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Pride Month Special with A.J. Sass

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY ANA / ELLEN / CAMP     🕮    It's June and that means LGBTQ+ Pride Month , the perfect time to talk to author A.J. Sass. Andrew Sass is known for writing middle grade books featuring respectful portrayals of trans and nonbinary characters, with neurodivergent and casual Jewish representation included as well. I was excited to talk with them about a few books: debut novel Ana on the Edge from 2020, Ellen Outside the Lines , which was a 2023 Sydney Taylor Honor Book, and the new Camp QUILTBAG , co-written with Nicole Melleby . I thoroughly enjoyed all of these thoughtful, funny, and heartfelt books. Over half of the books currently being challenged by bigoted extremists are targeted for their LGBTQ+ content . In support of the queer Jewish community, for Pride Month I will post an LGBTQ+ Jewish kidlit title each day in June on The Book of Life's Facebook page at Facebook.com/Bookoflifepodcast . It should go wit
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She's a Mensch: Two Collective Biographies of Jewish Women

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By a surprising coincidence, two separate collective biographies of Jewish women are being published this year, both entitled She's A Mensch . Coming out on May 15 is She's a Mensch: 10 Amazing Jewish Women by Anne Dublin (Second Story Press) for ages 9-12, and coming out on September 1 is She's a Mensch: Jewish Women Who Rocked the World (Intergalactic Afikomen) by mother-daughter duo Rachelle Burk and Alana Barouch, for ages 5-10. In honor of Mother's Day, I bring you a joint interview with Anne, Rachelle, and Alana about their menschy books! Anne, Rachelle, and Alana, coincidentally your books are both called She's A Mensch . How did you choose that title? ANNE: My publisher (Second Story Press) and I tried several titles out, but She’s a Mensch! resonated with all of us. My late father used to say (in Yiddish) about a person he admired: “He’s a mensch” or “She’s a mensch.” That compliment is one of the highest one can bestow upon a person and therefore has a
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SLJ Article "Beyond Tradition"

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I was so pleased to be interviewed for this article in the May 2023 issue of School Library Journal! Thank you to Marlaina Cockcroft for including me and for tackling this subject. You can read the article below or on the SLJ website here .  
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A Sky Full of Song

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    When I read Susan Lynn Meyer's middle grade novel, A Sky Full of Song , I was swept away by her descriptions of the North Dakota prairie and really touched by the characters' struggles with prejudice, assimilation, and identity. This story is one of those in which the specific is also the universal. It showcases a quintessential American experience and at he same time, a very Jewish experience. I thought it would be a perfect interview to bring to you this May for Jewish American Heritage Month.  LEARN MORE: Visit Susan Lynn Meyer's website Buy A Sky Full of Song Tikkun Olam suggestion: support American Prairie Visit Heidi's Jewish American Heritage Month resource Keep an eye out for a Mother's Day interview on May 15 about She's a Mensch at BookOfLifePodcast.com   CREDITS: Produced by Feldman Children's Library at Congregation B'nai Israel Co-sponsored by the Associat
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Jewish American Heritage Month 2023

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Children's Books for Jewish American Heritage Month by bookoflifepodcast BRAND NEW! Don't miss the new "Celebrate Jewish American Heritage" poster from ALA Graphics! It's got original art from Sean C. Rubin, illustrator of the 2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award winning picture book The Passover Guest by Susan Kusel.  Order the Poster, 18x24", $18 Order the Set of 100 matching bookmarks, $9  
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A Walk on the Jewish Side

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY KNAZAN / LUCIDO / PANITCH BOOKS     🕮    Jewish identity can be complicated, especially for people who come from a mixed background. We are starting to see this reality acknowledged in middle grade and young adult fiction, with characters who are working to figure out what being Jewish means to them, or who are trying to better integrate the different parts of their heritage; characters who don't feel like they are enough. For this episode, I've called together three authors whose novels explore this topic: Primrose Madayag Knazan, author of the YA novel Lesson in Fusion , and middle grade authors Aimee Lucido, who wrote Recipe for Disaster , and Amanda Panitch, who wrote The Two Wrong Halves of Ruby Taylor . Join us for a virtual panel discussion about identity, a walk on the Jewish side.  LEARN MORE: Visit Primose Madayag Knazan's Instagram and food blog Peg on a Plate ; buy Lessons in Fusion Visit Ai
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Shoham's Bangle

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  LISTEN TO THE PODCAST     |    READ THE TRANSCRIPT     |    BUY THE BOOK     🕮    Sarah Sassoon's debut picture book Shoham's Bangle (Kar-Ben) was named a 2023 Sydney Taylor Notable Book by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Based on Sarah's family history, it's the story of a Jewish family's escape from Iraq to Israel, and a rare example of Mizrahi representation in kidlit. From Kar-Ben's description: Shoham wears a golden bangle on her wrist, just like her Nana Aziza. Their bangles jingle when they cook, and glitter in the sun. When Shoham and her family must leave Iraq, they are allowed to take only one suitcase each. They may take no jewelry. Shoham has the important job of carrying Nana's homemade pita bread, which Nana says they will eat when they get to Israel. But when they finally arrive and it is time to eat, Shoham bites into something hard inside the pita bread. LEARN MORE: Visit Sarah Sasssoon's website Buy Shoham's Bangle Book la
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