Coming of age wasn’t all that bad

For most people, the early teen years mark the apex of pubescent awkwardness.

But “Today” show entertainment correspondent Jill Rappaport and her sister, photographer Linda Solomon, have teamed up to craft a loving homage to the age when many Jewish boys (at 13) and girls (at 12) engage in rites of passage to become men and women -- and get a cool party to boot.

Their book “Mazel Tov: Celebrities’ Bar and Bat Mitzvah Memories” is part photo album and family scrapbook in which Hollywood stars, politicos and business leaders reminisce about their youth and Judaism.

Actor Jeremy Piven’s bar mitzvah took place in an Evanston, Ill., church because his family belonged to a very liberal congregation. “My father used to joke that we prayed ‘To Whom It May Concern,’ ” he writes. Piven’s accompanying photographs capture the essence of the ‘70s: a three-piece pinstripe suit with a wide-collar shirt -- and a feathered, near-mullet that Ari from “Entourage” wouldn’t be caught dead wearing.

Other celebs include Henry Winkler, whose dyslexia made learning Hebrew even more difficult; designer Michael Kors, who wanted to over-orchestrate his party; and Noah Wyle, who reveals his penchant for busting out break dance moves at various L.A. bar mitzvahs.

“Mazel Tov” is a welcome reminder that there’s an awkward, Clearasil-using teenager in all of us -- even among some of Hollywood’s elite -- and the book has the pictures to prove it.

-- Christine N. Ziemba