Your PJ Our Way Books for February
PJ Our Way is proud to present four fabulous titles for February. Spend 6th grade with a young girl as she joins her best friend’s school, learn more about a real-life Wonder Woman, immerse yourself in a powerful civil rights story, and choose your own adventure in an exciting story set in 1492 Spain.
Be sure to have your reader choose their book by February 10th!
Honey and Me
by Meira Drazin
Ages 10+
304 pages
Milla and her best friend Honey attends the same synagogue, but they go to different Orthodox schools. When confident Honey transfers to less-assertive Milla’s school for sixth grade, both girls are initially excited, but their close friendship ends up facing some tough challenges. The slice-of-life story follows the friends and their families through the school year and the holidays of the Jewish calendar; important milestones include bat mitzvah preparation and sitting shiva for a beloved teacher. The novel is long but entirely engrossing in its nuanced, often humorous look at both middle-school friendship and modern Orthodox life.
Gal Gadot: Soldier, Model, Wonder Woman
by Jill Sherman
Ages 9+
48 pages
Gal Gadot is the Israeli actress who starred in Wonder Woman, the first ever female-directed superhero movie from a major studio. This is the story of her childhood and career. Kids will be inspired by her success as an international actress who juggles family and career with grace and aplomb.
Mighty Inside
by Sundee T. Frazier
Ages 11+
288 pages
It's 1955, and Melvin Robinson isn't looking forward to starting 9th grade. He's got a stutter, he's one of the few Black kids at his school in Spokane, WA, and he plays the accordion, which definitely isn't cool. Fortunately, Melvin meets Lenny, a fast-talking, saxophone-playing Jewish kid on the first day of school, and they become friends. Lenny and his mother live above the famous Harlem Club, and Lenny encourages Melvin to speak with Millie, the Japanese-American girl whom Melvin has a crush on. Melvin’s friendships with Lenny and Millie not only deepen his understanding of the discrimination faced by the Japanese and Jewish communities, but also the lengths his own parents go to in order to protect him from the racism they face every day. When Lenny suggests they try out for the local TV variety show with Melvin playing his accordion and Lenny on the sax, Melvin must decide if he is mighty enough to show everyone who he really is.
The Spanish Plot
by Leah Sokol
Ages 10+
164 pages
This choose-your-own-adventure is set in Spain in 1492. The reader is taking care of young Yitzchak, the grandson of Don Abarbanel, a scholar and financial advisor to Queen Isabella. Don Abarbanel has been working hard to convince the queen not to expel the Jews, but it seems unlikely that he’ll succeed. Meanwhile, the queen wants Don Abarbanel and his family to convert to Judaism so he can continue to advise the queen. When he refuses, the royal court hatches a plot to kidnap and forcibly baptize young Yitzchak. The reader is offered a series of options for responding to the various events surrounding the kidnapping attempts, resulting in a variety of outcomes. The book includes an author’s note explaining that, while this book is based on the true story of the attempted kidnapping of Don Abarbanel’s grandson, not all of the details or possible endings are historically accurate.
Note: Quantities of each title are limited! If you see another book offered for selection this month, head over to Story Central to check it out.