Since You Left Me

Gr 7 Up–Sanskrit has a few problems. He's got a self-absorbed hippie mom and an absentee dad. He goes to a Jewish school and doesn't believe in God. He has a crush on a girl who hasn't talked to him since second grade. And his former best and only friend is now a "super Jew." When Sanskrit's mom doesn't show up for parent-teacher conferences, he tells a lie that ends up snowballing into a very big one. His mom has fallen in love with a Buddist guru and is talking about leaving Sanskrit and his sister, Sweet Caroline,  to move to India with him. As Sanskrit tries to deal with his lie and prevent his mom from leaving, he learns about love and responsibility, and even makes his peace with God. This novel is well written and has easy-to-like (or hate) characters, but its appeal is likely to be limited to fairly observant Jewish teens, who will understand the references. Other readers won't quite get the book. Melissa Stock