Shai and her family have moved to the US from Israel and Shai does not like it! Author Noa Nimrodi takes us on a relatable journey as the brave and determined protagonist Shai navigates homesickness, loss of her sense of belonging, and bullying. The book also tackles darker topics like anti-Semitism, and as a parent who will soon be moving with her family to a foreign land, my heart ached when her parents questioned their decisions to move. The support and warmth Shai receives from her loved ones is a huge source of strength and comfort to her and it was heartwarming to see this portrayal of familial bonds and friendship.

I enjoyed the additional layer of natural vs gmo food and the science behind it. I also loved the chapter headings!

This is a great middle-grade book for children to expand their world views and biases.

Cute story about trying to find home in a new place while still living elsewhere. Lots of preteen angst, social situations that were a bit uncomfortable for the character, and mental health topics that most books avoid. This was a great middle grades novel that attributes what it’s like to be a preteen in today’s world and how to best go about awkward situations. I’d recommend this one to any preteen!

This is a really great book for middle school age kids, I read this with my 11 year old. It’s a great book for all kids to read.

Twelve-year-old Shai finds life difficult to navigate in her new home in San Diego. Everything is just so different from where she grew up in Israel; the food, clothes, television, etc. And American middle-school is especially tricky. Shai is one of a two Jewish students, and the other one thinks she’s an expert on all things Jewish. There are some anti-Semitic remarks thrown around, in particular from this boy Pat, who really gets hateful, but goes unpunished. And this business of learning and understanding English, with all its crazy rules and slang, is almost too much. Shai loves her parents, but she wrestles with feelings of resentment towards them for uprooting her…
Great middle-grade read, with themes about the importance of friendship, and the dangers of judging people harshly before knowing them, woven in.

Shai Epstein never wanted to leave her life, her grandparents, and her friends in Israel to move to San Diego for her dad's new job. The English she knows doesn't seem like enough, there are almost no other Jewish people nearby, and her dad seems to care more about his career than what she and her younger sister, Gili, want. While Gili has no problem adjusting to their new life, Shai has to constantly correct teachers on her name's pronunciation and listen to classmates spout stereotypes about Israel. When Shai, a talented artist, hears about an upcoming art competition with a plane ticket to any destination as the prize, she knows this will be her way back to Israel and her old life, especially after her classmates' behavior escalates from ignorant comments to flat-out bullying. But when her grandmother is injured in a terrorist attack and a disagreement with her new closest friend proves just how essential she's been, she comes to realize that home can be in more than one place.

Recommended for not only middle-grade readers, but adult readers who work closely with kids in any way. The antisemitism faced by Shai in this book goes mostly unnoticed by her teachers, and this book should help with recognizing the signs. This is also only the second MG book I've ever read ("The Trouble With Good Ideas" was the first) that deals with antisemitism in modern times.

Not So Shy by Noa Nimrodi - 5/5

Moving can bring up a ton of feelings in anyone. So much is happening and changing extremely fast, so at times it is hard to see the good in the move. As was the case for Shai, who is moving from Israel to American with her family. I loved this book; it was easy to get into and fast paced to read. The characters were relatable, the topics that were touched were fantastic for this age group and I would be recommend this book to young readers.

Not So Shy is available for purchase April 2023.

Absolutely the bestus little book! I loved everything about this. The cover, the chapter headers, and the story! Such a beautiful work. Definitely snag this one for your kiddos!

Not So Shy is a wonderful middle grade novel about a girl who moves from Israel to America because of her dad’s job. She is resentful about the move and faces many difficulties, including navigating the English language and its quirks (Why did he tell me to “break a leg”? I thought he was my friend), to missing friends and family, to building new friendships, to facing antisemitism. This book is full of humor and heart. Readers will love taking this journey with Shai as she learns to appreciate home wherever that may be.

Not So Shy is a touching MG contemporary novel that tackles hard topics like antisemitism, prejudices, grief, and mental/physical illness in such a kind and heartwarming way that's perfect for the intended age group. It also handles moving to a new country/home and finding ones self, especially when language is also a barrier. It is such a beautifully written story that it actually took me a while to process before reviewing.

I only have two critiques, which is why I gave this 4.75 stars. The first was that I wish I knew Ema and Abba meant mom and dad sooner that realizing it later on. Unless I completely skimmed over and missed it, I thought these were their actual names. Not knowing it made two scenes - the nurse calling Neta/Ema and when the grandparents visited - a bit confusing, but once I realized, it was no longer an issue. The second was the repetition of Shai's desire to go back to Israel. I know it's her motivation, but I felt it was harped on a little too often.

This chapter book was magical. It was such a moving story and had such good writing and detail. I can't imagine having to start a new school, let alone move to a different country. Shai did a great job at being open minded and handling the issues that arose. This is a great book for kids to learn from!

This was a really touching story and I absolutely love the focus on “home” not just being a place, but who you’re with and who you are.

I appreciated reading some struggles she had to go through and how well she handled them. A highlight on some difficult issues that middle-graders don’t always understand really opens up the mind and gets you to think about things outside your scope of normalcy. I feel this book can really help mid-grade kids to have tolerance, be open-minded, learn new life concepts and build empathy.

This book is well written.

I had picked this novel to share with my daughter, and I would say it has a target audience of 9-12 year olds. I felt it took a bit to get into, and Shai wasn’t a very likable character at first, but she totally grew on us. After finding the groove, it was a captivating read.
I found this had a fantastic and dynamic cast of characters and really painted some tough topics in a sensitive and digestible way for kids. I would totally recommend this for a young reader wishing to grow in their open mindedness and diversify their perceptions.
This was offered to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I flew through this wonderful book because I could not put it down. Twelve-year-old Shai's voice was remarkably relatable and resonant, and I felt as though I was right inside her head the whole time, seeing exactly how it felt to be in a new culture, far from home. It's very hard on Shai when her father's job takes her family from Israel to the United States, and it's especially interesting to read about all the experiences she has with her peers in her new school and living in a country that is so different from her homeland. This is one of those books that is very important for kids to read, as it will help to build empathy between children of different cultures. The characters in this story are so well-drawn, and the events will grab readers by the heart. Three cheers and five stars for debut author, Noa Nimrodi.

Not So Shy was an easy to read chapter book. I felt for Shai, as she was navigating moving to a new country from Israel and a new school environment. I appreciated the author's approach to discussing anti-semitism.