Your PJ Our Way Books for October 2025
PJ Our Way is proud to offer four fantastic books this month! Your reader can learn about Jewish life in 15th -century Spain, come up with a new get-rich-quick scheme with Benjamin, help Mirka battle her alter ego, or rebuild after an earthquake with Luca!
Be sure to have your PJ Our Way subscriber choose their book by October 10th!
A Ceiling Made of Eggshells
By: Gail Carson Levine
Ages 10+
416 pages
Loma lives in the Jewish quarter of Alcalá de Henares in 15th-century Spain, where her grandfather is a trusted adviser to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Loma wants to marry and have children before too long, but her grandfather recognizes her brains and diplomatic skills and enlists her to assist in his negotiations with the royal family, forcing Loma to postpone her dreams.
Initially Loma is grateful for the opportunity to help her grandfather, but the older she gets, the more she longs for independence. As the Inquisition looms nearer, and under growing pressure to convert to Christianity, Loma must make the most difficult decision of her life. Can she follow her dreams and help save her family?
Death by Toilet Paper
By: Donna Gephart
Ages 10+
272 pages
Benjamin Epstein is having a tough seventh grade year. His father died, leaving the family with serious financial issues, and he and his mom are about to be evicted from their apartment. To further complicate matters, Ben’s Zeyde, who has memory problems, is his new roommate—and he snores! Ben has all kinds of creative get-rich-quick schemes involving various contests and sweepstakes, but can he really make enough money to pay the back rent?
This book is full of fun and goofy facts about toilet paper, however, it also deals with serious issues. This aspect of the book is at odds with the cover, which gives the impression that it is a light read with lots of kid-style humor. While the book certainly is amusing, it is not all lighthearted.
Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite
By: Barry Deutsch
Ages 9+
128 pages
This offbeat graphic novel (the sequel to Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword) is set in a fictional Jewish shtetl (Yiddish for a small Eastern European town with a large Jewish population) called Hereville. The heroine, Mirka, is not your typical shtetl girl. She despises knitting and dreams of fighting and slaying monsters ... although she’s not very good at it. When a witch creates her identical alter ego, Metty, Mirka must embrace her own awkward identity in order to get rid of the imposter.
Friends to the Rescue
By: Ellen Schwartz
Ages 9+
128 pages
This dual-narrative story set in Italy is inspired by actual events. In 2009, Luca and his grandfather, Roberto, survive an earthquake in their small mountain village. The narrative flashes back to 1943, as young Roberto’s parents shelter Sara, a Jewish girl, and her parents from the Nazis. Roberto and Sara become close friends, bonding over football and superhero comics. In 2009, aid workers arrive, along with a bus carrying older adults, including someone named Sara. A tearful reunion follows: Sara has returned with other Jews the town had hidden in order to repay their help from years before. Numerous illustrations accompany this heartwarming story in which Holocaust survivors get a chance to be heroic lifesavers.
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.