We Got the Beat! Book Review: Not Your All-American Girl
In BeJEWcy, my middle grade Jewish book club, when we talked about Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s book Not Your All-American Girl we began by asking:
What does it mean to be “all-American”?
For the book’s main character Lauren Horowitz, a sixth grader who’s both Jewish and Chinese, the answer turns out to be a lot more complicated — and personal — than she expected.
Set in 1980s Virginia, Not Your All-American Girl follows Lauren through what should’ve been a big win: she crushes her audition for the school musical. Then the drama teacher tells her she can’t play the lead. Why? Because she “doesn’t look the part.” Her best friend Tara, who is white, gets the role instead — and Lauren is left to wonder if being herself will ever be enough.
My BeJEWcy readers thought that seemed like something that would have happened “back when the world was black and white” (by which they meant tvs) and before “the existence of video games . . . or maybe even phones” and they had a hard time believing me that I was a kid in the 1980s and that, actually, stuff like this also happens today.
What’s great about Lauren as a character is that she isn’t just Jewish — she’s unapologetically Jewish. She goes to Hebrew school, celebrates Passover with both of her grandmothers (one Chinese, one Jewish), and is fully steeped in that familiar blend of tradition, family jokes, and Jewish expectations. She’s also entirely Chinese American, and the way those identities mix — in her family, in her looks, in how others treat her — is at the heart of this story.
You don’t often see a main character who is both Asian and Jewish in middle-grade fiction, and that alone makes this book a gift. What makes it shine is how real Lauren feels. She’s funny, sharp, insecure, ambitious — just like any kid trying to sort out where they belong. Jewishness is part of the texture of Lauren’s life, her identity is lived, not lectured. There’s Hebrew school, temple, seders, family stories, and even a moment of casual antisemitism that catches her off guard.
We all agreed that one of the most relatable parts of the book is Lauren’s friendship with Tara. They’re best friends who do everything together… until they don’t. When Tara lands the lead role, she doesn’t understand why Lauren is upset. That moment — when someone close to you just doesn’t get it — is so well done here. It’s painful, but honest.
It is so relatable that one of the closing questions the BeJEWcy readers have for the authors is how much of the book happened in their real lives. One of the readers is pretty sure it’s practically autobiographical because it all felt so true.
Lauren eventually finds her own way forward. With help from her supportive family (including a loving Jewish grandmother who always has snacks and strong opinions), she starts a button-making business, discovers her own stage, and reconnects with her love of music — especially country singer Patsy Cline. (Fun fact: Lauren mishears “Cline” as “Klein” and briefly thinks Patsy might be Jewish. The disappointment is real.)
The 1980s vibe is strong; this is a book soaked in nostalgia.
The authors also created a 1980s playlist to accompany the book with songs like:
Let’s Dance by David Bowie
We Got the Beat by The Go-Go’s
Too Shy by Kajagoogoo
When Doves Cry by Prince
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey
If you lived through the ’80s — or just enjoy retro music — you’ll feel right at home.
Not Your All-American Girl opens up conversations about:
What “American” is supposed to look like — and who gets to decide
How we support friends who are hurt by exclusion or bias
How Jewish identity intersects with race, culture, and visibility
What it means to stand up for yourself — and still show empathy
It’s a warm, funny, and sometimes bittersweet story that affirms Jewish identity without centering trauma, and is about growing up Jewish and Chinese in a world that tries to put people in boxes. It focuses on joy, creativity, family, friendship, and the journey toward self-acceptance.