Gr 4-8It's 1983, and David's got worries: his impending bar mitzvah, his constantly competing Chinese and Jewish grandmothers, the cute girl who makes him nervous, and his popular new friend, who dislikes David's longtime best friendplus, it's the height of the Cold War, and nuclear annihilation could hit at any second. David's lightly anxious tone; the progressively funny handful of short, dialogue-based scenes per chapter; the realistically kooky family members; and the 1980s middle-class suburban setting are so strongly reminiscent of Judy Blume's "Fudge" books that a well-versed reader might accidentally refer to the protagonist as "Peter." The authors cram in a lot of 1980s references (David Hasselhoff, Betamax). It's refreshing to meet a male protagonist who, like Tara in Paula Freedman's My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, is struggling with how to be authentically Jewish in a bicultural family. VERDICT Giggle-inducing, light, and charmingly realistic fiction that will resonate with a wide variety of readers.Rhona Campbell, Georgetown Day School, Washington, DC

David finds his seventh-grade year worrisome in so many ways. Who can teach him how to talk to girls? When will he finally get his long-expected growth spurt? Can his bar mitzvah satisfy both his grandmothers (one Jewish, one Chinese), whose rivalry is long-standing? Will hanging out with popular Scott raise his social status at school above dork level? Is that worth hurting his best friend since second grade? Is nuclear war imminent? Will digging a bomb shelter save him? Set in 1983 to 1984, the novel weaves plot elements together smoothly while incorporating realistic period details. The first-person narrative engages readers with David's candid reflections as well as his droll telling of events, such as the memorably catastrophic Thanksgiving dinner featuring skillful verbal sparring between the grandmothers and a guest who starts out happy to join the family's East-meets-West feast but flees before dessert is served. An appealing historical novel, even for readers resistant to the genre. In a heartening appended note, the authors reflect that each generation deals with its own "overarching threat."

In the months leading up to his bar mitzvah, David Da-Wei Horowitz deals with a host of middle school crises, from bickering grandmas and trouble talking to his crush to fearing the possibility of nuclear fallout. It's autumn 1983 in northern Virginia, and seventh-grader David Horowitz, who is Chinese and Jewish, is busy preparing for Jan. 21, 1984: when he's "being bar mitzvahed in front of about a zillion people." But that's only if he lives that long, considering that after watching The Day After, he's worried about what will happen if there's a nuclear holocaust. David's growing friendship with cool-kid Scott, a white boy, revolves around their school trivia team and their secret project: digging a fallout shelter. Meanwhile, at home, David's grandmothers—Wai Po, who lives with them, and Granny M, who lives next door—seem constantly on the verge of starting World War III themselves, bickering over whose culture should take precedence in David's and his younger sister's lives. David is a lovable intersectional protagonist, and the authors imbue his story with period-appropriate details, such as the novelty of divorced parents and Cold War fear. There's a lot to enjoy, but it's David's relationships with his two grandmothers that steal the show, especially when the rivals eventually unite to teach him he's not "half of each" but "all of both." A nostalgic and heartwarming period coming-of-age comedy. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 8-12)

In this sensitively written story from Rosenberg (Nanny X) and Shang (The Way Home Looks Now), 12-year-old David is torn between two identities and two friends, and since it-s the Reagan-era -80s he-s also terrified of nuclear war. David-s Chinese and Jewish grandmothers have uprooted themselves to be closer to David and his sister, and both women vie to make their culture the dominant one in the house. At school, David jumps at the chance to learn how to be smooth around girls from popular student Scott. David-s best friend Hector rounds out a trivia team that Scott and David form, but Hector-s uncool tendencies (such as his repeated references to old movies) lead David to leave Hector out of Scott-s new project: digging a fallout shelter. David is also preparing for his bar mitzvah, a journey filled with humor, emotional depth, and important realizations about what it means to be a friend and to embrace multiple cultures. His struggle to make sense of the Cold War will resonate with readers grappling with a confusing political climate themselves. Ages 8-12. Agent: (for Shang) Tracey Adams, Adams Literary; (for Rosenberg) Susan Cohen, Writers House. (June)

Way back in the early 1980s, David Da-Wei Horowitz was an average young man getting ready for a very important Jewish rite-of-passage, his Bar Mitzvah, with non-traditional elements to placate Wai Po, his Chinese grandmother. Attempting to move into the cool group, David and Hector, his best friend from the beginning, might be able to actually do it when Scott invites them to be part of his trivia contest team. Also on David’s mind is the potential, impending nuclear war with Russia and the only slightly-less-worrying concern that classmate Kelli Ann might (or might not) like him back. Dealing with all the familiar middle school struggles—like balancing new friends with old ones, trying to figure out where you fit in the social hierarchy, how to let a girl know you like her—give this story a timeless feel. From the teens to the adults, these engaging characters feel authentic and relatable. The challenges faced by parents and children trying to blend two cultures into one family—especially with the addition of two strong grandmas—brings some tension and more humor to the story. Including the television movie, The Day After, as both an historical detail and a significant event for the characters who watch it is a clever addition. The short length will draw readers and they will find real enjoyment in this reading experience.—Stacey Hayman.