Provides a practical, humorous guide for Jewish students and their families as they prepare for their big day. Breezy and friendly yet reassuring and focused, Axelrod cuts through the fear and stress that teens often feel in the months leading up to their bar or bat mitzvah.

In this collection of thirteen stories, diverse characters experience anxiety, doubt, and self-discovery while preparing for their b'nai mitzvahs.

"Set in the same world as Justin Sayre's previous books, Husky and Pretty, Mean explores the private and public life of Ellen, who is confident, cool, and, according to Davis, mean. But if speaking the truth and being unconcerned with petty gossip makes you mean, Ellen is fine with that. Besides, she has her own issues to deal with as middle school becomes a virtual battlefield of pubescent zombies, not unlike the obstacles in the video games she...