Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2005 (Vol. 73, No. 16))
When Stacy Friedman discovers her best friend, Lydia, kissing the crush of her life, Andy Goldfarb (the boy she dreams of kissing, or maybe marrying, at her Bat Mitzvah party), she does what any respecting seventh grader would do, she uninvites her to the party. For seventh grade is all about friendship. Luckily, for Rabbi Sherwin, the Bat Mitzvah is about more than that, and his advice to her to perform three good deeds before the ceremony actually works: Her mother is bouncing back from her father's departure; her embarrassing younger brother loses weight; and she, herself, acquires a boyfriend. And yes, Lydia comes to her party. Rosenbloom's seventh-grade girls are completely real: self-centered and peer-oriented, inextricably linked by cell phone and instant messaging and dying to be independent and grown up. They will be welcomed by readers at that same awkward stage. Light humor with a little lesson. 2005, Hyperion, 288p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 10 to 14. © 2005 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Patricia Brown (Library Media Connection, November/December 2005)
Stacy is facing one of the most important events in her life, her bat mitzvah, but she has major problems. How can she get out of wearing the hideous dress that her mother made her buy? How can she get the love of her life, Andy, to notice her, and maybe make out with her at her bat mitzvah dance? How can she get into the most exclusive group at school, The Chicas? Then, all sorts of bad things happen. Her father shows up with his new girlfriend; she can't get Andy to notice her; and finally, she catches her best friend kissing Andy. This is a cute story for the upper elementary and middle school reader. Andy is interesting. He is a soccer player, but he wants to fit in and tries to impress people with his language. The first time he is introduced, he says something in Spanish to Arthur, Stacy's brother. Arthur answers him in a complete Spanish paragraph, and readers never hear Andy speak Spanish again. Your Jewish students will enjoy it, and the non-Jewish ones will learn that people are just people regardless of their faith. Recommended. 2005, Hyperion Books for Children/Disney Publishing Worldwide, 288pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 10 to 15.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2006)
Stacy Friedman thinks she has the perfect bat mitzvah planned. She'll wear a designer dress, snag the boy of her dreams, and hopefully get out of singing the Torah. Thanks to parental conflicts, arguments with friends, and unfulfilled mitzvahs, things quickly fall apart. The appealing premise is marred by choppy writing, uneven plotting, and thoroughly irritating characters. Category: Older Fiction. 2005, Hyperion, 197pp, 15.99. Ages 12 to 14. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.

Christina Houck (The Kutztown University Book Review, Spring 2006)
This is a story about a girl named Stacy and her best friend. They get into some argument over a boy who isn't worth fighting over and it destroys their friendship for a while. Then Stacy realizes she shouldn't let some boy mess up her lifelong friendship and she and her friend become friends again. This sounds like everyday at my school so I really could relate to everyone arguing with each other and sometimes acting snobby. Other kids will too. It helps to know that other people have the same problems. The book was also funny because a Jewish girl was talking to God. I liked it so I would recommend it. Category: Fiction. 2005, Hyperion Books for Children, $15.99. Ages 11 to 14.

Sophie Brookover (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3))
Stacy Friedman's bat mitzvah is weeks away, yet she has neither a date nor a dress suitable for the occasion. The dress her mother selects is a sequined nightmare, and Stacy's would-be date Andy Goldfarb (he of the hilariously unintelligible faux hip-hop vocabulary and personalized G-Farb belt buckle) is hooking up with her former best friend, Lydia. Could her life be more out of control? Of course! On the advice of Rabbi Sherwin, Stacy decides to perform three mitzvot, or good deeds, with a view toward winning back the oblivious Andy, all the while misunderstanding Lydia's conciliatory gestures and ignoring the attentions of the handsome, sweet exchange student Dante. Like Cher in the frothy movie Clueless, Stacy does not understand that good deeds yield their own reward until her tale's satisfying, if slightly clichTd, conclusion. Stacy is a realistic thirteen-year-old: funny, kindhearted, loving, gossipy, envious, brand-obsessed, and self-centered. She strives to do the right thing, though, and her reward is the restoration of perfect symmetry to her life: Stacy finds a better bat mitzvah ensemble, reconciles with Lydia, and disses Andy (who turns out to be a jerk, anyway); her klutzy genius brother Arthur busts some TRL-worthy dance moves; and Dante's affections, once proclaimed, are requited. Although it will be dated within a year thanks to too many Ashlee Simpson references, this book is a fun, fast must-read for the bar and bat mitzvah set and for all their non-Jewish friends as well. Junior high school libraries should consider purchasing multiple copies. VOYA CODES: 3Q 5P M J (Readable without serious defects; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Hyperion, 288p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.

Adora Goldofsky, Teen Reviewer (VOYA, August 2005 (Vol. 28, No. 3))
You Are SO Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah was a great book. After each chapter you want to keep reading, and you will not want to put the book down. This book is not just about having a bat mitzvah. It's about friendships, crushes, what's hot and what's not--it's about being a teenager!! This was a great novel, and I highly recommend you to read it. VOYA CODES: 5Q 5P M J (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2005, Hyperion, 288p., $15.99. Ages 11 to 15.