It’s 1986, and Yasha Reznik is 13, about to start eighth grade in a new town, and two months away from his bar mitzvah. His family has just moved from the tight-knit Russian-Jewish community of Brighton Beach to the suburb of Rockwood, New Jersey, and Yasha is not thrilled. He misses his best friends back home, he’s been paired with a grumpy senior named Bernie for his mitzvah project, and a new kid at school is pressuring him to go by “Jake,” dress differently, and hide everything Russian about himself. Meanwhile, his father is insisting he join a soccer team, but what Yasha really loves is baseball, specifically, the New York Mets, who happen to be heading toward the 1986 World Series. As Yasha navigates new friendships, family tension, and an unexpected bond with Bernie over their shared love of the Mets, he begins to figure out who he really is — and what his bar mitzvah truly means.
The PJ Our Way Book Selection Committee is always looking for books that speak to the Jewish experience with authenticity and heart. Yasha’s Amazin’ Bar Mitzvah delivers on both fronts. It’s a relatable story about friendship, identity, and belonging, with rich bar mitzvah content and a meaningful intergenerational relationship at its core.
As one PJ Our Way reader noted, “Yasha’s Amazin’ Bar Mitzvah is a remarkable tale about assimilation and fitting in. Yasha has moved from the Russian community of Brighton Beach to its opposite: Rockwood, New Jersey. He has to strike a balance between keeping his Russian identity and fitting in with friends. The book perfectly represents the struggle of many immigrants who feel they have to abandon their identity to fit in with their prejudiced neighbors and ‘friends.’”
This book is perfect for fans of The Genius Under the Table, Ain’t It Funny, and This is Just a Test.
August 3, 2026