Kosher by Kim Beam
Trade Paperback	5 ½ x 8 ½	Young Adult/Fiction
Release date: December 2004	135 pages	ISBN: 1-933016-00-0
	$13.95	Your order will be processed by Blu Sky Media Group

Alex Mariner is months away from his thirteenth birthday. As the date for his Bar Mitzvah nears, his world opens up to questions about his faith. Concerned that his parents and rabbi would never understand his uncertainty, he turns to a boy his older sister is dating for answers. Alex understands what is expected of him, but it isn’t enough to prevent the questions that continue to arise about other religions.

In addition to his reservations about his faith, he finds the situation with his abusive older brother intolerable. Petrified to tell anyone out of fear of retribution, Alex continues to suffer in silence. Thankfully, Alex’s two good friends, Poppy, a cute girl with a good head on her shoulders and Matters, who speaks quickly and has a hot temper are there for him to help balance out the seeming insanity of his young life.

This wonderfully written book will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh out loud as Alex struggles with religion, a brute of a brother, an inability to really discuss things with Matters, while maintaining a hot desire for Poppy. Will the pieces ever come together in Alex’s young life, or will he choose the path of least resistance?

Reviews and Accolades

"…fresh, alive and honest. In this work we are able to look more closely at issues not previously addressed by other authors. This is a great work that could well help many young people to understand that we all---even adults---have questions about life and it's all right to try to find the answers. I recommend this for the young and old alike. A very heartwarming read."
- Shirley Johnson Senior Reviewer MidWest Book Review

About the Author

KIM BEAM graduated from Gordon College, a small liberal arts Christian college on the north shore of Boston. She started her professional career with teaching in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and the past three years she's been in Stoneham, where she did her student teaching. Ms. Beam has taught seventh grade English for the past five years. In 2002, she received her graduate degree and is now reapplying to graduate school for a Masters of Arts in Religion with a focus in discipleship and public speaking.