Your PJ Our Way Books for May 2026
PJ Our Way is proud to offer four fantastic books this month! Your reader can help Maya face her fears as a stand-up comedian, learn the true meaning of home with Shai, navigate life as a pre-teen werewolf with Benji, or learn important skills and tips to be a mensch!
Be sure to have your PJ Our Way subscriber choose their book by May 10th!
Ain’t It Funny
By: Margaret Gurevich
Ages 10+
240 pages
Sixth-grader Maya Greenspan often feels anxious and worried–feelings that have grown now that her parents have decided to separate and her dad, a stand-up comic, has moved out. Will those emotions disappear if her parents reunite? Maybe if she performs a comedy routine at the class talent show her dad (loving but sometimes undependable) will rehearse with her, and her mom will be impressed by his responsible show of devotion. In the meantime, Maya’s fear of germs and her need for things to be a certain way make school and working at her family’s Russian deli increasingly difficult. She tries confiding in her mom and grandmother, but both brush off her mental health concerns as no big deal. When her teacher has a panic attack in public, a group of poorly informed parents try (unsuccessfully) to get her fired. Luckily, when Maya herself has a panic attack she finally gets the help she needs–and realizes that she and her parents will always be a family, no matter what. Maya’s anxiety is accurately portrayed and is nicely balanced by the book’s many humorous moments.
Not So Shy
By: Noa Nimrodi
Ages 10+
256 pages
When 13-year-old Shai’s family moves to California for her dad’s job, she’s prepared to do whatever it takes to go back home to Israel. Things start looking up when Shai’s neighbor and new friend, Kay-Lee, tells her about a poster contest with a prize of a plane ticket to the place of the winner’s choice. Shai just has to win so she can go back to Israel and live with her grandparents. Meanwhile, the school bullies target Shai with antisemitic comments and call her Muslim classmate Hakim a terrorist. Shai stands up for Hakim, and they become friends. Just as Shai is starting to feel at home in San Diego, her grandparents are caught up in a terrorist bombing in Tel Aviv, leaving her Safta in a coma. Shai and her family fly back to Israel, where Shai realizes that there are things about America that she is missing and that it might be possible to feel at home in both places.
Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf
By: Deke Moulton
Ages 11+
2504 pages
Benji Zeb is anxious about his upcoming bar mitzvah, he's worried about the local man who hates Benji's family's kibbutz and wolf sanctuary, and he hasn't figured out what to do about Caleb, who has been bullying Benji at school even though they used to be friends. To make things even more complicated, Benji and his entire family are secretly werewolves. Then Caleb shows up at the kibbutz one night in need of Benji’s help: he’s a werewolf too! Benji has to figure out how to handle everything that’s happening, including his growing romantic feelings for Caleb.
How to Be a Mensch
By: Catherine Newman
Ages 9+
144 pages
This how-to manual is a version of Catherine Newman’s book How to Be a Person, with Jewish content specially created for a unique PJ Our Way edition. Chapters cover life skills like how to care for people, pets, and plants; how to cook for Shabbat; how to clean your clothes; and how to manage money. Cartoon-style illustrations add to the accessible, kid-friendly style.
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.