On Blackberry Hill

Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award for Young Adult Literature

One daughter. One mother. One summer camp. Twenty years apart.

If only Reena could stay in the city, instead of spending the last summer before high school at her cousin’s Jewish sleepaway camp. From morning prayer to Color War to the social pecking order, she is lost from the start, and her cousin Lila is no ally. While working on her survival skills, Reena begins to find clues of the mother she never knew.

Twenty years earlier, Naomi stands on a dock in the middle of the lake. Just finished with her first year of college, camp feels too small to contain her giant dreams. Her sister Mara is all about finding a man, but Naomi believes something more awaits.

A mysterious, barefoot stranger appears on a hill, offering blessings and songs. Can he guide Naomi to her future? Can he help Reena untangle her past? Buy the book here.

“‘Mann weaves a poignant tale of loss and discovery that carefully builds to a hopeful, satisfying ending.’”

— Wiley Blevins, author

Reviews

'Explores the knotty relationships between family members in a realistic way without resorting to a sentimental, neatly-tied-up Hallmark ending.'

Association of American Jewish Libraries
'Depicts the value of multi-generational familial bonds and the journey towards self-discovery which teens . . . will enjoy reading.'

Jewish Book Council
'Mann's superb descriptive details about camp life and her ability to convey the difficulties all young people face (without tossing in a traditional happy ending) make the book an excellent read.'

The Jewish Advocate
'Another YA novel that fully grown adults should have no qualms about reading . . . Come for the references to morning prayers and color wars, stay for all the feels.'

Alma
'Mann creates in Reena and Naomi two intelligent young women whose struggles will resonate with readers.'

The Reporter
'Emotional rollercoaster...so many twists, turns...so many layers. You're peeling an onion the entire time you're reading it, and every layer gets better and better. This book is beautiful. Five stars.'

The Inside Story

Short stories

"Things I Wish I Could Workshop Other Than My Novel," a humor column, in The Rumpus' Funny Women, November 2022.
"The Things We Grew," Passengers Journal, September 2022.
"The Pool" (March 2021) and "Exposure" (May 2020), Byte the Book's Byte Shorts Showcase.
"The Game" in 2016 Hemingway Shorts Literary Journal, Vol. 1, published by the Ernest Hemingway Foundation.
"Self-Exam" and "Married Name," performed at Liars' League NYC and the Manhattan Lit Crawl.
"Plaza de Armas," runner-up for the Fish Publishing one-page story prize, published in the 2009 Fish Anthology.

On Blackberry Hill

'Explores the knotty relationships between family members in a realistic way without resorting to a sentimental, neatly-tied-up Hallmark ending.'

'Depicts the value of multi-generational familial bonds and the journey towards self-discovery which teens . . . will enjoy reading.'

'Mann's superb descriptive details about camp life and her ability to convey the difficulties all young people face (without tossing in a traditional happy ending) make the book an excellent read.'

'Another YA novel that fully grown adults should have no qualms about reading . . . Come for the references to morning prayers and color wars, stay for all the feels.'

'Mann creates in Reena and Naomi two intelligent young women whose struggles will resonate with readers.'

'Emotional rollercoaster...so many twists, turns...so many layers. You're peeling an onion the entire time you're reading it, and every layer gets better and better. This book is beautiful. Five stars.'

Short stories

Film

Essays