Does your child have questions about what happens at a bar or bat mitzvah? Grab one of these chapter books for stories featuring kids just like yours preparing for B’nai mitzvah.
Looking for a quick bar/bat mitzvah 101? Check out this video from BimBam
If you’re a parent, be sure to give the podcast @13 a listen.
Related: Sign up for PJ Our Way
Detour Ahead
by Pamela Ehrenberg and Tracy López
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Every morning, Gilah — a 12-year-old neurodiverse Jewish girl who loves breakdancing and is preparing for her bat mitzvah — takes the public Metrobus to her school in Washington, DC. This year Gilah is finally allowed to ride alone, but not everything goes as planned. When the bus swerves too close to a boy riding his bicycle in Columbia Heights, only one passenger, Gilah, seems to notice and find the courage to speak up. Guillermo — a 13-year-old Salvadoran American boy — has just moved to the area and helps out at his family's new bakery. Until he can earn enough money to repair his bike, Guillermo takes the H4 bus with Gilah. Through Guillermo's poetry and Gilah's prose, the two navigate the detours of their families, their friendship, and themselves.
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Tara Feinstein’s decision to celebrate her bat mitzvah is making her life really complicated. What would her beloved Nanaji say? Does she really believe in God? And why is her best friend Ben-o acting so weird around her?
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Fig’s dad is forcing him to have a bar mitzvah, and Coach may kick him off the soccer team because of a fight. Seventh grade is turning into a bad year. And then his grandmother moves in.
The Long Trail Home
by Kiersi Burkhart and Amber J. Keyser
Recommended for ages 10 and up
When Rivka refuses to have a bat mitzvah, her parents send her away to think long and hard about her feelings. But Rivka loves Quartz Creek Ranch, where she even has her own horse to ride! The real question is, will she ever want to go home again?
Recommended for ages 9 and up
All Alyssa wants to do is dance, but her best friend is deathly ill and if Alyssa misses another dance rehearsal, she will lose her chance to be a star. What should she do?
Recommended for ages 10 and up
Karma Cooper is almost thirteen years old and is deeply in love with Floyd ... her smartphone. Until they break up.
Recommended for ages 9 and up
When her beloved grandmother, Nana, dies and leaves her a Star of David necklace, Caroline becomes curious about her Jewish identity. She thinks she might want a Bat Mitzvah like her best friend Rachel, but what is a Bat Mitzvah anyway, and what will her non-Jewish dad think?
Related: What to Expect at a Bar or Bat Mitzvah Service via ReformJudaism.org
Do you have a 9-11-year-old at home?
Sign up for PJ Our Way and your kids will get to choose their own chapter books and graphic novels every month.
November 14, 2018