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  CHAPTER 1

  Fired Up

  I know you’re not supposed to enjoy being “fired” from a job, but I’ve been all “fired up” with new ideas for outfits since getting kicked out as treasurer of the Fashion Fun Club. See the fruits of my labor (or of my firing?) in the sketch! Aunt Lulu said maybe the club was too much of a good thing. That sometimes you need to take a break and do something completely different (and for me, that means not sewing related), so your mind can wander to new and exciting creative places. It’s also really nice to have time to do nothing at all!

  That’s why I love volunteering at the pet shelter. With all those adorable dogs and cats to walk and play with, you never know what’s going to happen next. I always come away with more energy for my sewing projects.

  We’re starting the next elective in school soon. I’m excited to try industrial arts. I wonder if I can somehow figure out how to combine woodworking and fashion. But how would you sit down in a wooden dress? Hmm . . . will clearly have to give this a bit more thought.

  “I need your advice,” Kate Mackey announced to her best friends, Zoey Webber, Priti Holbrooke, and Libby Flynn. “I’m thinking of giving Tyler another chance.”

  The girls were in their pajamas, lounging around on Libby’s bed. It was sleepover night at the Flynn house.

  “What made you decide that?” Zoey asked. Kate had broken up with Tyler Landon, who’d had a crush on her, a few weeks earlier after only a few dates, partially due to Zoey’s misguided attempts to help him woo her. Under Zoey’s helpful advice (which turned out to be not so helpful after all!), Tyler had been behaving differently than usual because he’d thought it would make Kate like him.

  “Well . . . we have a great time together when we volunteer at the food pantry,” Kate said.

  “Not to mention the fact that he’s supercute,” Priti observed.

  Kate blushed. “Well, yes, there is that,” she admitted. “But also he’s promised just to be himself this time.”

  Now it was Zoey’s turn to blush.

  “I was only trying to help,” she said for what must have been the umpteenth time since her matchmaking fiasco.

  “I know,” Kate said, smiling. “All is forgiven. . . . Really.”

  “Whew!” Zoey exhaled, relieved. “I’d hate to think I completely ruined everything.”

  “You guys seem to have a lot of fun when we’re at the food pantry,” Libby observed. She’d started volunteering there, in addition to her school community service at the pet shelter, so she had seen Kate and Tyler together.

  “I’m glad you’ve decided to give Tyler another chance,” Zoey told Kate. “What if I’d messed up the course of true love?”

  “True love?!” Kate exclaimed. “Let’s not go overboard. I just think he’s nice. And funny.”

  “And supercute,” Priti added.

  “I guess,” Kate mumbled, blushing a little.

  “Well, since we’ve agreed that Tyler is supercute, can I show you something superexciting?” Libby asked.

  “Yes, please!” Priti said.

  Libby jumped off the bed and went to her desk.

  “Look! Hot off the press!” she said, holding out an embossed card threaded with gold ribbon. “My Bat Mitzvah invitation. Isn’t it cool?”

  “It’s beautiful!” Priti exclaimed.

  “I love the gold ribbon,” Zoey said. “It makes the lettering pop.”

  “And the gold lining inside the envelope matches the lettering and the ribbon,” Kate observed. “So pretty!”

  Libby climbed back onto the bed and sat cross-legged.

  “A few years ago, I wasn’t even sure I was going to have a Bat Mitzvah. Dad’s Catholic and Mom’s Jewish, but neither of them are that religious. We celebrate all the holidays, but more the traditions than the religious stuff,” she explained.

  “So what made you change your mind?” Zoey asked.

  “My grandpa,” Libby said. “He only just escaped the Holocaust as a young boy. In fact, his name wasn’t Van Langen when he was born. But his parents hid him with non-Jewish neighbors when my great-grandparents were sent to a concentration camp. And then . . . Well, they didn’t come back after the war, and he ended up adopting the name of the family who hid him and saved his life.”

  “That’s so sad,” Kate said. “He never saw his parents again?”

  “Never,” Libby said, shaking her head. “And he hardly ever talked about it until recently, when he said it would mean a lot to him if I had a Bat Mitzvah. So that’s why I decided to do it. But it’s so much work, which is the reason I haven’t been around lately.”

  “I’ve never been to a Bat Mitzvah before,” Zoey admitted. “What do you do? What do we do? And more to the point, what do we wear?”

  The girls all laughed.

  “Zoey always gets right down to the important questions,” Priti said.

  “Well, there’ll be a service in the synagogue,” Libby explained, then reached over to the bedside table and picked up some papers. “And I have to read a section of the Torah in Hebrew. I’ve been going to a tutor and practicing my Torah portion every night before I go to bed, and listening to tapes so I get the pronunciation right. See?”

  Zoey looked at the unfamiliar alphabet. “It looks like Greek to me.”

  “Ha!” Libby said. “It felt like Greek to me when I first started. Except now that I’ve been studying it for a while, I can tell it’s Hebrew, even though it’s still hard to read.”

  “I can’t believe how much work you have to do,” Priti said. “It’s really great that you’re doing this for your grandpa.”

  “It’s not just for him. It’s become important to me too,” Libby said. “But I also have to make a speech, which I’m really nervous about. On the plus side, I get to have a really fun party after the service.”

  “Party? Did you say party?” Priti perked up immediately.

  “I’ve been to a Bar Mitzvah party before—it was really fun,” Kate said. “They played lots of games, and the food was amazing.”

  “Yeah, Mom and I met with the caterers last week,” Libby said. “The theme of my Bat Mitzvah is going to be ‘Sweet,’ so needless to say we’re going to have yummy desserts!”

  “So . . . you read from the scrolls during a service, and then there’s a big party with yummy desserts? That’s a Bat Mitzvah?” Zoey asked, wanting to make sure she had it straight.

  “That’s not all,” Libby said. “I also do a mitzvah project, which means doing something to make the world a better place by helping others.”

  “What’s your project?” Kate asked.

  “Well, since I started volunteering at the food pantry, I’ve noticed they only give out canned and packaged goods, which must get really boring and isn’t as healthy as having fresh produce,” Libby said. “So I’ve started a vegetable patch to grow fresh produce to donate there. Dad helped me.”

  “That sounds like even more hard work,” Priti groaned. “Are you going to have time for any fun?”

  Libby laughed. “Gardening is fun. Come over and help me weed sometime! Maybe next Sunday?”

  Priti looked skeptical. “Sounds like a great time . . . ,” she said, “but I think I’m busy that day. Or any day when getting dirt under my fingernails is involved!”

  “Do you get lots of
presents?” Kate asked. “The kid whose Bar Mitzvah I went to did.”

  “Well, yes,” Libby said.

  “Who are you inviting?” Zoey asked.

  “About a zillion relatives, half of whose names I don’t even remember; kids from school—Josie, Gabe, Miles; Tyler, since I got to know him at the food pantry; a bunch of my friends from Hebrew school; and . . . Emily.”

  Zoey couldn’t believe her ears.

  “Emily Gooding?” Priti exclaimed. “Why are you inviting her?”

  “I didn’t invite her,” Libby protested. “My mom did. My parents are friends with her parents, so Mom said I had to.”

  “Awkward,” Kate said.

  “I know.” Libby sighed. “Trust me, I’m not happy about it.”

  Zoey wasn’t happy about it either. Emily had taken over from Ivy Wallace as the head mean girl.

  “We’ll be having so much fun, we won’t even notice she’s there,” Kate said.

  “I hope so,” Libby said. She turned to Zoey. “Zoey, I was wondering . . . Instead of getting me a present, could you design and make my dress for the party? I’ve got an idea of what I want, but if you made it, it would be really unique. I wouldn’t have to worry that anyone else would be wearing the same dress.”

  “I’d love to!” Zoey said. “What do you have in mind?”

  “I’d like a strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, to go with the theme,” Libby said. “But other than that, I’m happy to leave it up to your Sew Zoey genius.”

  “Oh, that sounds adorable!” Priti exclaimed. “Zoey . . . I know it’s not my Bat Mitzvah . . . but can you make me a dress too? I want to look fab for Libby’s big day!”

  “While you’re at it . . . ,” Kate added.

  “Okay, I’ll make everyone dresses,” Zoey said. “That way we’ll all look extra special for the Bar Mitzvah.”

  “Bat Mitzvah,” Libby corrected. “It’s Bar Mitzvah for a boy and Bat Mitzvah for a girl.”

  “I hope I finally get this stuff right by the time your Bat Mitzvah happens!” Zoey groaned.

  “You’ll be fine,” Libby reassured her. “Wait! I know . . . Let’s go watch Fiddler on the Roof! My parents have it on Blu-ray. Then I’ll teach you how to dance the hora.”

  “Is that the sideways dance?” Kate asked.

  Libby laughed. “I guess you could call it that.”

  She gave them a quick lesson in the hora’s footwork.

  “Oh! It’s kind of like doing the grapevine, but in a circle,” Zoey said.

  By the time Mrs. Flynn told them to go to bed, the girls were tired from so much giggling and doing the hora around the living room, and Zoey felt much more prepared for Libby’s Bat Mitzvah.

  CHAPTER 2

  Twists on Tradition

  I’m so excited to be going to my first Bat Mitzvah—and honored Libby asked me to design her dress for the big day. She had an idea of what she wanted, but I covered it in sweet, frilly flowers to make it go with her Bat Mitzvah theme of Sweet.

  I’d much rather make the dress than have to get up and read all that stuff in a language that doesn’t even have the same alphabet as English! Libby is working so hard to learn it all. But I think it’s really cool she’s carrying on a tradition, especially because it means so much to her grandfather.

  I guess in a way I’m carrying on a family tradition too with Sew Zoey—my mom used to make and design her own clothes. It’s nice to feel in touch with the past, but it’s also fun to put your own modern twist on things.

  “So have you had any thoughts about your dress?” Zoey asked Kate on the bus Monday morning.

  “You know me,” Kate said. “As long as it’s simple and comfortable, I’ll be happy. You’re a lot better than I am with fashion ideas.”

  “You’re right about the comfortable part—especially if we’re going to be doing all that sideways dancing. . . . What’s it called again?”

  “The hora,” Kate said. “But that’s not the only kind of dancing they do at Bat Mitzvahs!”

  “Wait, I have to learn more dances?” Zoey wailed, panicked.

  “Don’t worry,” Kate said, giggling. “Nothing you haven’t already seen at a school dance.”

  “Oh, good!” Zoey said. “I’m already afraid I’ll say or do the wrong thing.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Kate reassured her. “It’s going to be fun!”

  Ms. Austen greeted them as they got off the bus, stylish as always in a navy suit and skirt with white piping.

  “How was your weekend?” she asked with a smile.

  “Great,” Kate said.

  “Fun!” Zoey agreed. “I love your suit.”

  “Thank you,” Ms. Austen said. “I picked it up at a vintage consignment store last month. All it needed was a little tailoring and voilà!”

  “It looks brand new,” Kate said.

  “Good pieces never go out of style, right, Zoey?” Ms. Austen said, giving Zoey a wink, and walked off to greet more students.

  “Hey, Zo! Kate! What’s up?” Priti had arrived, full of more energy than anyone had a right to have first thing in the morning. “Guess what! I had the most fab idea for my dress for Libby’s party.”

  “Let me guess,” Kate said. “Sequins or something glittery are involved.”

  “Yes!” Priti exclaimed. “How did you know?”

  Zoey and Kate exchanged glances. Lately, Priti had been wearing Goth-style clothing—dressing all in black or in other dark colors—but she still loved anything sparkly. Luckily, black was the perfect color to wear to a party.

  “What else do you have in mind?” Zoey asked. “What’s more fab than sequins?”

  “Purple!” Priti declared. “I’d like a long-sleeved sheath dress in purple sequins. Kind of like this one.”

  She showed Zoey a picture of a dress she’d printed from the Très Chic website.

  “I can make something like that—no problem!” Zoey assured her.

  “That’s so pretty,” Kate said. “It’s simple, but the sequins make it sparkly.”

  “I’m calling it . . . Effervescent Grape Diva Style.”

  The girls were laughing at Priti’s humor when Ivy, Zoey’s longtime nemesis, walked by with Emily, who was fast becoming the new queen bee of Mapleton Prep.

  “I’m so glad it’s tacos and salad for lunch today,” Emily said. “It’s about the only halfway edible thing the cafeteria serves.”

  “Oh . . . yeah. Actually, I brought lunch from home today,” Ivy replied.

  Zoey watched as Emily stopped and stared at Ivy.

  “Why would you do that?” she asked. “Just throw it away and buy the tacos!”

  Ivy laughed, but her face flushed from the neck up. “Oh, sure. Right.”

  As they walked into school, Zoey saw Ivy reach into her backpack, pull out a brown lunch bag, and throw it into the nearest garbage can.

  “Can you believe that?” Kate exclaimed. “The people who come to the food pantry would love a homemade lunch, and Ivy just threw hers in the garbage because of Emily!”

  “I know.” Zoey sighed, following Ivy and Emily into the building. “What a waste of food.”

  Libby’s Bat Mitzvah project at the food pantry had already opened Zoey’s eyes to the issue of hunger in their town. Zoey was determined to find a way to help Libby in any way she could.

  Soon it was time for their new electives. The woodshop smelled of pine and linseed oils and was stocked with saws of all kinds. While she had been excited to start, seeing the sharp teeth of the saws gave Zoey second thoughts.

  “What if I cut off one of my fingers and can’t finish Libby’s Bat Mitzvah dress?” she asked Priti.

  “Zo, if you cut off a finger, finishing Libby’s dress is going to be the least of your problems!” Priti observed.

  “If the safety procedures are followed, everyone should leave this classroom with all ten digits,” Mr. Weldon, the industrial arts teacher, assured them. “Your well-being is the number-one priority in this
shop.”

  “See!” Priti said. “Don’t worry. You’ll be able to make Libby’s dress—and my dress, too!”

  Mr. Weldon spent the first half of the period going through a handout on safety rules.

  “There will be a quiz on the safety rules on Friday, so please pay attention. Rule number one: ALWAYS wear eye protection. If I see anyone using equipment without goggles, it’s an automatic detention,” he said. “Rule number two: Avoid wearing long sleeves or loose clothing to class since it can get caught in the machines.” He pointed to his ponytail. “And rule number three: See my long hippie hair? It must be tied back during class, and so should yours.”

  “But I don’t want to get a kink in my hair,” Emily complained. She had long, straight, reddish brown hair and was very proud of it.

  “Personally, I’d be less concerned about that and a little more worried about the possibility of accidentally getting my hair—and the face attached to it—pulled into a saw,” Mr. Weldon said. He walked over and handed Emily a hair tie from his stash. “Here you go,” he said, and Emily reluctantly used it to pull back her hair. “Now, for the grand tour.”

  Zoey listened and watched as Mr. Weldon walked them around the shop, giving them an overview of the equipment.

  “This is the worst elective ever,” Emily whispered as Mr. Weldon explained the uses of a band saw. “I can’t wait till it’s over.”

  “At least we have Fashion Fun Club to look forward to after school,” Ivy whispered back.

  Zoey wished they’d be quiet because she wanted to make sure she didn’t miss any safety instructions.

  “And things with the club are so much better organized now that Zoey isn’t the treasurer anymore,” Emily whispered, but it was obvious she wanted Zoey to hear.

  Priti gave Zoey a sympathetic glance.

  “Ladies, if you have expertise about the band saw, please share it with all of us,” Mr. Weldon said, looking straight at Ivy and Emily. “Otherwise, I’d appreciate your full attention.”

  Each saw was scarier than the next as far as Zoey was concerned. The radial arm saw, the miter saw, the table saw—and then they got to the other equipment: sanders, planers, and jointers.