For Sanskrit Aaron Zuckerman, it isn’t easy to believe. Especially when all the people you care about leave.
His dad left after the divorce. The love of his life left in second grade. His best friend in Jewish school found God and practically left the planet. Now his yoga-teacher mom is falling in love with her spiritual guru, and she’s threatening to leave, too.
In a desperate attempt to keep his family together, Sanskrit tells just one small lie. And for a while it seems to be working. Because people start coming back. Sanskrit might even get the family he always wanted.
There’s just one little thing in his way. The truth.
Against the setting of modern-day Los Angeles, YA author Allen Zadoff presents a funny and heartbreaking novel about the search for love—and meaning—in a world where everyone is looking for something to hang on to.
From Review— Melissa Stock, Arapahoe Library District, Englewood, COα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.“…it isn’t the plotline that makes Allen Zadoff’s special: it’s Sanskrit’s voice. As he lies and lies and lies, as he works through his heartache, deals with his family and comes to terms with his feelings about religion and responsibility, his voice is so snarkily hilarious that you’ll laugh through all of the painful moments.”
—“Not many YA books dare to tackle the issues of faith and religion, but is a rare gift. It grapples honestly and thoughtfully with these topics, and it cares enough about its subject matter not to make light of it, but not to take it too seriously, either. The result is a story that’s hilarious and hopeful--and one you should definitely add to your reading list.”
—Pick of the Week, “Allen Zadoff tells the story of California’s new Jewish family… a humorous and introspective read for any age.”
—