  | Judgment of Yoyo Gold Author: Blum, Isaac | |
| Price: $23.98 | ||
Summary:
When the daughter of a rabbi sees her best friend cast out of their Orthodox Jewish community over a seemingly innocent transgression, Yoyo Gold faces consequences after deciding to speak out anonymously on TikTok about the community's hypocrisies.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (08/15/24)
Booklist (+) (10/15/24)
The Hornbook (+) (00/11/24)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 10/15/2024 *Starred Review* As the oldest daughter of an Orthodox rabbi, Yocheved “Yoyo” Gold faces high expectations from her parents and her entire Orthodox community to be a leader and role model for her peers. She usually handles this status well, but she is currently preoccupied by the banishment of her best friend, Esti, to a boarding school in Las Vegas. Esti is now all the way across the country after she was caught kissing a boy, which is strictly forbidden. Yoyo meets another rabbi’s daughter, Mickey, whose mother is the rabbi of a Reform synagogue, and Yoyo’s both shocked and intrigued by the differences between them. Mickey introduces Yoyo to social media, and Yoyo crashes headlong into a topsy-turvy world radically different from her own. When she sees her Orthodox friends violating rules like eating at McDonald’s or buying drugs, she starts posting anonymous TikTok videos reporting on their transgressions. It all catches up to her, and Yoyo realizes that (1) she needs boundaries, and (2) they need to come from within her. Blum’s depiction of a teenage Orthodox Jewish girl is remarkable in its precision and authenticity, along with the depth he gives Yoyo as she experiences life outside her community and contemplates her future. Yoyo’s first-person narrative is convincing and appealing along with the well-rounded characters around her. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.
