Twelve Terrific PJ Our Way B’nai/Bar/Bat Mitzvah Titles
B’nai mitzvah (plural for bar, bat, or b-mitzvah) celebrations aren’t just rites of passage for many Jewish kids, but they also make for hilarious and heartwarming middle-grade stories. Whether your reader plans to have a ceremony or not, we’re sure they’ll find a great read on this list of PJ Our Way b’nai mitzvah books.
12 Before 13
by Lisa Greenwald
11+
Ari’s summer at Camp Silver was super awesome! But now she’s home, and everything’s changed. Her BFF Kaylan’s hanging out with the Lunch Table Girls, and all her bat mitzvah plans are going up in smoke. She’s always been the calm one, but maybe now’s the time to start freaking out...
Becoming Brianna
by Terri Libenson
10+
Brianna hates being the center of attention, so why on earth did she agree to have a bat mitzvah? And why are the popular girls suddenly being so friendly?
Ben's Bonkers Bar Mitzvah
by Ivor Baddiel
9+
Something very strange is happening in Ben’s universe. His bar mitzvah is on Saturday, but the synagogue has disappeared! And that’s only the beginning…
Detour Ahead
by Pamela Ehrenberg & Tracy López
10+
Can Gilah perfect her breakdancing moves in time for her bat mitzvah? Can her friend Guillermo win the poetry contest and the cash prize he desperately needs?
Echo Still
by Tim Tibbitts
10+
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 Fig's grandmother moves in…
Fish Out of Water
by Joanne Levy
9+
Like most of his friends, Fishel “Fish” Rosner loves ice cream. Unlike most of his friends, he also loves knitting and wants to use it to help others for his bar mitzvah project. Why is that such a problem?
It's My Party and I Don't Want to Go
by Amanda Panitch
10+
Only four months left to go until Ellie’s bat mitzvah, and everyone is so excited! Everyone except for Ellie. There’s only one way out, and she’s got a plan…
The Length of a String
by Elissa Brent Weissman
10+
As the only Black girl at Hebrew school, Imani’s less than curious about her adoptive family’s Jewish history, and more than a little curious about her own. As she prepares for her bat mitzvah, can Imani find out about her birth family without hurting her mom’s feelings?
Linked
by Gordon Korman
11+
Everyone is shocked when swastikas start appearing all over school. Will the mystery of who is drawing these symbols — and why — ever be solved? This riveting story is told from the perspectives of multiple characters, including one who is preparing for a bar mitzvah.
My Basmati Bat Mitzvah
by Paula Freedman
10+
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?
This is Just a Test
by Madelyn Rosenberg and Wendy Wan-Long Shang
10+
These are just a few of the things David is worried about:
- Nuclear War
- Forgetting to wear pants to school
- Getting his leg chomped by a shark
- Sneezing on Kelli Ann
- His bar mitzvah speech
Turtle Boy
by M. Evan Wolkenstein
11+
Will loves turtles but hates it when kids call him Turtle Boy. He also hates hospitals. So why does Will’s mom think visiting a kid in the hospital for his bar mitzvah project will help bring him out of his shell — and what if he’d rather stay in it?