Loosely based on the story of Queen Esther, contemporary Essie is poised to have an amazing sophomore year when she makes the cheerleading squad and captures the attention of Austin, the captain of the football team. But things get complicated when her religious cousin Micah moves back to town and becomes a target of anti-Semitism, bullying and hazing by members of the football team. (Grades 7-12) ( )

Queen of Secrets“Queen of Secrets” (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2010), by Illinois author Jenny Meyerhoff, tells the story of fifteen year-old Essie Green, an orphan raised by her pointedly non-observant Jewish grandparents in a Michigan suburb. Essie has determined that her sophomore year in high school will be different. She’s managed to make the varsity cheerleading squad—her only hope of catching the eye of Austin King, the captain of the football team. And, miraculously, she does. She’s doing her best to fit in with the jock/cheerleader crowd, when her cousin Micah joins the football team. Essie hasn’t seen Micah and his parents since she was a little girl, shortly following her parents’ death in a car crash. Now they’ve moved back to town, hoping to reconcile their differences with Essie’s grandparents. The only problem, as far as Essie is concerned, is that Micah and his parents are very observant Jews. Essie’s friends brand Micah a freak for his insistence on wearing a kippah, calling him Beanie Boy. Worse, he insists on walking home after Friday night football games rather than driving or accepting a ride. Much as Essie is interested in getting to know her long-lost cousin, she finds him a little weird. Afraid of what her friends will say, she tried to conceal her relationship to Micah. When the teasing escalates to outright hazing, Essie is forced to make a choice between her friends and family. While the plot is sometimes predictable, Meyerhoff puts an interesting spin on the standard “shy girl dates popular jock” coming of age story with her sensitive portrayal of devout a teenager who is persecuted for his faith. I found myself wishing that Essie would grow a backbone and stand up to her shallow, mean friends for much of the book, but Meyerhoff provides an interesting twist to the story that makes for a very satisfying ending. “Queen of Secrets” is loosely based on the Book of Esther, the origin for the Jewish celebration of Purim. It takes place this year on March 19-20. Those who are familiar with the story of Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman who becomes Queen of Persia and saves her people from destruction, will enjoy the parallels between the two narratives. King Ahasuerus, for example, is Austin King, and of course we know who Essie is. That said, it’s not necessary to be familiar with the Biblical Esther to enjoy this book about self-discovery, faith, and loyalty. This review originally appeared in The News-Gazette, March 13, 2011. For more YA reviews, please visit my website at www.saralatta.com ( )

How far will Essie Green go to distance herself from her cousin, Micah? Essie isn’t the type of girl you notice. She wouldn’t typically be part of the ‘in-crowd’. However, as a sophomore, she made the cheerleading squad, those years of dance classes having paid off. That sets her apart from everyone else.

Her cousin Micah, who moved to New York when they were both three, has returned to Pershing , Michigan and made the football team. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in the intervening years. They could possibly be friends except for one thing, Micah was religious. He wore his yarmulke every day and missed football practice on the Jewish Holidays. The result was that he was looked down upon, was the butt of jokes and more.

Essie was so nervous that her new cheerleading/football friends would dislike her if they knew her relationship Micah that she hasn’t told them. Micah hasn’t spilled her secret. However, things get out of hand when Micah misses a winning field goal kick and another player, Harrison, gets hurt in the next play. He blames Micah. If the kick was good the game would have been over and Harrison wouldn’t have gotten hurt. Harrison plans retribution.

Queen of Secrets by Jenny Meyerhoff ably explores many things. It explores Essie’s self confidence or lack thereof in admitting she and Micah are cousins. It explores peer pressure when her cheerleading friends want her to ditch her old friends. It explores the boyfriend/girlfriend relationship, when quarterback Austin, a purported ‘player’, asks her out. It explores family as it delves into the fact that Essie’s parents were killed in an auto accident when she was three and she is living with her grandparents. And it explores conviction when it compares Micah’s and Essie‘s beliefs.

I really enjoyed Queen of Secrets. Essie is a real person and every teen will identify with her emotions and feelings. The situations are real. Meyerhoff’s characters are true and you’ll like them or be wary of them as you would be in real life. The writing is good. The story moves swiftly. And the ending is satisfying. Yes, this story has been told before, but Meyerhoff puts a new spin on it. The result is a good book. I recommend it. ( )