The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman - by Mari Lowe

Book Synopsis

SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD WINNER
NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER

Kirkus Top 10 Middle Grade for Fall '23

SHAINDY is a twelve-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl who struggles in school and has no good friends. She watches with envy as her next-door neighbor, GAYIL, excels socially and academically. They have little to do with each other, and it comes as a surprise when Shaindy looks out her window one September evening and sees Gayil staring out at her from her own window with a sign reading want to know a secret?

The secret (at first) is that Gayil has a key fob that will allow them to break into their school after hours. Together, they set up a harmless prank in their classroom. But under Gayil's instigation the mischief becomes malice, and Shaindy sees that the pranks and humiliations are targeted only at certain girls. But what could they have in common? With the fear of Gayil's fury and her own reluctance growing, Shaindy comes to the terrifying conclusion that if she can't figure out how to stop it, the next target could be her.

P R A I S E

★ "Absorbing and principled... Lowe wastes not a word in crafting this taut and emotionally roiled exploration of culpability and forgiveness. Gayil is right-'sixth grade is hard'-and Shaindy's vulnerability will likely resonate deeply with readers who share Shaindy's longing for acceptance."
--Shelf-Awareness (starred)

★ "[An] introspective novel full of perceptive emotional observations."
--Horn Book (starred)

"Pitch-perfect... The struggle between trying to fit in and keeping true to yourself will resonate with all tweens."
--School Library Journal

"This thoughtful middle grade novel explores the complexity of middle school friendships, bullying, and what it means to make amends and have a fresh start."
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"An enormously rewarding meditation on friendship, fairness, and forgiveness."
--Booklist

"A nuanced exploration of the intricacies of friendship... Engrossing and deeply relatable."
--Kirkus

Review Quotes

[STAR] "[An] introspective novel full of perceptive emotional observations." - Horn Book (starred)

[STAR] "An outsider aching for inclusion becomes the perpetrator of escalating stunts before her inevitable undoing in Mari Lowe's absorbing and principled middle-grade triumph The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman." - Shelf Awareness (starred)

"Pitch-perfect... The struggle between trying to fit in and keeping true to yourself will resonate with all tweens." - School Library Journal

"With care-ful pre-ci-sion, Mari Lowe explores the com-plex nature of pre-teen social inter-ac-tions, as well as their emo-tion-al-ly dan-ger-ous consequences." - Jewish Book Council

"An enormously rewarding meditation on friendship, fairness, and forgiveness." - Booklist

"This thoughtful middle grade novel explores the complexity of middle school friendships, bullying, and what it means to make amends and have a fresh start." - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"A nuanced exploration of the intricacies of friendship...Engrossing and deeply relatable." - Kirkus

Kirkus Top 10 Middle Grade Novels for Fall '23

About the Author

Mari Lowe has too little free time and spends it all on writing and escape rooms. As the daughter of a rabbi and a middle school teacher at an Orthodox Jewish school, she looks forward to sharing little glimpses into her community with her books. She lives in New York with her family, menagerie of pets, and robotic vacuum. Her debut middle grade novel, Aviva vs. the Dybbuk, received critical praise and was named a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner.

Author Residence: Queens, NY