07/29/2024
Aviva Davis knows she was born to sing and dance, so when her bubbe suggests she try out for the Hanukkah number in the holiday pageant at her senior center, Aviva is all in. She’s less certain about her Jewish identity—her adoptive father isn’t Jewish, and her family doesn’t “celebrate anything,” though she does persuade them to observe Hanukkah this year. Meanwhile, Holly Martin, also adopted, wishes her mother wasn’t too busy for Christmas and that she could take better care of her grandfather, who walks with a cane and is a writer like Holly. The girls meet when Holly’s family tours the senior center, and they soon discover that not only do they look identical, they have the same birthday. Curious about how the other spends the holidays, the tweens hatch a cheeky scheme that recalls The Parent Trap, switching places. Via alternating chapters, Holly and Aviva avoid near discovery, miss their families, plan for the pageant, and learn what being sisters feels like in this charming family-focused holiday tale by Levy (Bird Brain) and Meyer (Instant Karma). The Martins, Aviva, and Bubbe are white; Aviva’s father is Black. Ages 8–12. Agents: (for Levy) Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative; (for Meyer) Jill Grinberg, Jill Grinberg Literary. (Oct.)
