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Let’s capture personal stories

By on December 19, 2025   /   Articles  

The winter holidays often bring stories to the table. I think this is the perfect time of year to encourage middle graders to capture their family stories. We can draw parents into reminiscing about growing up, encourage grandparents to tell how they or their grandparents migrated to find their own homes, or how they fell in love, created their families, and chose a variety of holidays to celebrate. We can ask about childhood memories that capture a snapshot of history from a personal perspective. In doing so, we’re encouraging middle graders to gain perspective into the struggles and successes that built their communities and families.

My own kids, who were adopted, have a wide range of emotions about these assignments and they embrace these as part of their stories. I love hearing how they hold the stories coming out of their legacies. One of my daughters has two Ancestry trees; her adopted family tree and her birth family tree. A son wants to learn more about his ancestors who were poor farmers from another country. He’s visited the land of his birth. And he was also close to his adopted grandparents and wants to share their stories. Both of my daughters like to share stories of the relationships they have with birth and adopted siblings and parents.

In reality, most of our stories usually only go back one or two generations before we lose sight of why ancestors left their native countries and how they traveled across the country we now live in.  I can trace my family back to the Revolution on my maternal side, but I only know my father’s grandfather was a lumberjack buried in the Northwest. I don’t know how or why my Irish ancestors came to the US on that side of the family. That helps me realize that my children’s responses to family histories is often complicated but it’s also rich. Asking a classroom full of diverse kids means some will balk at telling stories because they’re not traditional, or they’re sad, or confusing. How do we tell stories of leaving a country we love while fearing persecution or poverty? What happens when the parents who raised us have no choice but to send us away? Even when we stay together and remain in the land of our birth, we have stories that should be love-filled but also might include frightening, sad, or lonely events that no one wants to talk about.

I sent myself down a rabbit hole of imagining forgotten stories and how kids can fill in lost histories. My search also focused on the need to talk openly about emotions and how we respond to our own stories. What writing prompts can we offer to bring out these stories? What can we offer kids who don’t feel they have sharable memories?

Memoirist and publisher of She Writes Press Brooke Warner focuses on great guidance for finding and sharing memories. While we think of memoir as truth telling, we also recognize that telling a family story doesn’t always mean others see events in the same way we do. Teaching kids to write personal stories means we need our writers to understand that our stories tell our own emotional truth and two family members might not see the story in the same way. We might tell kids that we interpret meaningful moments in the ways they impact us. That is our truth. Warner focuses on this important distinction when she says. “Emotional truth allows you to fill in those blanks with what would have happened based not on what you remember, but on what you know. What you know, for instance, is how your mother would have reacted to your dad not coming home one night, even if you don’t recall the exactness of the scene you’re writing in which that happened.”Brooke's craft of memoir

She suggests writers take advantage of “memory pops” or those small snapshots of life that pop into your head without any context. The writers’ job is to provide a context musing about what led up to that memory pop and what followed.

To find these “memory pops,” we might ask questions such as what is the first time you remember experiencing joy, or sadness, or hunger, or peace? What is your first memory of your grandparents? Can you tell us about a journey you were excited or afraid to take?

For more information on writing memoir, Warner has written a great guide, Breaking Ground on Your Memoir.

 There are tons or game-like resources that writers can use to draw family stories out. Tales is one intriguing game that might be brought into a classroom to wake up those memory pops.A game for families

Warner refers to the Disney film Inside Out.  While the film focuses on emotions which always provide a flow of writing ideas, it also follows characters into a memory dump, a site where memories are buried. That might be a great motivator for kids to consider what happens when we leave our memories behind and what gold we might find if we help ourselves or our family members to recall buried memories. I’d take it a step further and ask family members to re-describe a scene from their perspectives to capture multiple viewpoints. The film’s concepts have been re-imagined as a series of books that teachers and librarians might add to your shelves.A film about understanding feelings

Family HistoryNovels are also a great way to get middle graders thinking about how stories shape lives. Two of my favorite are Lisa Yee’s Maizy Chen’s Last Chance which used a unique framework of story within story to show Maizy’s history, her mother’s, her grandparents, and her great grandparents’ stories.

Dan Santat’s graphic memoir, A First Time for Everything, provides readers with insights into being an only child and gaining independence.Gaining Independence

Kate DiCamillo’s Because of Winn Dixie is a great look at single parent families.Single Parent Families and community

When I consider most middle grade novels, family history finds its way into the script so use your imagination and bring the books you love to your students. Help them discover the family stories and use these as beginning discussions to get them writing.

We don’t have unlimited budgets to bring in books and movies and games, but we have a ton of imaginative ideas for story starters. Here are some writing prompts I’ve used with students from middle grade through college. Feel free to bring them into your classrooms and, please, feel free to share your ideas in comments:

  • Bring in a recipe that you love. Write about the experience of making this or tasting this for the first time. Or students can write a recipe and talk about how it might make them feel to make this or eat it.
  • Find an old photo and write about the circumstances you believe surround the snapshot. Better yet, have students bring photos or create illustrations to tell their family stories and turn these into books that students can bring home as family gifts.
  • Write down a few memory pops and then fill in the story around that pop.
  • Bring in a grab bag of different smells or flavors and have kids pick them with their eyes closed. Write about any memories that these smells bring to you. Of course, make sure, ahead of time, that you’re not including any allergens.
  • Define what is old.
  • Interview a parent or grandparent about their native land. Ask them why they left or stayed.
  • Interview family members about the best day of their lives, the worst day of their lives.
  • Write about what makes you happy, sad, fearful, hopeful.
  • Where do you spend family celebrations?
  • What do you celebrate in your home?
  • What do you wish your family could do together?

For more ideas than you could ever hope for, here are a few websites:

Resilient Writers – 100 New Writing Prompts for Memoir Writers

Storii – 70 Question Prompts to Capture Childhood Memories

Writer-ish – 50 Impactful Memoir Writing Prompts to Get You Writing TODAY

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Interview with Simon Stephenson, Author of The Snowman Code

By on December 15, 2025   /   Articles, Author Interviews  

Today, let’s give an enthusiastic Mixed-Up Files welcome to writer and screenwriter Simon Stephenson, author of the debut MG novel, The Snowman Code. The novel, first published in the U.K. in 2024, and illustrated by Reggie Brown, has been praised by The Guardian as: “Sparkling, humorous, and poignant.” It’s out tomorrow (!!!), December 16, from Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

THE SNOWMAN CODE: A Summary

It’s March, and London is experiencing its longest winter since 1773. The ground is covered in snow, and ten-and-a-half-year-old Blessing hasn’t gone to school in months. The horrible Driplet Triplets have made sure of that by bullying her mercilessly. If Blessing’s mom weren’t so sad all the time, she might be able to help; but Mom won’t get out of bed, or even go to work. And the longer the winter goes on, the more depressed she becomes. Blessing is scared that she’ll be separated from her mom—again.

Just as Blessing is about to lose hope, she meets an unexpected new friend: Albert Framlington, a six-hundred-year-old snowman. Albert holds the key to solving Blessing’s problems, but he has a problem of his own, and he needs a human’s help. Can this unlikely duo find a way to help each other, and to overcome the never-ending winter? Or is it too late?

Interview with Simon Stephenson

MR: Welcome to the Mixed-Up Files, Simon, and huge congratulations on the U.S. publication of your debut MG novel!

SS: Thank you! We are now one day out from “Snow Day” and I am excited.

MR: Can you tell MUF readers a bit about The Snowman Code, as well as the inspiration behind it?

SS: I think you summarized it brilliantly in your introduction. The Snowman Code is the story of a ten-and-a-half year old girl, Blesssing, and the six-hundred-and-something-winters-old snowman, Albert Framlington, she befriends. The story takes place during the longest winter London has ever known and they must team up to try and end it.

The inspiration comes from a few places. In my previous job as a children’s doctor, I’d worked with kids like Blessing and since that time I’d always wanted to write something they might see themselves in. Likewise, growing up in Scotland, snowmen featured regularly in my childhood. Writing films for young people finally gave me the confidence to tell this story.

A Real Blessing

MR: Blessing is an incredibly likable character, with highly relatable problems—including getting bullied at school and dealing with her mom’s depression. What is the secret to writing such real, three-dimensional characters?

SS: I appreciate that. I think when you are writing something with fantastical elements – i.e., a talking snowman – it helps to keep everything else as plausible as possible.  I think for me, as much as anything that tends to involve mixing the light with the dark. There is a version of a snowman story where it is all happy-magical-fantastical-unicorn-land and there is a version of Blessing’s story where it is all sad and downbeat. In life I think the truth often lies somewhere in the middle, and that is where I try to land. The way Blessing encounters her problems is the way kids do: those problems are a part of their life, but not the whole story. At heart, all kids are just kids.

MR: Blessing forms a deep friendship with Albert, a six-hundred-year-old snowman.  On the surface, they have little in common, but their bond is strong. What were you trying to say about the pair’s unlikely friendship, and about the nature of friendship in general?

SS: I liked the idea of two headstrong characters – a kid who knows she is usually right, and a snowman who usually thinks he is right – teaming up on an adventure together. I never set out to talk about friendship in general, but it does always seem to come out in my work. I think perhaps it is just one of the most important parts of life as a human, and if you are going to write about humans – and even snowman – it is inevitably part of that.

The Impact of Climate Change

MR: Another overarching theme in the book is climate change. We see this in London’s “broken weather,” where the city is experiencing the longest winter since 1773. What sparked your interest in this topic, and what do you think the takeaway is for readers?

SS: Sadly, I think climate change is just a fundamental part of our lives now, and it’s part of the conversation about seasons. I remember every winter of my childhood as having at least one good snow, and now we are lucky in Scotland if we get one every couple of years. In the specific world of the book, I think this goes back to the idea that if you are writing about something magical, it helps if it has a dose of reality to it.

British vs. American Editions

MR: Setting is another important aspect of the book. What made you choose London? (I know you lived there, as did I.) Also, The Snowman Code was first published in the U.K., in 2024. Are there any notable differences between the British and American editions?

SS: I miss London! I worked with kids like Blessing when I lived and worked in East London, and so it seemed the natural place. Victoria Park, where Albert lives, was my local park and everything else in the book — the canal, the flower market, the hospital – is drawn from life.

The UK and American editions I think are the same except for some spelling changes. But after 12 years of living and working in America I did recently discover that we use the word “quite” in different ways. In British English, “quite” means somewhat, whereas in American English it means “very.” A phrase like “quite good” therefore means either “somewhat good: or “very good,” depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on. This seems important information and I think they should tell you it on the plane.

MR: I totally agree! 🙂 

The Leap to MG

MR: This is your first MG, but not your first book. You’ve written several for adults, including Set My Heart to Five (2020), which is being adapted into a movie and for which you’ve written the screenplay. What prompted your decision to take the leap from adult books to MG? 

SS: I’d always wanted to write for young people, and it just took me a while to get there. After working on the movies Luca and Paddington 2, I got sent a lot of children’s books as potential adaptations and it just seemed like it’d be fun to write my own.

Writing for the Silver Screen

MR: This brings us to your movie-writing career: As above, you’ve written for Pixar’s Luca, Paddington 2, and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. How does your job as a screenwriter influence your writing?

SS: I think one thing screenwriting teaches you is economy. A screenplay is only about fifteen or twenty thousand words, so every word has to count. I try to bring that to my prose and edit pretty ruthlessly. (F. Scott Fitzgerald cuts everything he writes by half, and that seems about right.)

MR: Speaking of movies, are there any plans to adapt The Snowman Code for the silver screen? I can see it as a gorgeous, animated feature. (I’m guessing you can too. 🙂)

SS: Yes! We are currently having some interesting conversations about this, so watch this space.

Simon’s Writing Routine

MR: What does your writing routine look like? Do you have any particular habits or rituals?

SS: Get up. Drink coffee. Bang head against desk. Repeat.

I do my best to eliminate distractions, so I block the internet on my computer and turn off my phone. I work best in a quiet coffee shop and luckily there is one right near where I live.

MR: What are you working on now, Simon? Enquiring Mixed-Up Files readers want to know…

SS: So, currently there are a few different things on the boil: adaptations of my two previous adult books, and then some screenwriting things besides. My ambition for 2026 is to write another book, so hopefully will be settling down to that in early January.

Lightning Round!

 

And finally, no MUF interview is complete without a lightning round, so…

Preferred writing snack? Gummy bears. Not just my preferred writing snack, but also my preferred meal.

Superpower?  Flying would be pretty great, but I will happily take whatever is available.

Favorite season? I mean, I think I had better say winter. (I live in southern California, so it is no great hardship here.)

Zombie apocalypse: Yea or nay? Absolutely. If we are going to have an apocalypse anyway, we might as well go all in, right? Here in LA, many people keep “earthquake kits” – grab bags containing water, flashlight, batteries etc. I have a joke with my friends that mine just contains zombie make-up, because that would be fun and a good way make sure nobody bothers you.

Favorite way to dress a snowman? I’d better cite Article 4 of the snowman code, which stipulates that a good disguise consists of a raincoat, waterproof trousers, sunglasses, a hat, a scarf and a pair of gloves. (Pictured here: Simon’s late brother, Dominic, the subject of Simon’s memoir, Let Not the Waves of the Sea.)

If you were stranded on a desert island with only three things, what would they be? My fiddle so I can finally get some practice in, a bicycle of some sort, and Moby Dick so I can finally find out what happens in the end.

Favorite place on earth? The west coast of Scotland in the summertime, which is three days in June and you can never predict the three days.

MR: Thank you for chatting with us, Simon. It was a pleasure to learn more about you and your books, and I’m sure MUF readers will agree!

Thank you for having me! I’m grateful for your support (and Albert and Blessing are too!)

All About Simon

SIMON STEPHENSON is a writer for adults and children, and is a screenwriter. Before he became a full-time writer, Simon was a physician. His latest novel, Sometimes People Die, was published in 2022.  Simon has written two other books, Set My Heart To Five (2020), and Let Not the Waves of the Sea (2012), a memoir about losing his brother. The book won Best First Book at the Scottish Book Awards and was serialized on BBC Radio 4. Simon has also worked as a writer on various films, including Pixar’s Luca, Paddington 2, and The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. Like every other Hollywood screenwriter, he has a drawer full of unproduced scripts and forgotten promises. He lives in Los Angeles. Learn more about Simon on his website.

Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines and selected jokes for Reader’s Digest. In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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A Celebration of Jewish Book Month

By on December 5, 2025   /   Articles  

It’s the 100th anniversary of Jewish Book Month! What started as a weeklong celebration in 1925 is now a monthlong event commemorated by Jewish communities across the country in the lead-up to Hanukkah. This year, the event runs through December 13, so there’s still plenty of time to snag an armful (or two) of books by Jewish authors before the Festival of Lights is upon us. Below, some new (and not-so-new) MG books to check out:

Contemporary Fiction

The Trouble with Secrets by Naomi Milliner (Quill Tree Books, 2025)

Becky, a 12-year-old flautist, has a lot on her plate. Not only does she need to be as perfect as her older siblings, but her upcoming bat mitzvah needs to be perfect too. She’s the rabbi’s daughter after all. The trouble is, Becky’s intentions often lead her astray, which results in a big secret she keeps from her parents.

But Becky discovers that her older sister, Sara, has an even bigger secret; one that could turn the family upside down. The sisters couldn’t be more ready to keep each other’s secret safe, until the excitement turns to guilt, and Becky is forced to make an impossible choice.

A Field Guide to Broken Promises by Leah Stecher (Bloomsbury, 2025)

When Evie Steinberg’s family moves right before seventh grade, she promises her dad that everything will go perfectly. Perfect means taking care of her little sister, fitting in at her new school, and never complaining or causing problems. Perfect definitely doesn’t mean failing math class and getting bullied by a girl who’s turning the whole school against her.

Evie needs to fix her life before anyone finds out she’s struggling. When she uses her cryptozoologist skills, acquired from her dad, to figure out the real reason her bully decided to target her, Evie realizes that she holds the key to fixing everything. She just needs proof. But how far is Evie willing to go to reveal the truth?

Trouble Finds Evie Lefkowitz by Diana Harmon Asher (PJ Publishing, 2025)

What could be more humiliating than your mom dating your assistant principal? Evie’s about to find out in this hilarious, big-hearted novel about surviving the uncertainties of middle school, sticking up for what you believe, and becoming the person you’re meant to be.

Banned Books, Crop Tops, and Other Bad Influences by Brigit Young (Roaring Brook Press, 2024)

Rose is a good girl. She listens to her parents and follows every rule. Talia, the new girl from New York City, doesn’t think so. After only a week at school, Talia is already making enemies. First on the list: Charlotte, Rose’s lifelong best friend. So why can’t Rose stop wondering what it would be like to be Talia’s friend? And why does Rose read a banned book that Talia recommends? Rose doesn’t know. But the forbidden book makes her ask questions she’s never thought of. When Talia suggests they start a banned books club, how can Rose say no?

Pushing against her parents, her school, and even her BFF opens a new world for Rose. But when Talia’s escapades become more scary than exciting, Rose must decide when it’s right to keep quiet and when it’s time to speak out.

Not Nothing by Gayle Forman (Aladdin, 2024)

After committing an unspeakable act of violence, Alex,12, is sentenced to court-mandated volunteer work at a retirement home. He hasn’t seen his mom in a year, his aunt and uncle don’t want him, and the geriatric residents at Shady Glen seem like zombies.

Josey is 107 and ready for his life to be over. He’s evaded death many times, having survived ghettos, dragnets, and a concentration camp. But now Josey spends his days at Shady Glen, refusing to speak and waiting to die. Until Alex knocks on Josey’s door, and Josey tells Alex his story. An unlikely bond grows between them and soon a new possibility opens up for Alex. Can he rise to the occasion of his life, even if it means confronting the worst thing he’s ever done?

[To learn more about Not Nothing, check out my interview with Gayle Forman here]

The Dubious Pranks of Shaindy Goodman by Mari Lowe (Levine Querido, 2023)

12-year-old Shaindy, an Orthodox Jewish girl who struggles socially and academically, is envious of her next-door neighbor, Gayil, who has tons of friends and does well in school. The two move in completely different orbits, until the evening Shaindy looks out her window and sees Gayil holding a sign: Want to know a secret?

It turns out that Gayil has a key fob that will allow the pair to break into their school after hours. The pair plot a prank, but under Gayil’s leadership, mischief turns into malice, and Shaindy sees that the pranks are targeted at certain girls only. The question is, why? With the fear of Gayil’s fury and her own reluctance growing, Shaindy comes to the terrifying conclusion that if she can’t figure out how to stop the pranks and humiliations, the next target could be her.

Linked by Gordon Korman (Scholastic, 2023)

Link, Michael, and Dana live in a quiet town. But havoc breaks loose when someone sneaks into their school and vandalizes it with a swastika. Who would do such a thing?

Because Michael was the first person to see it, he’s the first suspect. Because Link is one of the most popular guys in school, everyone’s looking to him to figure it out. And because Dana’s the only Jewish girl in the whole town, everyone’s treating her more like an outsider than ever.

The mystery deepens as more swastikas begin to appear. Some students fight back and start a project to bring people. The closer Link, Michael, and Dana get to the truth, the more there is to face. Not just the crimes of the present, but the crimes of the past.

Honey and Me by Meira Drazin (Scholastic, 2022)

Honey and Milla, who live in close-knit Jewish community, have been best friends for as long as Milla can remember. The girls do everything together, including delivering meals to their elderly neighbor, shopping at a local thrift store, celebrating the holidays, and going to their first Bat Mitzvahs while studying for their own. But when Honey enrolls in Milla’s school for sixth grade, it’s not as great as Milla expected. Will Milla find the courage to step out of Honey’s shadow and into her own spotlight—or will jealousy and fear get the better of her?

Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass (2022)

Ellen Katz is a neurodivergent 13-year-old who feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out, and when and people fit neatly into predefined categories. Ellen attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday, she only gets crushes on girls—never boys—and she relies on her BFF, Laurel, to help navigate social situations at school. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal, but lately Laurel has started making new friends and cancelling weekend plans. A school trip to Barcelona seems like the perfect place for Ellen to get their friendship back on track, but life doesn’t always stick to a planned itinerary.

Repairing the World by Linda Epstein (Aladdin, 2022)

Twelve-year-old Daisy’s life is shattered when her best friend, Ruby, is killed in a tragic accident. Now Daisy finds herself having to face the major challenges in her life, like starting middle school and becoming a big sister, without Ruby by her side. Despite her sadness—and thanks to new friends, new insights, and supportive family members—Daisy is able to see what life after Ruby can look like, and that friendship is eternal.

Historical Fiction

Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2025)

In 1492, during the Spanish Inquisition, Benvenida and her family are banished from Spain for being Jewish. They journey by foot and by sea, eventually settling in Istanbul. Over four centuries later, in1923,  shortly after the Turkish war of independence, Reina’s father disowns her for a small act of disobedience. He ships her away to live with an aunt in Cuba. In 1961, Reina’s daughter, Alegra, is proud to be a brigadista, teaching literacy in the countryside. But soon Fidel Castro’s crackdowns force her to flee to Miami, leaving her parents behind. In 2003, Alegra’s daughter, Paloma, is fascinated by all the journeys that had to happen before she could be born. A keeper of memories, she’s thrilled to learn more about her heritage on a trip to Spain, where she makes a momentous discovery.

Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz and Max in the Land of Lies (Dutton Books for Young Readers, 2024 and 2025)

Max Bretzfeld doesn’t want to move London, where he’ll be alone for the first time in his life. But not for long. Max is soon joined by two unexpected traveling companions, one on each shoulder: a kobold and a dybbuk named Berg and Stein.

Germany is becoming more and more dangerous for Jewish families, but Max is determined to find a way back home–and back to his parents. He has a plan to return to Berlin. The problem is, it involves accomplishing the impossible: becoming a British spy.

In Book 2, Max’s training is complete and his missions have begun. But nothing is as he expected. His parents are missing, Nazi intelligence is watching him, and the lines between lies and truth are becoming more blurred every day. Max will need every tool at his disposal, from his radio expertise and spy training to the help of Berg and Stein, the immortal creatures living on his shoulders. Still, there’s no guarantee he’ll make it out of Berlin alive.

Things That Shimmer by Deborah Lakritz (Kar-Ben, 2024)

It’s the spring of 1973, and Melanie Adler is desperate to be accepted by the Shimmers, the popular girls at her middle school. But the secret of her mom’s PTSD lurks in the shadows, and as hard as Melanie tries, she can’t act as cool and confident as the Shimmers. Then, when she meets Dorit Shoshani, a confident new student who’s got troubles of her own, Melanie learns what true friendship actually feels like. But she’s torn between her bond with Dorit and her chance at popularity. Which one will she choose?

How to Find What You’re Not Looking For by Veera Hiranandani (Kokila, 2022)

Twelve-year-old Ariel Goldberg’s life feels like the moment after the final guest leaves the party. Her family’s Jewish bakery runs into financial trouble, and her older sister has eloped with a young man from India following the 1967 Supreme Court decision that strikes down laws banning interracial marriage. As change becomes Ariel’s only constant, she’s left to hone something that will be with her always–her own voice.

Fantasy and Magical Realism

A World Worth Saving by Kyle Lukoff (Dial Books, 2025)

Lockdown is over, but A’s world feels smaller than ever. Coming out as trans didn’t go well, and most days he barely leaves his bedroom. But the low point of A’s life isn’t online school, missing his bar mitzvah, or the fact that his parents monitor his phone. It’s the weekly Save Our Sons and Daughters (SOSAD) meetings his parents drag him to, where A and his friends Sal and Yarrow sit by while their parents deadname them and lament a nonexistent “transgender craze.” 

When Yarrow vanishes after a particularly confrontational meeting, A discovers that SOSAD doesn’t just feel soul-sucking, it’s run by an actual demon who feeds off the pain and misery of kids like him. And it’s not just SOSAD. The entire world is beset by demons dining on what seems like an endless buffet of pain and bigotry. But how is one trans kid supposed to save his friend, let alone the world?

The Big Dreams of Small Creatures by Gail Lerner (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2024)

Ten-year-old Eden’s life is upended when she saves a paper wasp nest and discovers that she and its haughty queen can talk to each other. This first conversation is the start of a grand adventure, leading Eden to The Institute for Lower Learning, a secret laboratory devoted to the peaceful coexistence of humans and insects.

August is an aspiring actor and bullied fourth-grader who wants to squash every annoying bug into oblivion. After all, insects are small and he is big. And if there is anything he’s learned from the bullies at school, it’s that being bigger is what counts. But in the world of the Institute where insects have a place of their own, both Eden and August discover being bigger isn’t necessarily better and sometimes the most courageous thing to do is to set out to make a new friend.

Golemcrafters by Emi Watanabe Cohen (Levine Querido, 2024)

On the same day Faye’s brother comes home with a black eye, a package arrives from a relative they’ve never met. It’s a slab of clay. The strange gift turns out to be an invitation to learn a craft that has been in their family for centuries. And it’s not pottery.

Faye and Shiloh drive to New York City with their grandfather for a spring break filled with magical instruction. But at night, they find themselves transported to a strange parallel world, where groups of innocent people are facing hatred and violence. Are Faye and Shiloh destined to defend them? How is that possible for a brainy, unpopular eleven-year-old and her vulnerable older brother?

The Color of Sound by Emily Barth Isler (Carolrhoda Books, 2024)

Rosie Solomon, 12, is a musical prodigy whose synesthesia allows her to see music in colors. Her mom has always pushed her to become a concert violinist, but this summer Rosie wants a “normal” life and is sent to stay with her grandparents. While there, Rosie meets another girl her age–a girl who seems awfully familiar. Rosie quickly pieces it together and realizes that somehow, this girl is her mother, when she was twelve. Thanks to this glitch in time–plus her grandparents’ love, an improv group, and a new instrument–Rosie comes to understand her mother, herself, and her love of music.

Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy (Quill Tree Books, 2024)

Finn and Ezra are trapped in a bar mitzvah time loop, reliving their celebrations in the same New Jersey hotel, over and over (and over) again. Ezra comes from a big family, with four siblings who seem to get all the attention, and Finn is an only child who’s tired of his parents’ constant focus, particularly on his bar mitzvah weekend. Teaming up, the boys try to break the loop, but nothing works. As their frustrations mount, real-life problems start to seep through the cracks. With all the time in the world, can Finn and Ezra figure out how to finally move forward?

The Witch of Woodland by Laurel E. Snyder (Waldon Pond Press, 2024)

Life used to be simple for Zipporah “Zippy” Chava McConnell, a 13-year-old witch—that is, before her best friend, Bea, started acting funny and everyone at school thought she was weird. And to make matters worse, Zippy’s mom is making her prepare for a bat mitzvah, even though Zippy’s family barely goes to synagogue. But then one day Zippy finds a strange red book at the library and conjures a girl—a beautiful girl named Miriam, with no memory, and wings like an angel. Now it’s up to Zippy to help Miriam figure out what she is, and where she came from. And if can do that, maybe everything else in her life will make sense, too.

Benji Zeb is a Ravenous Werewolf by Deke Moulton (Tundra Books, 2024)

Benji Zeb has a lot going on. Not only does he have a lot of studying to do—for school as well as for his upcoming bar mitzvah—he’s nervous about Mr. Rutherford, a local rancher who hates Benji’s family’s kibbutz and wolf sanctuary. Plus, Benji hasn’t figured out what to do about Caleb, Mr. Rutherford’s stepson, who’s been bullying him at school, despite Benji wanting to be friends (and maybe something more). To complicate matters, secretly, Benji and his family are werewolves who are using the wolf sanctuary as cover for their true identities.

Things come to a head when Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night . . . in wolf form. He’s a werewolf too, unable to control his shifting, and he needs Benji’s help. Can anxious Benji juggle all of these things along with his growing feelings toward Caleb?

Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack (Versify, 2023)

Pesah has lived with leprosy for years, and he and his twin sister have spent most of that time working on a cure. Then Pesah has a vision: The Angel of Death will come for him on Rosh Hashanah, just one month away.

Ziva takes her brother and runs away to find doctors who can cure him. But when they meet and accidentally free a half-demon boy, he suggests paying his debt by leading them to the fabled city of Luz, where no one ever dies—the one place Pesah will be safe.They just need to run faster than The Angel of Death can fly…

Rebecca Reznik Reboots The Universe by Samara Shanker (Atheneum, 2023)

Rebecca Reznik, 13, is knee deep in family drama. Her dad lost his job, her parents are fighting all the time, and her annoying brother, Jake, is acting out more than usual. Then, when a goblin turns her bedroom upside down—literally—Becca realizes that the bad juju in her house is more sinister, and more complicated, than she had first imagined. With her best friends, Naomi and Eitan, by her side—and armed with the lessons she learned from her last tussle with mythological creatures from Jewish lore in the 2022 sequel, Naomi Teitelbaum Ends the World—Becca will do whatever it takes to defend her family and save the Hanukkah.

Shira and Esther’s Double Dream Debut by Anna E. Jordan (Chronicle Books, 2023)

Shira and Esther are shocked when they first meet: It’s like looking in a mirror! Despite the girls’ identical appearance, they couldn’t be more different. Shira dreams of singing and dancing onstage, but her father, a stern and pious rabbi, wants Shira to focus on her religious studies. Esther, on the other hand, dreams of studying Torah, but her glamorous, stage-performer mom, frowns on Esther’s studious ways. Then, thanks to Benny, a 14-year-old bellhop at Scheinfeld’s Resort and Cottages, the girls plan a Parent Trap-style switcheroo, to help the Shira and Esther make their dreams come true. Or sort of true…

The Button Box by Bridget Hodder and Fawzia Gilani-Williams; Harshad Marathe, illustrator (Kar-Ben Publishing, 2022)

In the aftermath of a bullying incident at school, where Jewish fifth-grader Ava and her cousin Nadeem, are called hateful names, the cousins’ Granny Buena shares with them a glittering crystal button box, packed with buttons that generations of Ava’s Sephardic ancestors have cherished. With the help of Granny’s mysterious cat, Sheba, the cousins discover that a button from the button box will take them back in time. Suddenly, they are in ancient Morocco, where Nadeem’s ancestor, Prince Abdur Rahman, is running for his life. Can the cousins help the prince escape to Spain and fulfill his destiny, creating a Golden Age for Muslims, Jews and Christians?

Anthologies

The Festival of Lights: 16 Hanukkah Stories, edited by Henry Herz (Albert Whitman, 2024)

Celebrate Hanukkah with a diverse collection of poems and stories filled with history, humor, and hope. Cheer on a young baker as he tries to make sufganiyot from a family recipe; learn about code breakers in WWII England; and imagine hosting a refugee cousin or finding long-lost relatives. In this anthology, characters make discoveries, connect with family and friends, and mourn loved ones. Encompassing a range of genres and experiences, there’s something for readers of all faiths.

Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories, edited by Jonathan Rosen and Henry Herz (Albert Whitman, 2023)

What does it mean to become an adult in your faith? Join thirteen diverse characters as they experience anxiety, doubt, and self-discovery while preparing for their B’nai Mitzvah. And whether celebrating with a lavish party or in reception room with an accordion player, the Jewish rite of passage remains the same. Filled with humor, hope, and history, there’s something in this anthology for every reader. (Don’t miss my story, “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish,” on page 193. :))

On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories, edited by Chris Baron, Joshua S. Levy, and Naomi Milliner (Amulet Books, 2024)

In this collection of short stories, 14 middle-grade authors each reimagine a different step of the Passover seder—a meal full of rituals, special foods, and songs, where families and friends gather together to retell the story of the Exodus, when the Jewish people achieved freedom from Egypt—via historical and contemporary fiction, verse and prose, fiction and nonfiction.

And last but not least…

Kat Greene Comes Clean by Melissa Roske

Eleven-year-old Kat Greene attends fifth grade at the Village Humanity school, a hippie-dippy progressive school in New York’s Greenwich Village. At the moment, Kat has three major problems: dealing with her boy-crazy best friend, Halle; partnering with the overzealous Sam in the class production of Harriet the Spy; and coping with her mother’s preoccupation with cleanliness, a symptom of her worsening OCD. With nowhere to turn–and hesitant to tell her dad, who’s busy with his new family uptown–Kat reaches out to Olympia Rabinowitz, the free-spirited psychologist at her school. Later, after many  soul-searching sessions with Olympia, Kat realizes that asking for help is the best way to clean up life’s messes.

Melissa Roske is a writer of middle-grade fiction. Before spending her days with imaginary people, she interviewed real ones as a journalist in Europe. In London she landed a job as an advice columnist for Just Seventeen magazine. Upon returning to her native New York, Melissa contributed to several books and magazines and selected jokes for Reader’s Digest (just the funny ones). In addition to her debut novel Kat Greene Comes Clean (Charlesbridge), Melissa’s short story “Grandma Merle’s Last Wish” appears in the Jewish middle-grade anthology, Coming of Age: 13 B’Nai Mitzvah Stories (Albert Whitman). Learn more about Melissa on her Website and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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