Need suggestions for books to keep your child busy for the summer? Here are some books with Jewish themes recommended by Baltimore County Public Library librarian Rebecca Levitan and Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School librarian Shira London.
Picture Books
(Levine Querido)
“Big Dreams, Small Fish” by Paula Cohen
In this story about an immigrant family, young Shirley has a lot of ideas for how she can help her family’s struggling store. Her biggest challenge is getting people to try the one Jewish food in the store that no one wants to try: gefilte fish. When her family leaves her in the store for a day, Shirley takes the opportunity to put some of her new ideas to the test.
“Mitzvah Pizza” by Sarah Lynn Scheerger
Inspired by the true story of Rosa’s Fresh Pizza in Philadelphia, this book encourages kids to do good and think of others. Missy is a little girl who loves spending Saturdays with her father. When they go out for pizza one day, she meets another girl who is unable to pay for her own slice, and Missy finds a way to do a mitzvah by helping her.
“Osnat and her Dove: The True Story of the World’s First Female Rabbi” by Sigal Samuel
A kid-friendly retelling of the story of Osnat Barzani, the first woman to become a rabbi. In a time when it was rare for girls to know how to read, Osnat convinced her scholar father to teach her so she could become a rabbi. The book recounts the many legends associated with Osnat, such as that she healed a dove shot by a hunter and saved a congregation from burning down.
Middle Grade
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers)
“Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World” by Samara Shanker
The titular Naomi Teitelbaum receives a mysterious gift for her bat mitzvah: a small clay golem that does whatever she tells it to. But the more she uses it, the more it grows, and the more supernatural creatures like demons and ghosts start following her around. Naomi and her friends need to find a way to stop the golem, and fast.
“The Jake Show” by Joshua S. Levy
Jake Lightman loves watching television, but he doesn’t love having to play different roles for his divorced parents. He’s “Yaakov” to his mother and “Jacob” to his father. He meets two friends at school who invite him to spend a summer at Camp Gershoni, but he’s forced to construct a web of lies to justify the trip to his parents, who won’t let him go. But as his lies get more complicated, Jake isn’t sure if he’s doing the right thing.
“Honey and Me” by Meira Drazin
Milla and Honey are best friends, but they don’t go to school together. Milla loves Honey, but is jealous of her seemingly perfect life and sense of self-confidence. So when Honey transfers to Milla’s middle school, it’s a less exciting change than Milla thought it would be as she struggles to stand out against her friend. The book follows the two girls over the span of a year in their Orthodox community.
Young Adult
“When the Angels Left the Old Country” by Sacha Lamb
Uriel the angel and Ashmedai “Little Ash” the demon have been studying together out of their small sheitel for centuries as many of its residents leave to go to America. When a girl goes missing, they travel to find her. Along the way, they meet a variety of different people who need their help in this tale of early-20th century immigration.
(Wednesday Books)
“Going Bicoastal” by Dahlia Adler
Natalya can’t choose between spending the summer with her dad and crush in New York City, or with her estranged mother in Los Angeles. Instead, those two potential futures play out side-by-side, showing what could happen if Natalya picks either one. This romantic comedy is the perfect light summer read.
“See You Yesterday” by Rachel Lynn Solomon
It’s déjà vu all over again for Barrett Bloom, a girl stuck in a time loop on the first day of college. After flubbing her classes and embarrassing herself in front of other students, she awakens to find that it’s Sept. 21 again — the same day as yesterday. She also meets Miles, a student in her physics class who has been stuck in the same loop for months, and the two have to figure out how to escape — or if they even want to.
Non-Fiction
(Toby Press)
“The Blessing of a Broken Heart” by Sherri Mandell
On May 8, 2001, 13-year-old Koby Mandell and his friend Yosef skipped school to go hiking. The next day, the two boys were found bludgeoned to death in a cave. This story follows his mother and the author of the book, Sherri Mandell, as she spends a year processing the grief of losing her son in a still-unsolved murder.
“Out of the Depths: The Story of a Child of Buchenwald Who Returned Home at Last” by Rabbi Israel Meir Lau
Israel Meir Lau, the latest in a family that had been rabbis for generations, was one of the youngest survivors of Buchenwald when the camp was liberated in 1945. Starting at his rescue at the age of 8, the rabbi looks back on his life, his immigration to Palestine and his journey that would lead him to become the Chief Rabbi of Israel.
“The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story” by Diane Ackerman
Following the bombing of their zoo and the loss of most of its animals, Christian Polish zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski use the property to shelter over 300 Jewish refugees. The book largely focuses on Antonina’s story, her love of animals and her involvement in the Polish underground resistance.
