My Basmati Bat Mitzvah — Paula Freedman

For Tara Feinstein, life with her Indian-JewishAmerican family is like a bowl of spicy matzoh ball soup. It's a mix of cultures that is sometimes delicious, and sometimes confusing. After all, she's the only kid at her Hebrew school who rubs a statue of Ganesha for good luck and reenacts classic Bollywood movies. But during the fall leading up to her bat mitzvah, it feels like her Jewish side is taking center stage. Between lessons with her rabbi and Hebrew classes, there doesn't seem to be enough time for anything else, like hanging out with her best friend Ben-o -- who might also be her boyfriend -- or her other best friend, Rebecca, who's getting a little too cozy with snotty Sheila Rosenberg. Most worrisome of all, will taking this step toward Jewish adulthood make Tara any less Indian? Or can she somehow honor both cultures without having to choose?

With the cross-cultural charm of Bend It Like Beckham and The Namesake, this delightful debut novel is a classic coming-of-age story and young romance with universal appeal.