Five Middle Grade Books to Spark Important Conversations About Antisemitism

Start with a book.

An increasing number of contemporary middle-grade books are exploring various causes, impacts, and responses to antisemitism. These stories can be a powerful way to discuss tough topics with our kids (especially if parents read them too!) for a variety reasons:

• Books keep the stories at a bit of a distance, allowing readers to engage with, and reflect on, difficult content in safe and accessible ways.

• Readers feel less alone when they read about characters struggling with issues they themselves may have faced.

• The concrete details of stories are often easier to discuss and explore than theoretical situations.

• The characters in stories can provide models for both how, and how not, to respond to antisemitism.

With that in mind, here are five PJ Our Way books that can help spark important conversations about antisemitism. (Be sure to check out the Parent Guide for each book for more information.)

The Backyard Secrets of Danny Wexler
by Karen Pokras

Ages 10+

248 pages

It's 1978, and 11-year-old Danny Wexler is the only Jewish boy in his blue-collar town. When he learns about the Bermuda Triangle just as a local child goes missing, Danny and his friends Frank and Nicholas set out to solve the mystery. Meanwhile, Danny's father has always been passed over for promotions because he's Jewish. When he finally does get a “pity promotion,” the antisemitism in town increases. This fast-paced story offers an age-appropriate and engaging story about the experience of being “othered,” and the anchoring power of friendship.

Broken Strings
by Kathy Kacer and Eric Walters

Ages 11+

275 pages

Shirli's been looking forward to starring in her school's theater production all year long, but when she is cast as Golde in Fiddler on the Roof, she's disappointed to learn that she'll be playing an old Jewish mother instead of the young and beautiful Hodel. Luckily, she's “married” to Tevya/Ben Morgan, popular school quarterback and a really nice kid. While searching her beloved Zayda's attic for props and costumes, Shirli uncovers a mystery among the old trunks. Slowly, Zayda begins to open up about his past, and Shirli learns more about her Jewish roots and her grandfather's experience during the Holocaust.

Linked
by Gordon Korman

Ages: 11+

246 pages

When a swastika shows up on the wall of the only middle school in the small town of Chokecherry, Colorado, everyone wants to know who did it. Was it Michael, one of the few students of color in the school? Was it Link, the popular athlete whose pranks sometimes go too far? Or was it Pouncey, whose grandfather was rumored to be a part of the local chapter of the KKK decades ago? In the midst of all of it, Dana, the only Jewish girl in school, feels singled out and totally confused. Perhaps most importantly, was this just a terrible prank gone wrong, or something darker?

No Vacancy
by Tziporah Cohen

Ages: 10+

217 pages

When Miriam's father loses his job, the family buys a dilapidated motel and moves from New York City to Greenvale, population 512. It's a huge adjustment: the motel is a money pit and Miriam's long anticipated summer vacation feels like all drudgery and no fun, especially because her fear of the water leaves her sweating at the side of the pool. Even worse, her mother doesn't like Maria, Miriam's new friend and the housekeeper at the hotel, just because Maria wears a pretty cross. Miriam hatches a plan to save the hotel, but her conscience begins to stir as she tackles some important questions.

Not Your All-American Girl
by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shong

Ages: 10+

256 pages

Lauren's a talented singer who dreams of being on Star Search. She has a great audition for the school musical, All-American Town, and everyone thinks she should get the lead. But the teacher says Chinese-Jewish Lauren doesn't look “American” enough for the role and gives it to Lauren’s best friend, Tara, relegating Lauren to the ensemble. Tension grows between the friends, and Lauren finds it difficult to continue in the play, but she finds solace in the music of Patsy Cline plus a new button-making business. Eventually, the girls work together to make things right both on and off the stage.