Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Walker & Company (2011), 256 pages
Description
Fourteen-year-old Ellie will do almost anything to win a scholarship to the best speech school in the country, but must decide if she is willing to hide her Jewish heritage while at a Phoenix, Arizona, summer camp that could help her reach her goal.
Awards
Sydney Taylor Book Award (Mass Import -- Pending Differentiation)
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member EKAnderson
In Amy Dominy‘s debut tween novel, OYMG, faith and love — or at least “sizzle” — clash in one of the cutest stories I’ve read in a while. Of course, it’s not all cute — the book has some wonderful serious moments as well. In fact, for Ellie Taylor, the speech and debate program
Ellie loves to argue. She’s awesome at it, and is determined to win a scholarship that’s awarded every summer at the camp she’s attending, despite her Zeydeh’s warnings that no good can come of a Jewish girl attending a Christian camp. Zeydeh is the Yiddish word for grandfather, and Ellie’s gramps is really proud of his faith. So is Ellie, most of the time. But it’s not easy to be the only Jew at camp. Every morning all the kids pray to Jesus. And in one of the first speech excercises, she’s asked to speak on — of all things — Christmas trees. Ellie isn’t going to let any of this shake her faith. But when Ellie finds out that the sponsor of the highly coveted scholorship — and the grandmother of her crush — might have something against Jews, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Should she hider her faith for her chance at her dreams, or speak out and risk everything?
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she’s attending at a Christian-sponsored summer camp will not only be her first experience with sizzle (what her BFF calls that crush-ing feeling), but also with antisemitism.Ellie loves to argue. She’s awesome at it, and is determined to win a scholarship that’s awarded every summer at the camp she’s attending, despite her Zeydeh’s warnings that no good can come of a Jewish girl attending a Christian camp. Zeydeh is the Yiddish word for grandfather, and Ellie’s gramps is really proud of his faith. So is Ellie, most of the time. But it’s not easy to be the only Jew at camp. Every morning all the kids pray to Jesus. And in one of the first speech excercises, she’s asked to speak on — of all things — Christmas trees. Ellie isn’t going to let any of this shake her faith. But when Ellie finds out that the sponsor of the highly coveted scholorship — and the grandmother of her crush — might have something against Jews, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Should she hider her faith for her chance at her dreams, or speak out and risk everything?
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LibraryThing member ethel55
A deceptively cute title for what turned out to be a little more powerful book. Ellie will be entering high school in the fall and would love to win a scholarship to an elite private school that the winner of a speech camp receives. Turns out the Speech camp is Christian based and Ellie, a product
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of a Christian/Jewish union, has really grown up Jewish and didn't know how proud she was of it. This tackled some tough subjects for teens as Ellie tries to decide how much of the truth should be revealed in order to be eligible for the scholarship. At times, I did think the ages of Ellie and her friends seemed like older teens, they are supposed to be only 14, that summer between middle school and high school. Show Less
LibraryThing member LauraMoore
Ellie Taylor is excellent at one thing, and that one thing is argueing, so much so that she got excepted to the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts School summer camp, which if she can win the competition with get her a scholarship to the best school in the country for speech. There's only
I'm going to be honest when I say that I was pretty hesistant about this book and wasn't sure what to expect, but I was happily suprised that it was in the least bit clique, like I thought it might be, but instead had a deep, and interesting storyline that made for a really unique story that had a good message, and how could you not love Zeydah (ellie's yiddish grandfather).
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one problem, She's Jewish. Will she sell herself out for her dreams, or will she stay true to her beliefs. I'm going to be honest when I say that I was pretty hesistant about this book and wasn't sure what to expect, but I was happily suprised that it was in the least bit clique, like I thought it might be, but instead had a deep, and interesting storyline that made for a really unique story that had a good message, and how could you not love Zeydah (ellie's yiddish grandfather).
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LibraryThing member STBA
Ellie Taylor hopes her debating skills will get her a scholarship to a prestigious Christian-affiliated private school. She attends summer speech camp and falls for Devon, a cute shaygetz whose grandmother happens to be the anti-Semitic sponsor of the scholarship. With some nudging from her zaydeh,
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Ellie faces her toughest argument as she must decide between the scholarship and her Jewish identity. (Grades 9-11) Show Less
LibraryThing member roses7184
What first interested me about Amy Fellner Dominy's book was its ties to speech and debate. I'll admit it. I was the girl in high school who joined the club, lived at mock trial, spent her days arguing for or against anything they asked me to! I loved the high stress atmosphere and the good natured
From the beginning I was drawn in by Ellie's wit and ability to talk her way through anything that came her way. She is the perfect mixture of sweet, sensible, and downright fierce when it comes to competition. I loved how she was so driven to accomplish her goal of getting into the school she wanted. Despite her age, Ellie knew what she wanted and she was going for it. I so respected her for that. Then when Devon comes on the scene, things get cute and I was even more invested. Ellie is my kind of girl!
However I was only in love with Ellie at that point. The story was fun and sweet, but that's all it felt like to me. An enjoyable read. Until the second half of the book that is. Enter Devon's grandmother and her antiquated views. Without spoiling anything, I'll let you know that she drove me mad. I know that is what Dominy intended, but wow. Anyhow Ellie's struggle from that point on is what really really made me like this book. I saw the two halves of her life at war. The portion of her that knows what is right, warring with the part of her that is so goal driven. It was amazing. To see that struggle down on paper made me smile, because there are so many people out there who need to know that prejudice still exists, even today.
Lest I let Ellie overshadow the other characters, I'll fully admit that they are all fantastic! By far Ellie's zeydeh (grandfather) was my absolute favorite. Spouting Yiddish sayings, keeping Ellie thinking about the "right" path, he was such a vivid character. I think people from all religions and backgrounds will find a little of their own grandfather in him, and I loved him for that. He definitely made this book that much more fun for me to read.
I really enjoyed reading OyMG. I can't put my finger on what kept it from being a five rating for me, it could be as simple as the time I read it. However I can say that it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend! Ellie's wit, her zeydeh's humor, a little bit of romance, it all blends into a book that is a fun and meaningful read. I say give it a shot! Ellie might argue her way right into your heart.
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competition that came along with it. So when I saw that OyMG was about Ellie's life as an orator, I knew I was in. Plain and simple. Little did I know that I'd be sucked in ever further. This book is so much more than it seems to be!From the beginning I was drawn in by Ellie's wit and ability to talk her way through anything that came her way. She is the perfect mixture of sweet, sensible, and downright fierce when it comes to competition. I loved how she was so driven to accomplish her goal of getting into the school she wanted. Despite her age, Ellie knew what she wanted and she was going for it. I so respected her for that. Then when Devon comes on the scene, things get cute and I was even more invested. Ellie is my kind of girl!
However I was only in love with Ellie at that point. The story was fun and sweet, but that's all it felt like to me. An enjoyable read. Until the second half of the book that is. Enter Devon's grandmother and her antiquated views. Without spoiling anything, I'll let you know that she drove me mad. I know that is what Dominy intended, but wow. Anyhow Ellie's struggle from that point on is what really really made me like this book. I saw the two halves of her life at war. The portion of her that knows what is right, warring with the part of her that is so goal driven. It was amazing. To see that struggle down on paper made me smile, because there are so many people out there who need to know that prejudice still exists, even today.
Lest I let Ellie overshadow the other characters, I'll fully admit that they are all fantastic! By far Ellie's zeydeh (grandfather) was my absolute favorite. Spouting Yiddish sayings, keeping Ellie thinking about the "right" path, he was such a vivid character. I think people from all religions and backgrounds will find a little of their own grandfather in him, and I loved him for that. He definitely made this book that much more fun for me to read.
I really enjoyed reading OyMG. I can't put my finger on what kept it from being a five rating for me, it could be as simple as the time I read it. However I can say that it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend! Ellie's wit, her zeydeh's humor, a little bit of romance, it all blends into a book that is a fun and meaningful read. I say give it a shot! Ellie might argue her way right into your heart.
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LibraryThing member ZabetReading
This review can also be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: The cover is very cute. Covered in doodles, it looks like it could have been pulled from Ellie's notebook. I love the play on words in the title and hope that most teens would get it.
The Gist: Ellie has one goal: to attend
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the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp and win a coveted scholarship to St. Benedict's school, the posh school with the best debate team around. As a Jewish girl in a Christian camp, Ellie feels a little out of place and her plans are threatened when she discovers that the school's benefactor, and her the grandmother of her crush and main competition, may be prejudiced against Jews. Ellie must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to win.Review: OyMG is an enjoyable read about a young girl struggling to find her own identity in the face of what everyone else wants her to be. The plot is a little expected and predictable, but the characters are fantastic. Ellie is a strong and independent young woman who knows the value of a good argument and is willing to work hard for the things that she wants. Her parents are loving and supportive - something that is often all too rare in YA novels! The best friend has her own set of issues (can we have a book featuring Megan as the MC please?) the love interest is smart and interesting and the villain is realistic and complex. However the stand out (and in close competition with Sage from The False Prince for the prize of favorite character thus far in 2012) is her Zeydeh (Grandfather). He is so well written that I was convinced he was based on a real person (he's not - I asked) and determined to meet him. Zeydeh has the best lines enhances this novel with a wonderful spark of humor. It is not too often that I can "hear" a character speak, but I could hear Zeydeh, in fact, I am still hearing Zeydeh (right now he is telling me to finish my tappity-tapping so we can look up recipes for Motzo Ball Soup). He is uncompromising, he is funny and he is the one person who demands that Ellie expect more from herself.
Characters aside, the plot moves quickly and does not suffer from any lag. There is no InstaLove and it does not paint the world (and the people in it) in black and white. I am happy to add this to my Classroom Library and cannot wait to see if my students are able to draw any comparisons to their own lives.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 12 and up
Gender: Will probably be more appealing to girls
Sex: None
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Abuse: None
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LibraryThing member ZabetReading
This review can also be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: The cover is very cute. Covered in doodles, it looks like it could have been pulled from Ellie's notebook. I love the play on words in the title and hope that most teens would get it.
The Gist: Ellie has one goal: to attend
Show More
the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp and win a coveted scholarship to St. Benedict's school, the posh school with the best debate team around. As a Jewish girl in a Christian camp, Ellie feels a little out of place and her plans are threatened when she discovers that the school's benefactor, and her the grandmother of her crush and main competition, may be prejudiced against Jews. Ellie must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to win.Review: OyMG is an enjoyable read about a young girl struggling to find her own identity in the face of what everyone else wants her to be. The plot is a little expected and predictable, but the characters are fantastic. Ellie is a strong and independent young woman who knows the value of a good argument and is willing to work hard for the things that she wants. Her parents are loving and supportive - something that is often all too rare in YA novels! The best friend has her own set of issues (can we have a book featuring Megan as the MC please?) the love interest is smart and interesting and the villain is realistic and complex. However the stand out (and in close competition with Sage from The False Prince for the prize of favorite character thus far in 2012) is her Zeydeh (Grandfather). He is so well written that I was convinced he was based on a real person (he's not - I asked) and determined to meet him. Zeydeh has the best lines enhances this novel with a wonderful spark of humor. It is not too often that I can "hear" a character speak, but I could hear Zeydeh, in fact, I am still hearing Zeydeh (right now he is telling me to finish my tappity-tapping so we can look up recipes for Motzo Ball Soup). He is uncompromising, he is funny and he is the one person who demands that Ellie expect more from herself.
Characters aside, the plot moves quickly and does not suffer from any lag. There is no InstaLove and it does not paint the world (and the people in it) in black and white. I am happy to add this to my Classroom Library and cannot wait to see if my students are able to draw any comparisons to their own lives.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 12 and up
Gender: Will probably be more appealing to girls
Sex: None
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Abuse: None
Show Less
LibraryThing member ZabetReading
This review can also be found on Reading Between Classes
Cover Impressions: The cover is very cute. Covered in doodles, it looks like it could have been pulled from Ellie's notebook. I love the play on words in the title and hope that most teens would get it.
The Gist: Ellie has one goal: to attend
Show More
the Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp and win a coveted scholarship to St. Benedict's school, the posh school with the best debate team around. As a Jewish girl in a Christian camp, Ellie feels a little out of place and her plans are threatened when she discovers that the school's benefactor, and her the grandmother of her crush and main competition, may be prejudiced against Jews. Ellie must decide how much of herself she is willing to sacrifice in order to win.Review: OyMG is an enjoyable read about a young girl struggling to find her own identity in the face of what everyone else wants her to be. The plot is a little expected and predictable, but the characters are fantastic. Ellie is a strong and independent young woman who knows the value of a good argument and is willing to work hard for the things that she wants. Her parents are loving and supportive - something that is often all too rare in YA novels! The best friend has her own set of issues (can we have a book featuring Megan as the MC please?) the love interest is smart and interesting and the villain is realistic and complex. However the stand out (and in close competition with Sage from The False Prince for the prize of favorite character thus far in 2012) is her Zeydeh (Grandfather). He is so well written that I was convinced he was based on a real person (he's not - I asked) and determined to meet him. Zeydeh has the best lines enhances this novel with a wonderful spark of humor. It is not too often that I can "hear" a character speak, but I could hear Zeydeh, in fact, I am still hearing Zeydeh (right now he is telling me to finish my tappity-tapping so we can look up recipes for Motzo Ball Soup). He is uncompromising, he is funny and he is the one person who demands that Ellie expect more from herself.
Characters aside, the plot moves quickly and does not suffer from any lag. There is no InstaLove and it does not paint the world (and the people in it) in black and white. I am happy to add this to my Classroom Library and cannot wait to see if my students are able to draw any comparisons to their own lives.
Teaching/Parental Notes:
Age: 12 and up
Gender: Will probably be more appealing to girls
Sex: None
Violence: None
Inappropriate Language: None
Substance Abuse: None
Show Less
ISBN
080272177X / 9780802721778