How to Find What You're Not Looking for

Description: Twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg's life changes when her big sister elopes following the 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision, and she is forced to grapple with both her family's prejudice and the antisemitism she experiences, as she defines her own beliefs.

Review Quotes: A Sydney Taylor Award Winner
A Jane Addams Children's Book Award Winner
A Judy Lopez Memorial Award Winner
A National Jewish Book Award Finalist
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2022 ALSC Notable Children's Book
An Amazon Best Book of the Month
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2021
A New-York Historical Society's Children's History Book Prize Winner
An Amazon Best Children's Book of 2021

PRAISE FOR HOW TO FIND WHAT YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR
by Veera Hiranandani

*"A splendid historical fiction tale of bravery and determination." --School Library Journal, starred review.

*"A powerful blend of important themes and everyday triumphs and sorrows." --Kirkus, starred review.

"In this moving novel about a turbulent time, Ari and her family discover that what is most important is not what you think you want." --Booklist

*"...explores the benefits and costs of assimilation and the complexity of being both white and a religious minority in America then--and now." --Publisher's Weekly, starred review.

"What's most striking about the book is how kind it is. People learn, forgive, try to do better. In a knee-jerk time (ours), it's powerful to witness Ari's realization that people can grow and change." --New York Times Book Review by Marjorie Ingall

"Gorgeously written and deeply moving, with a main character you can't help but love, How to Find What You're Not Looking For deals with the hardest act in one's fight for justice--confronting the prejudice of those who are closest to us. Hiranandani is a master." --Adam Gidwitz, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Inquisitor's Tale