration and hurt feelings. Ruby and Sarah didn’t actually have that much in common, but even despite their arguments and misunderstandings, they still loved and appreciated each other. They just needed to approach their friendship differently, but they didn’t know how to since everything had been the same for so long.

Which is where the inclusion of tradition comes into play. Not only with Sarah, but in other contexts as well. This was another excellent topic that was handled well. The book showed how important traditions can be, but also that they can be harmful if not examined from time to time, or never questioned. It was explained in a simple, matter-of-fact manner that would be easy for younger readers to digest, while still exploring the complexities of the issue. Because, as the book states, traditions can be a really good thing. They can bring people together, and they can make people happy. But when one never question why a specific tradition is done, it can become harmful, or warped into something unrecognizable over time.

I was just so impressed with how all of the topics were explored. The book is clearly being used to educate young people on certain ideas, however, none of it ever felt forced or unnecessary for the story. Everything flowed well and made sense for Ruby’s journey. It was excellent!

The only thing that bothered me about this book was Ruby’s characterization in the beginning. She could be really selfish, but it was all part of her growth and story arc. She went through a long journey throughout the book, and she experienced a lot of change, so it makes sense that this is where she started. It was genuine, too. I’m sure I was insufferable at that age as well. So, I do completely understand why it was necessary and where she was coming from, it just got in my nerves from time to time.

Even so, I ended up loving this. Because even though Ruby was incredibly self-centered at the start, her development was done so well. It was never forced and always felt realistic.

The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor is a wonderful story that can be read in one or two sittings. It’s a sweet book, but will also really make you think about things. I’m so glad I got to read this one!

I received an arc thanks to NetGalley.

I so badly wanted to like this book, but I don't think there is anything in particular wrong with it, it just isn't for me. Like many of the other reviews state, there are great elements to this book. It just wasn't great for me. I LOVE that there is a magical realism book featuring Jewish main characters. I know many of my middle grade students will enjoy this book more than I did. Easy purchase decision for our library.