Mode

kid

parent

To his older brothers, Joey’s always been invisible.  Then he catches the eye of the big boss, Artie Bishop. Life in the fast lane is awesome! Until things get complicated…
Ages 10+
Pages 248
Publisher Kar-Ben
Coming Oct 2022
Awards
PJ Our Way Author Incentive Award Winner
Sydney Taylor Notable Book
National Jewish Book Award Winner

Average Rating

17 Reviews
Leave Review

What the Book Is About

13-year-old Joey Goodman and his family spend every August helping out at his grandparents’ kosher hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the summer of 1975, while playing Skee-Ball, Joey attracts the attention of Artie Bishop, a local mobster. When the charismatic Artie hires him to chaperone his 15-year-old daughter, Joey soon finds himself caught up in some shady business. He also finds himself lying to his family; white lies that eventually develop into outright deception. This fast-paced, exciting coming-of-age story is infused with warm Jewish content and a 1970s Jewish world view.

Jewish Content & Values

  • Joey belongs to a large, close-knit Jewish family, and there are photos on the walls of family seders and Hanukkah. They sometimes use Yiddish words and phrases. Joey attends a Jewish school. His mother and Bubbe belong to the Jewish women’s group Hadassah.
  • The family hotel caters for a Jewish clientele and Shabbat lunch is served for the guests. Joey wears a kippah while working there.
  • Joey goes to shul, where he takes photos of an event, and consciously feels that he belongs in this Jewish environment.

Content Advisory

The man Joey is working for turns out to be a criminal and Joey worries that they will come to his house. Two adults wield knives in the story’s suspenseful climax. Though Joey’s older brother is injured, no blood is shed, and the hospital becomes the setting for some heartwarming family scenes.
What the Book Is About

What the Book Is About

13-year-old Joey Goodman and his family spend every August helping out at his grandparents’ kosher hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the summer of 1975, while playing Skee-Ball, Joey attracts the attention of Artie Bishop, a local mobster. When the charismatic Artie hires him to chaperone his 15-year-old daughter, Joey soon finds himself caught up in some shady business. He also finds himself lying to his family; white lies that eventually develop into outright deception. This fast-paced, exciting coming-of-age story is infused with warm Jewish content and a 1970s Jewish world view.

Jewish Content & Values

  • Joey belongs to a large, close-knit Jewish family, and there are photos on the walls of family seders and Hanukkah. They sometimes use Yiddish words and phrases. Joey attends a Jewish school. His mother and Bubbe belong to the Jewish women’s group Hadassah.
  • The family hotel caters for a Jewish clientele and Shabbat lunch is served for the guests. Joey wears a kippah while working there.
  • Joey goes to shul, where he takes photos of an event, and consciously feels that he belongs in this Jewish environment.

Content Advisory

The man Joey is working for turns out to be a criminal and Joey worries that they will come to his house. Two adults wield knives in the story’s suspenseful climax. Though Joey’s older brother is injured, no blood is shed, and the hospital becomes the setting for some heartwarming family scenes.