On April 20th, 2006, President Bush issued the first proclamation designating May 2006 as Jewish American Heritage Month. Since then, the month of May is dedicated to celebrating the many contributions of Jewish Americans in the last 369 years and encourages everyone to learn more about the history, culture, accomplishments, and diversity of the American Jewish community. A great wealth of resources for families to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month are the programs and exhibits of the Jewish Museum on 5th Avenue at 92nd Street in NYC. Check out their family events here. To celebrate the month, I have gathered together 10 new, notable chapter books for children in grades 3-6 – enjoy!

Monster Club by Darren Aronofsky
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog
“A boy fights to protect his family's Coney Island amusement park from developers and save his parents' marriage using magic ink that allows drawings to come to life. Two years ago, sixth graders Eric ‘Doodles’ King and his best friend, Alan ‘Yoo-hoo’ Yoo, created Monster Club, in which members draw monsters and pit them against each other in battle, but the other club members are beginning to lose interest. At home, Eric worries that his arguing parents will separate and that King's Wonderland, the amusement park that's been in his dad's family for generations, will have to close. When Eric discovers some smelly old ink and uses it to create ‘a literal magic marker’ that allows the monsters he draws to come to life, he believes he's found a way to save King's: by having a real-life monster battle. Matters get wildly out of hand, however, when Eric brings the magic ink to school and bully Darren Nuggio uses it to create an army of monsters, leading to an exciting, sustained action sequence. A prologue and a tale from King Neptune, an eccentric old man who wanders the Coney Island boardwalk, provide some family history for Eric that is rooted in early-20th-century Eastern European pogroms. An epilogue offers an origin story for the magic ink and a surprise twist, setting things up for the sequel. Names signal ethnic diversity in the supporting cast. Action packed and wildly creative.”  –Kirkus Reviews
Honey and Me by Meira Drazin
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog
“Best friends navigate relationship changes and inner growth as they enter middle school. Modern Orthodox Jewish sixth grader Milla Bloom is thrilled when her best friend, Honey Wine, transfers to her school but struggles with jealousy and forming her own identity as she approaches her bat mitzvah. Being in school together creates tensions between the girls, especially when they choose the same topic for a speech competition. They must also write bat mitzvah speeches, and Milla admires the way Honey carves her own path (‘where I see roadblocks, she sees different routes’), while she struggles to make choices that don't always match what her mom wants for her. Choice is a strong theme not just for Milla, but for her mother, who gave up her career for her family but wasn't able to have more children other than Milla and her little brother, Max. The need for approval and appreciation is also well developed, as is feeling connected and anchored to one's culture and religion; in addition to her parents, Milla has strong support from her aunt and a teacher. The story's structure is chronological, with sections named for major events in the Jewish calendar, emphasizing the way that Milla's life is organized around them. The Blooms and the Wines are coded White; one of Honey's younger brothers is autistic; a member of their shul is a Holocaust survivor. Authentic, joyful, achingly real.” –Kirkus Reviews
Repairing the World by Linda Epstein
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog
“Ask anyone in Roosevelt Cove, New York: Daisy Rubens and Ruby Affini come as a pair. Daisy–Jewish, curly-haired, and freckled–approaches the world with caution and an analytical mind. Meanwhile Ruby–Catholic, with olive-toned skin and straight, dark hair–sees magic everywhere and isn't afraid of anything. When Ruby dies in an accident the summer before sixth grade, Daisy finds herself bereft of wonder. With the patience and compassion of her loving parents, her whimsical Aunt Toby, and some unfamiliar faces at school and synagogue, she slowly discovers new joy in life. Each character is richly imagined, their idiosyncrasies pondered and celebrated as Daisy parses her way through a world of connections without her best friend by her side. The novel finds its title in the Jewish idea of tikkun olam, and Daisy's journey is one of repairing herself. Depictions of Jewish life and belief–in all its contemporary formulations–ring true, but where the novel really shines is through its use of sensory and emotional details. With incredible specificity and heart, Epstein carries Daisy through her grief, demystifying the experience of tragedy for her middle-grade audience. The book reads like a field guide for surviving the unimaginable: the prose simple but clearsighted, the plot an unassuming canvas against which characters and emotions bloom. An accessible look at grief, spirituality, and growth.” –Kirkus Reviews
Dear Friends Lisa Greenwald
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog
“Eleni Klarstein, feeling like a friendship failure after Sylvie Bank ditches her, launches a Friendship Fact-Finding Mission to set things right. Leni is looking forward to starting sixth grade with bestie Sylvie by her side, but even before school starts, Sylvie distances herself. Leni is heartbroken–she lost her camp friend over the summer, too. When she thinks about it, other friendships in the past have also lapsed. In this heartening tale, Leni decides to take a long look at friendship by conducting a dedicated investigation. Through her first-person narration, readers feel up close and personal with all Leni's emotions: the pain, the humor, and the shock. As she reconnects with friends past, Leni discovers much about others and how they experienced their relationships with her, and she bravely faces some hard truths about herself. In the process, Leni brings closure to some relationships and develops new ties. It's the rare individual who can take such an awkward, glorious deep dive, and readers will be grateful to go through everything with Leni as their guide. Ultimately, she learns that sometimes the right thing is accepting that relationships grow and change. In case readers need reminding of this, there's a handy list of ‘Top Ten Takeaways’ for being a good friend at the end. Leni is White and Jewish; there is some diversity in the well-rounded cast of secondary character.” –Kirkus Reviews
Aviva vs. the Dybbuk by Mari Lowe
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog
“Debut author Lowe offers an intimate look at a contemporary Orthodox Jewish community in this nuanced story of a girl regaining her footing after her father's death. An aura of mysticism and mystery surrounds 11-year-old Aviva, who lives with her Ema above the local mikvah, which Aviva believes is haunted. The source of the haunting is a dybbuk of Jewish folklore, which here takes the form of a prankster boy who reminds Aviva of her beloved late Abba. ‘He would have enjoyed our dybbuk,’ she narrates. Soon, an act of anti-Semitic vandalism and a subsequent attack on the family's shul throw Aviva's tight-knit community into high alert. Shy but quick-witted and competitive, Aviva is an engaging heroine whose qualities are on full display when she faces off against a friend turned rival during a heated match of machanayim, a dodgeball-like game, and when she is recruited to help plan the annual Bas Mitzvah Bash. Lowe portrays Aviva and Ema's mourning with a gentle touch, gradually building to an ending that points toward spiritual and emotional healing, thanks to the steadfast support of their Jewish community, especially its women. Back matter includes a glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish words.” –Publisher Weekly
Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog
“For years Ziva bat Leah's quest to cure her twin brother Pesah's leprosy has consumed their lives. When his health worsens, their parents arrange for him to be taken to a colony. But after Pesah has a celestial vision at their birthday party indicating that he will die on Rosh Hashanah, Ziva decides they must run away. Along with Almas, a sheydim, or demon, she rescues, they travel to the city of Luz, the only place the Angel of Death can't go. Pasternack's story is rich in the rhythms, values, and deep magic of Jewish culture and life in the Turkic Jewish empire of Khazaria. It revels in an often overlooked mythology, deploying exciting fantasy elements with ease. Ziva struggles with her fiery nature–stubbornness that is also an intense desire for justice. Her single-minded focus on saving Pesah blinkers her to the inevitability of death and the complexities of both their own fears and needs as she comes to understand them. Pesah is brilliant and gentle, kindhearted Almas faces prejudice for his demon nature, and the three form a charming traveling trio even amid fear and pain. More than simply an adventure, this is a story about grief and illness and arguing with the rules of the world, enduring and enjoying the living that happens between now and the end, threaded through with the profound, unshakeable love of two brave siblings. Propulsive, wise, and heartbreaking.” –Kirkus Reviews
Alley & Rex: Bite the Bagel by Joel N. Ross & Nicole Miles
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog
“Alley and Rex make some more mischief. Effervescent sixth grader Alley and bunny-suited fourth grade genius Rex return for more laughs in this sequel to last year's promising Alley & Rex (2021). This time the pals team up to help each other survive gym class and save breakfast. Rex is loath to shed his bunny suit, but the PE teacher is insistent that he change into standard gym attire. Meanwhile, Alley is desperate to save the free breakfast cart that's been closed down due to budget cuts. Hilarity, tomfoolery, and elaborate heists ensue as the inseparable pals work toward making smart choices and finding quality solutions to their problems. Fans of the series opener will find plenty to enjoy here. Those who bristled at Alley's boisterous energy levels in the earlier installment will once again be longing for a tranquilizer dart. The narrative is better paced, and the characterization remains decent. While the story never rises to anything special, there's solid workmanship on display; this is a book that will fill out a reader's summer reading log or help pass a dull afternoon. The jokes are fun, the story has just the right dash of mayhem, and the titular pals are engaging enough to keep readers willing to come back for more. Based on cover art, Alley presents as White and Rex is brown-skinned; Alley is cued as Jewish. A ‘yeah, sure’ if there ever was one.” –Kirkus Reviews
Ellen Outside the Lines by A. J. Sass
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog
“Sass's (Ana on the Edge) sophomore novel explores classic struggles of navigating identity, relationships, and social expectations via an autistic, queer, Jewish 13-year-old traveling on a class trip to Spain. Having carefully planned out each day based on the previous year's syllabus, Ellen Katz hopes to reconnect with best friend Laurel McKinley, starting on the flight from Georgia to Barcelona with their mostly white class. But awkwardness with Laurel and an unexpected schedule pivot–to a scavenger hunt with an unfamiliar group of students–leave the teen grasping for stability, despite the presence of Ellen's beloved Abba as a parent chaperone. Facing changing plans and conflicting loyalties, Ellen finds support in family, faith, and new friends, including nonbinary classmate Isa, who is ‘Latin@.’ The first-person narration, studded with Hebrew phrases, sympathetically details Ellen's experiences of social anxiety and sensory overload while paving a route to friends who don't blink at Ellen's accommodations–and around whom Ellen enjoys life as well as feels free to consider gender and sexuality. The story's beautiful locales and scavenger hunt puzzles frame a heartwarming story about a transitional period in life, conveyed alongside an affirming, incidental portrayal of Ellen's experiences.” –Publishers Weekly
Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World by Samara Shanker
(Grades 3-6)
Library Catalog
“With just a few weeks until her bat mitzvah, 12-year-old Naomi receives a mysterious box from an unknown sender. Inside is a small clay figurine identified as the Golem, which Naomi unwittingly brings to life. It begins following her and responds to any request Naomi makes, which at first seems exciting and fun to her and her (also Jewish) friends, Becca and Eitan. However, before long Naomi and her friends start experiencing ghost-like encounters, and the Golem begins growing exponentially. When they send the Golem on tasks to do good deeds, their idea backfires and great chaos descends upon Los Angeles. With the help of rabbis (both living and ghostly), Naomi and her friends research Jewish folklore as they attempt to understand why the Golem was sent, his purpose, and how to rein in what is happening without getting themselves snatched by disguised demons. Shanker has created a refreshing, fast-paced book, while centering a culture often overlooked in middle grade fiction. VERDICT Full of adventure and Jewish traditions and customs, Jewish readers will relish in recognizing their own culture, while other kids will root for good over evil and learn about the Jewish faith along the way.” –School Library Journal
Bright by Brigit Young
(Grades 4-6)
Library Catalog
“To avoid failing eighth grade, Marianne Blume joins the school's trivia competition team to earn extra credit. Who knew she had to actually try to win, too? Whenever Mr. Garcia introduces a new math concept Marianne's sure she won't understand, her mind goes into ‘drift’ mode, and now she is struggling and in danger of repeating the grade. On a whim, Marianne joins Quiz Quest, the trivia team Mr. Garcia runs, in order to earn extra credit–but she's shocked to learn that she not only has to participate, but sincerely help her team. In this pitch-perfect narrative that never moralizes, Marianne represents an often overlooked type of character in middle-grade fiction: She's a student who's slipped under most radars, always struggling academically but usually able to scrape by. As Marianne studies intensively with her diverse team members, she begins to understand various ways people learn and recognize her own strengths in emotional intelligence and team building. Quiz Quest also makes her confront her usual coping strategy–acting ‘stupid,’ something she starts to recognize with discomfort that's often equated with more girly behavior–as deflection. She considers whether she truly embodies this persona, especially when bullies mock her intelligence. Shifting friendships and her older sister's budding same-sex relationship round out Marianne's life-changing experiences that conclude with an imperfect yet uplifting end to the school year. Marianne, who comes from an interfaith (Christian and Jewish) family, reads as White. A winner, indeed, especially for readers who question their own worth.” –Kirkus Reviews