6 Chanukah Gifts for Teens

Playing With Matches, by Suri Rosen
This is my new favorite YA to talk about endlessly, because I’ve never had a book—YA or otherwise—so seamlessly capture my Modern Orthodox upbringing. No, I’ve never been a matchmaker, or lived in Canada, or accidentally caused my sister’s broken engagement, but as much fun as the story itself is, the magic for me is in the details—from obsessing over a website on which friends post their engagements to how there always seems to be a reason you need to be bringing food to a community member that day. The fact that it made me laugh out loud more than one was just icing.

The F-It List, by Julie Halpern
Speaking of hilarious contemporary YA, this one definitely fits the bill, with a main character who’s witty, irreverent, and—yup—Jewish. Alex has just lost her father, and when her best friend, Becca, hooks up with her boyfriend, she loses her for a time, too. But then she learns Becca has cancer, and their feud flies out the window as they work together to complete Becca’s bucket list. But it turns out Alex has some goals to cross off too, and a guy who’s more than happy to help her…accomplish them.

Starglass, by Phoebe North
Shopping for a teen whose tastes run more toward sci-fi? North’s duology, rife with Jewish themes, is a must. Terra’s a 16-year-old girl living on the spaceship Asherah, en route to start a new life on the planet Zehava. Her mother has died, her boss is a nightmare, and no one actually knows for sure whether Zehava is even inhabitable. Even her new job is no interesting respite; botany isn’t exactly her jam. But as the uncertainty of the future of Asherah’s inhabitants grows, so does a rebellion among them, and suddenly Terra has a purpose after all.

The Second Mango, by Shira Glassman
With a 20-year-old protagonist, the first book in Glassman’s fantasy series might seem to fall more squarely into new adult than young, but the story of a queen struggling both to feel understood and to find her counterpart is definitely one that resonates with the adolescent experience. Queen Shulamit is newly single and brokenhearted, and it doesn’t help that she’s now the only lesbian she knows. But when she finds a friend willing to travel with her—on a dragon, no less—to find another, she unintentionally lands them both on a rescue mission.

How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch
On the flip side, this one actually skews a little younger than the teen years, with an 11-year-old heroine, but there’s really no age at which it’s not damn cool to see an Orthodox Jewish girl starring in a graphic novel about how she aspires to fight dragons. There may not be any dragons in Mirka’s town of Hereville, but there’s plenty of training available on her quest!

Kosher by Design Teens and 20-Somethings, by Susie Fishbein
Judaism places heavy emphasis on books and education, but it places just about as much emphasis, if not more, on awesome food. Shopping for a teen who loves to cook, or at least wants to know how, the way I didn’t until I was in my twenties? Ta-da! My personal favorites are the pretzel challah, the un-screw-up-able broccoli quiche, and the surprisingly addictive Southwest rotisserie chicken wraps.