So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother

So Punk Rock:  And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother, by Micol Ostow.  Illustrations by David Ostow

ISBN:  9780738714714
Woodbury, Minn.:  Flux, 2009

Plot -Ari Abramson attends a wealthy Jewish Day School in New Jersey, and his mother has everything planned out:  he is to study all the time, ace the SAT, and get into Brandeis University in two years.  Pretty simple.  Except Ari wants to be his own person, and to do that he needs to win over Sari Horowitz, and to do that he needs to be in a really cool band.  He convinces his friend Jonas, who happens to actually play the bass and is forgiveably popular, though not so forgiveably full of himself, to join him.  Together they recruit Yossi, who comes from a Conservative Jewish family, because Yossi has a drum set.  Yossi's parents stipulate that his younger sister, Reena, must be allowed to join as well.  As it turns out, Reena can sing a blue streak, and after a lot of practice, The Tribe actually performs their one tight song, a redux of Hava Nagilah, at someone's Bar Mitzvah.  Their rock star dreams come true--they get groupies, they start to bicker with each other, and drinking leads to bad things--and Ari has to question the wisdom of his cool-at-all-costs plan.  Maybe it's just cool to be Ari.  Maybe.

Critical Evaluation - This book's strongest elements are the dialogue and the inspired cartoons throughout.  Ari's narration is appropriately egocentric and unreliable, but M. Ostow does allow him to report others' conversations reliably, and they are funny and thoughtful in turn.  She gives the language over to the very distinct upper class Jewish day school world, including the kids' own word morphing and a good selection of Jewish/Yiddish words.  These latter are defined in the glossary at the back of the book, illustrated by D. Ostow. D., that is as much worth reading the book as is the story itself.   His illustrations throughout turn the book almost into a graphic novel; they aren't addenda, they really help show the story.

Reader's annotation - Ari does it--he forms a super cool, super rockin', super hot band, and now...well now he's got a band and all the stuff that comes with it.  Is this what he wanted?
Information about the author - Micol Ostow began writing before she was a "writer."  She was working on editing other people's YA works and decided to begin her own.  At this writing, she has produced over 40 works for readers of all ages.  In 2009 she earned an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and currently lives in New York City with her husband who is a film maker.  This year, 2011, Ostow published her dark novel, Family, which is somewhat based on the Manson Family murders.  In an interview with School Library Journal, she says that her favorite author as a kid was Stephen King and that her "dark streak" never really left her.  She plans on writing more "creepy stuff" soon.

Curriculum Ties - None.  A pleasure read.
Booktalk ideas - 

1. Read an excerpt from the scene where Jonas thinks of the band's name.  Begin on pg. 70 with "'I know!' he says, pointing a finger into the air" and end on pg. 71 with "For what that's worth."
2. Read the a snippet from the section where Ari is reflecting on his obsession with Sari.  Begin on pg. 20 with "If Brandeis--or rather, how to break..." and end on pg. 21 with "There's a quiet, almost imperceptible knock at my door."

Reading level - 13+  It's a story younger teens with enjoy, but older YAs will likely get more out of the cultural jokes

Challenge issues - References to f-bombs; some Jewish customs made light of

Challenge defense ideas:

• Librarian must read the book carefully and include it as a resource intended for older teens.
• Librarian greets students and regularly discusses their reading choices; she provides individualized, age-appropriate guidance in book choice.
• Explain the ways in which the librarian accompanies and guides younger students looking for books, and knows students well as individuals. 

Why I included this book - I've included this book because it has appeal to both girls and boys, and because I hope it may give a slight clue to some YAs that they're truly most desirable traits lie within.  It's also a very unusual and spot-on presentation of the life of Conservative Jewish kids living in or near New York and New Jersey.  I'm plain about this because the author and her narrator are as well.  This is a little slice of life from a distinct cultural group that some kids will find themselves in, and others will find they never knew existed.