When Zipporah’s mother tells her that Rabbi Dan has agreed to let Zippy (white) have a bat mitzvah ceremony, Zippy is bewildered and dismayed. In her mind, her sporadic (at best) synagogue attendance and lack of Hebrew school education make her only a “part-time Jew.” She feels more in tune with her practice of witchcraft. Her best friend, Bea, used to love playing Witches with Zippy, but lately Bea has been hanging with the popular crowd instead. When Zippy channels her frustration and loneliness into the incantation of a Hebrew phrase, she summons—to her utter surprise—an ethereal, winged girl whom she calls Miriam. Zippy is nourished by this new friendship, while Miriam gains strength from sparks of energy drawn from Zippy’s touch. Seeking to understand her own magic—her connection with Miriam gives her remarkable Hebrew abilities—as well as the context of a phrase about sorceresses in her Torah portion, Zippy speaks with Rabbi Dan, who gives her a book on Jewish demons and other creatures. While Zippy’s journey reaches a conclusion that is decidedly on her own terms, and Miriam’s story finds resolution, Zippy must first navigate an emotional labyrinth: her desire to help Miriam, sadness over losing Bea, deep annoyance with her parents, and confusion over her entwined beliefs in Judaism and witchcraft. All of this is chronicled in Zippy’s self-possessed voice as the novel’s narrator and scribe. (Ages 9-12)