No Vacancy Review

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen

#MiddleGrade #Contemporary #Jewish

CW: Money Problems, Drowning, Antisemitism, Hate Crimes, Microaggressions, Religious Fanaticism, Gaslighting, Child Labor, Alcohol, Parents Fighting, Poor Parental-Offspring Relationships

5/5

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen has been on my TBR list for a while. Sometimes I'll add a book just because it's Jewish and a genre I read and then totally forget the blurb by the time I decide to read it. It'll sit there for a long time, just gathering virtual dust. I was in need of a short book while I waited for my next one to come in on Libby. This one was only 4 hours! I thought about saying I wish I had read it sooner, but it's a summer read, so my timing was perfect. All this is to say that it was a sweet and interesting book that handles some tough topics with grace and touches of humor.

In No Vacancy, Miriam's family ends up taking over a run down motel because her father decides it's the best move after losing his job. When they get there, they find out that it's not just run down, it's failing. There's a diner next door, semi-famous for its grape pies, but its business has slowed alongside the motel. The granddaughter of the owners, Kate, befriends Miriam. They realize that a miracle is needed to turn things around. Miriam is Jewish and Kate is Catholic. Together they realize that they can create a miracle themselves -- one that will turn life around for the place and people that Miriam starts to warm up to. She has a lot to learn over the summer this book takes place, but perhaps she has some things to teach as well.

One of my favorite things about the middle grade genre is that almost all of the books have an undercurrent of teaching. There's a story with plot twists, complex characters and some sort of stylistic writing, but it's also exploring topics children need to learn about. This book has some fun vocabulary words in English, Spanish, Hebrew, and Yiddish. It teaches about Catholicism and Judaism. It incorporates social issues like Mexico not having enough doctors, antisemitism, and parents fighting about money. No Vacancy isn't heavy handed about any of it either, most of it flows with the story. The explanations included for someone who might be new to a topic or word are in Miriam's 11 year old voice. It's personal and not plain. I love when a book hits that sweet spot of being for Jews but open to a wider audience. I also love continuing to learn as an adult. What a wholesome way to do that! 

Cohen got the idea for No Vacancy while at a run down family-run motel 7 years before the book was released in 2020. She knew her book had to be Jewish, though, as she wanted to write mostly from her own experiences. I felt a great connection to the ways Judaism touched this book. Miriam and I have both had to deal with confused Christians every time we mentioned something Jewish, even if well-meaning. I related to the absolute draining feeling of being emotionally hurt by an antisemitic hate crime. I agree that challah is the best bread there is. I also get what it feels like to have Judaism mean a lot to me while being a much more casual practitioner than a member of my family. For me it's my older sibling, for Miriam it is her uncle, the embodiment of tikkun olam and l'dor va'dor. Those mean "repair the world" and "from generation to generation" respectively. I've barely scratched the surface of how Judaism is woven into No Vacancy, so if that's what has piqued your interest for this book, you won't be disappointed.

I recommend Tziporah Cohen's No Vacancy for its intersectionality, its creative characters, the small town shenanigans, deep talks, and all the Spanish vocabulary. It's so well written! It's obvious a lot of heart went into it over the years it took to write it. This book is packed with pool time, ring pops, old movie screen cracks, and bike rides. So go check in to the book before there's no vacancy!