The Middle Grade Review

Lauren and Tara aren't just besties: they're the Royal We, in sync and inseparable. That is, until Tara is handed the lead in a school musical despite having zero vocal skills. Lauren should have been a shoe-in for the part—her voice is angelic—but Mrs. Tyndall, the drama teacher, wants "an all-American girl" in the role. Sure, Lauren is American, but she's also Jewish and of Chinese descent. This, Tyndall insists, would take the audience out of the story. What's worse is that Tara doesn't disagree. Not Your All-American Girl (by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang ) isn't (primarily) about the overt and violent acts of prejudice that make the news, but everyday misconceptions and subtle, even misguided but well-intentioned, ways in which one might discriminate against another. Tyndall, for example, is surprised to discover that Lauren is Jewish. "Are you sure?" she asks. She doesn't intentionally insult Lauren's credibility,...