This book is everything. I think it is such a fresh perspective on twins finding each other and trading places. I love that both twins have a different cultural background and ways to celebrate the holiday. That when they trade places, they get to experience each’s unique holiday celebrations is just perfection. I think that having kids see and learn different celebrations is so important. I know that my daughter last year was fascinated by Hanukkah, and while I personally am not Jewish, I tried to find different food experiences we could try and got books from the library so she could learn more about it. It can be hard during the holidays to figure out how best to celebrate your true self. Especially if the whole world is promoting Christmas, but I loved grandma’s perspective on the situation. Overall, this is a beautiful book highlighting how amazing and unique each holiday is. I think it will resonate with children who celebrate either Hanukkah or Christmas.
Thank you so much to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Let it Glow is an adorable middle grade novel featuring two identical twins separated at birth! Though both girls knew they were adopted, somehow neither family knew there was a sister living in the same town, until the girls meet at a retirement community talent show audition. Shenanigans follow as Holly and Aviva switch families for a few days to learn about each other's religions and winter holiday celebrations.

This was a charming, feel good middle grade holiday story that sees two adopted identical tweens meeting at an old age care home and signing up for the only Jewish holiday performance. Full of a great cast of diverse characters and lots of Parent trap esque family swap vibes, this was an enjoyable story about found family, Jewish heritage, identity and traditions that was also good on audio and perfect for fans of books like Not your all-American girl by Madelyn Rosenberg and authors like AJ Sass. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Cute cover. It’s an easy sell from that standpoint. And it’s a cute read. Very sweet. The only problem is that it’s almost too sweet, bordering on unrealistic. Love the premise, but the writing style is just average. I had hoped for something more compelling from Marissa Meyer.

Aviva and Holly are twins, adopted to different families at birth. Aviva is Jewish. Holly is Christian. Neither family is very religious and neither family knows about the other twin. Aviva’s bubbe lives in a nursing home and Aviva, who loves to perform, is easily enticed into participating in the annual Christmas pageant. She happens to be at the nursing home auditioning on the same day Holly and her grandfather are taking a tour of the facility. The two girls see each other and figure out they are twins. Aviva wants to perform an original Hanukkah song and since Holly loves to write stories she agrees to help with it. Since each girl wants to learn about the other holiday, they decide to switch places without their family’s knowledge and keep their secret a surprise until the pageant performance.

Stories where twins switch places are always fun. The antics, mishaps, and near run-ins make for great plot pleasers, especially when the two personalities are so different. Personalities aside, it’s nice to see these girls accept and appreciate the differences, and even step out of their comfort zones. Also nice to learn a bit about Hanukkah and see both Jewish and Christian families accepting the other religion.

Not bad, but all in all, it’s an average read. Nice story, but nothing that takes it to the next level or makes it standout in an oversaturated book market.

This was such a sweet, fun and meaningful read. I loved the way that Holly and Aviva bond throughout the book. This reminded me of the parent trap and I loved it so much. I loved the relationships they both had with their grandparents and how Holly learned about being Jewish. This was such a sweet book. I loved it so much and highly recommend it for a classroom.

Let it Glow is a Parent-Trap-esque story with a holiday twist! When Holly and Aviva unexpectedly meet during rehearsal for the holiday pageant at their grandparents' retirement home, they're flabbergasted to find that they look exactly alike and have the same birthday. Though both girls have been adopted by loving families, they find that in their quest to reveal their surprise to their parents, they might have to overcome misunderstandings, cultural differences, and for Holly, her biggest fear.

I love the way that Holly and Aviva trade places to learn more about each other and their family culture. Aviva is a born performer with two brothers, a loving grandmother, Bubbe, and a desire to know more about her Jewish heritage. Holly is happy with her mom and Gramps and their simple Christmas traditions, but she finds that as she plays the role of her sister, she has to get out of her comfort zone.

This was a sweet story that middle-grade readers will enjoy. Although I found it highly predictable (and, to be totally honest, Aviva was super annoying), I can hand it to my children knowing that the story will enrich their understanding of what holidays mean to various groups of people.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sending me an early electronic copy to review. All opinions are my own.

A heartwarming story with The Parent Trap meets White Christmas vibes. Aviva and Holly are adopted and are shocked when they bump into each other at a holiday pageant audition. How could they be twins but not know about each other!? Of course, they decide to switch places in the lead up to the holidays, but that swap doesn’t come without its challenges, surprises, and unexpected love they feel for their families and each other.
I really appreciate how Meyer and Levy organically folded in traditions of Hanukkah and Christmas, offered perspective on what it’s like to be the “other” in many different contexts, and ultimately challenged readers to think about how being your true self is bravery worth pursuing.
I highly recommend this book for middle grade and early high school readers. It’s the perfect way to kick off and/or celebrate the holiday season. It would also make a great holiday read aloud in classrooms, providing conversation starters on inclusion, traditions, and acceptance.

Thank you, Netgalley and Macmillan for providing me an advanced copy for my honest review.

This was such an adorable book. It made me think of the Parent Trap but set around the holidays. I love that it centered around Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations. The twin swapping was so fun, and I thought the characters were super clever in how they continued to hide each other from their families.

My favorite aspect, however, was that both girls had special relationships with a grandparent. There aren’t enough granddaughter-grandfather and granddaughter-grandmother relationships in fiction, so it was super sweet that this book focused on that.

It did feel a little long at times for middle grade, and it wasn't super easy to tell the girls apart from chapter to chapter. I don't know if that was due to the formatting of the arc (especially for their text message conversations) or if it would have worked better if the story was told from a limited third person instead of first. I also wish there had been an epilogue to find out what was in the letter since that was one of the bigger side plots and it felt a little unresolved.

Overall, this is a super cute book about family and the holidays.

I went into Let It Glow without knowing much about it. I absolutely loved this middle grade story. It will warm your heart and have you rooting for all of the characters. I would love a sequel!

Holly and Aviva, twins separated at birth and adopted into culturally different families, reunite when they meet at a holiday pageant rehearsal. Aviva, who is longing to learn more about her Jewish heritage, will be performing a Hanukkah song. So what that she doesn't know any yet?! Holly, who is visiting with her reluctant gramps, is just trying to stay out of the way while her mom tries convincing him this is a good move.

Of course they decide to team up and switch places to learn about each other's holidays and families!

This is a fun holiday story that will resonate with all readers who have ever fantasized about having a long lost twin. I enjoyed hearing each girl's POV as they learned about the unfamiliar holidays and some of the misconceptions and stereotypes they had to overcome.

Fun middle grade novel about Christmas and Hanukah and seeing things from other people's perspective. New found identical twins with the obligatory life swap but done in a way that it felt fresh.

What a cute book. I loved the parent trap twist. This will be a fun read aloud with lots of great discussion topics. So fun.

What a very cute story! Leave it to marissa meyer to write a heartfelt story that captures everyone's interest. I loved it from the very beginning, and throughout the story there were elements woven into the storytelling that made me love it even more. Definitely a book that I can recommend, especially in the build-up towards christmas/hanukkah.

I love a good seasonal book and this December holiday story did not disappoint. Twins separated at birth discover each other and decide to switch places to experience each other’s Hannukah and Christmas. This has so many of the expected elements of a good ‘Parent Trap’ story with many modern as well as emotional twists.

If you start with The Parent Trap, set it during the winter holidays, and take out the “reuniting our parents” plotline, you’d get Let It Glow. This delightful tween holiday book has all of the mischief of the original story but way more heart because it focuses on the twins and their relationships, their growth as characters. It is a pitch-perfect dose of holiday cheer, and I absolutely hope someone turns it into a holiday movie because it will quickly become a season staple.

This twin swap holiday tale is cute as a button! Both Aviva and Holly are lovable girls and the supporting characters (especially Aviva's Bubbe, Holly's Gramps, and Aviva's little brother Arnold) are delightful. I also appreciated seeing Aviva's frustrations as she seeks to find a voice for Hanukkah in a culture that is Christmas-centered. The epic talent show scene is screenworthy. Truly this would make a wonderful movie on Hallmark or Netflix.

I have decided not to award all the stars for one reason: while each household is committed to celebrating either Hanukkah (Aviva's family) or Christmas (Holly's mother and grandpa), neither one is rooted in traditions of faith. Both are gracious and hospitable to the other twin's family and that it admirable. What it came down to was feeling good about the season and presents. For me and I would assume for Jewish families celebrating Hanukkah, there is much more to the celebration.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Let it Glow puts a fantastic dreidel spin on the "Parent Trap" trope where long lost twins discover each other and switch places. Both girls know that they are adopted, but are shocked to learn that they have a twin. As someone raised Jewish who always had both a menorah and a Christmas tree, I love the recent diversity trend in children's literature that highlights interfaith families celebrating both cultures. Let it Glow comes close. When Holly and Aviva meet and switch places, they get know each other's family and learn about each other's culture. Marissa Meyer and Joanne Levy have teamed up to tell this cute story. I have enjoyed several books by Levy, but I am now a Marissa Meyer fan as well. They have created several well rounded believable characters. I love the fact that the twins may look alike, but they are exact opposites otherwise. The grandparents are portrayed as people who may face physical issues that come with aging, but still enjoy an active life. The other family members are all well thought out and the authors each wrote the chapters taking place in one home. Levy's descriptions of Hanukkah celebrations are spot on and made me hungry for latkes. Mayer's descriptions of a selecting and putting up a tree made me smile with recognition. Levy has woven in a few diversity issues that may hit home with some Jewish kids. She created a larger than life musical theatre nerd who questions if she is "Jewish enough" to perform in a Hanukkah number in a holiday program. Many kids raised in a relatively unobservant family who identify with their Jewish culture but don't go to synagogue on a regular basis face similar issues. Also Aviva's father and brothers are black, so most kids don't realize that her brothers are Jewish. With the duel narrators, and two holidays, this book is bound to appeal to kids from any background.
Because I love books by Joanne Levy, I was thrilled to get downloadable review copies of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and the opinions are my own. I enjoyed this book just as much as Levy's other books, and I will be adding her coauthor Marissa Meyer to my must read list. I can honestly recommend this any kid in search for a holiday story. What kid doesn't occasionally wish for a twin?

I alternated between the eBook and the audiobook for this novel. Narrators Gabbi Epstein and Rebecca Soler both did a fantastic job of giving different distinctive voices for the different characters. They played the twins with such feeling that I didn't want to stop listening. I will definitely be looking for more books read by these talented actresses. If you prefer audiobooks, or enjoy alternating formats to fit your schedule, this book is a great choice..

Have to give it 5 stars because this amazing holiday book made me cry more than once! Despite being for younger audiences, the story hits hard, relatable cords that run through all types of families. It's relatable, powerful, and adorable all tied up in a book you don't want to miss.

Think The Prince and the Pauper but with two girls who A.) discover they are adopted and B.) nonreligious Christmas and Jewish. I really enjoy books that have two religions in them because it shows healthy discovery of one's culture. We tend to only think about mainstream, Hallmark holidays where there are others who don't celebrate. This book is about embracing one's self and one's family, facing fears, and educating about what you don't know......

As we head into the holidays, we need that message now more than ever!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Overall, this was a cute story about twins separated at birth; think: Parent Trap. Some of the storyline moved too quickly to be realistic, but for middle grade, it didn’t seriously detract from the plot. It took me a little bit to get into the story, but at the halfway point, I was committed. I enjoyed the side characters a lot, particularly Sherlock, the salty cat.