On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories

by Chris Baron (Editor), Joshua S. Levy (Editor), Naomi Milliner (Editor)

Welcome to Passover, a Jewish holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. The heart of Passover is the seder—a meal full of rituals, special foods, and songs—where we gather together to retell the story of the Exodus, when the Jewish people achieved freedom from Egypt.

And yet this story is about more than the ancient past. The seder’s themes of freedom, joy, tradition, and more, are timeless and universal, for all.

In this unprecedented collection of short stories, 14 bestselling and award-winning authors each reimagine a different step of the seder for today’s young readers. Through historical and contemporary fiction, verse and prose, fiction and nonfiction, these gifted writers from different Jewish traditions and backgrounds gather around the seder table and invite everyone to join them.

The full list of On All Other Nights contributors includes:

- Chris Baron (The Magical Imperfect)
- Ruth Behar (Lucky Broken Girl)
- Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm, The Unicorn Rescue Society)
- Veera Hiranandani (The Night Diary)
- Amy Ignatow (The Popularity Papers, Jedi Academy)
- Sarah Kapit (Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen)
- Joshua S. Levy (The Jake Show)
- Mari Lowe (Aviva vs. the Dybbuk)
- Naomi Milliner (Super Jake & The King of Chaos)
- Soifya Pasternack (Black Bird, Blue Road)
- R.M. Romero (The Dollmaker of Kraków)
- A.J. Sass (Ana on the Edge)
- Laura Shovan (The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary)
- Laurel Snyder (Orphan Island, Charlie & Mouse)

Genres: Middle Grade, Jewish, Short Stories, Anthologies, Religion, Holiday, Realistic Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

First published March 26, 2024

About the author

Chris Baron is the award winning author of Novels for Children including ALL OF ME, an NCTE Notable Book, THE MAGICAL IMPERFECT a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable Book/ a SLJ Best Book of 2021 & the forthcoming novels, THE GRAY a ProjectLIT 23-24 Selection and SPARK from Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, and SECRET OF THE DRAGON GEMS, a Middle Grade novel co-authored with Rajani LaRocca from Little Bee Books, and editor of ON ALL OTHER NIGHTS: A MIDDLE GRADE PASSOVER ANTHOLOGY, from Abrams (24), He is a Professor of English at San Diego City College and the director of the Writing Center. He grew up in New York City, but he completed his MFA in Poetry in 1998 at SDSU. HE lives in San Diego with his family. He is represented by Rena Rossner from the Deborah Harris Literary Agency.

Twitter: @baronchrisbaron
Instagram: @christhebearbaron

Reviews

[Ezra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going to work backwards by saying that I loved the way the acknowledgements were done. Using Who Knows One, one of my favorites parts of the Passover seder, was so creative. It fit perfectly with the way the book is laid out to follow the seder, each chapter starting with the name and description of different parts of it. Passover is my favorite holiday and I was so excited to hear about this book, it's few and far between that we get books about Jewish holidays other than Hanukkah. AJ Sass, Soifya Pasternack, and Laurel Snyder were the authors I was looking forward to most, having read their works already.

We get fourteen different outlooks on Passover and Judaism. Every character and their family has the same, if varied basis for a seder, but they all go about it a little differently. I think it does a great job showing that there's no one right way to celebrate Passover and there's no one right way to be Jewish.

Chocolate Tears lived up to its title for me. This Passover will be the first one without my grandfather and I can't even imagine how it's going to go, so this chapter got more than a few tears out out of me.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed reading the varied stories of Passover! I loved reading the stories that were similar to my own growing up. I loved reading the stories about how other cultures celebrate their traditions for Passover from all my favorite authors. I learned so much! I wish this book had been around when I was in middle school.

A must-have for all libraries - elementary, middle grades, high school, home schools, and home libraries!

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[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A joyful journey through fourteen beautifully written stories inspired by the steps of the Passover seder.

[Erika Dreifus]

Wonderful book that I've been meaning to read for a while.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really cool idea for an anthology and I love that it follows the structure of the seder. I was also pleasantly surprised to see a few stories with historical settings (though I don't know why I assumed they'd all be contemporary). However, I thought that most of these short stories didn't really make the most of their format. Many seemed over before they really began.

CW (varies by story): antisemitism, grief/past family member deaths, references to pogroms, bullying

[The One Where Aimee Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful Passover anthology that showcases the diversity of Judaism, how Jews can all share in the holiday of Passover and yet we all have our own unique family traditions. It is truly a beautiful window into Jewish life. It is a great book to read in the weeks leading up to Passover. Parents can read one story each night with their kids to get in the holiday mindset and to set the table for fantastic, meaningful discussions.

Thank you ABRAMS Kids for the ARC. I am so happy that a children's book like this exists!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts with an introduction, and the stories are laid out following the 14 steps of the Seder, the Passover meal that remembers the Exodus from Egypt. Each story includes an introduction describing the step and its significance, and four questions the reader can ask themselves to connect the step with their lives. This story is step one; Kadesh. Before Pesach, all things leavened must be removed from the house. Story: “Breaking bread at the Seder” by Mari Lowe. In Josie’s house, they make a game of hiding some slices of bread, and the kids must find them all. This year, Josie has been trusted with hiding the pieces of bread. Problem is, he. can’t remember where the last one was hidden. I liked this one a lot; it reminded me of a modern “All kind family” story. There’s lots of detail about the traditions associated with this step, and the characters and their actions felt real and age appropriate.

“Urchatz—The truth about mermaids” by R.M. Romero. The step is about washing your hands. The story is about a granddaughter listening to her abuelita every year talk about her family’s escape from Cuba. They took to sea in a small boat and were capsized, and her abuelita and abuelita’s little brother were rescued by mermaid. But that can’t possibly be true, can it? I liked this one because I always like a touch of magic in fantasy. I also liked the reminder that the Jewish faith is a diaspora, and that Jewish people come from all over the world, including Cuba.

“Karpas—Chocolate tears” by Naomi Milliner. This step of the Seder involves dipping vegetables into salt as a reminder of the tears of slavery in Egypt. The story is told in flashbacks and present time, with the main character, a girl, remembering her special times with her grandmother during Passover. One of the things that they had talked about was doing a chocolate Seder, noting that not all tears need be sad. But this year, her grandmother is not there. This one was sweet, if a little confusing to listen to as an audiobook because it took me a while to pick up when it was a flashback and when it was the present time. Overall though, really liked it.

“Yachatz—Broken pieces” by Joshua S. Levy. This step of the Seder involves breaking the matzah bread. In the story, the main character doesn’t understand why they should be interested in stories from thousands of years ago. Then time freezes, and the prophet Elijah shows up and takes the main character back in time. But the main character is still not quite understanding. I am not sure that I really got this story. In some ways it reminded me of “The devil’s arithmetic,“ in which a character was punished for being disinterested in history by being forced to go through the Holocaust. This was not that bad, but still kind of didactic, though it was mostly left to the reader to sort out what the message might be.

“Magid—Nachshon in the desert, alone at sea” by Laurel Snyder. In this step, the story of the Exodus is retold. In the story, we get a first person view of what the Exodus was actually like, from the viewpoint of a boy with the blister who is always moving and always going forward. I didn’t love this story, because it was quite slow moving and felt a little like watching an indie film in some ways, when you’re watching and watching and kind of waiting for something to happen. I did like the main character’s sudden awareness that the rest of the world existed even if he hadn’t seen it, and that there was a lot more to see. I think a lot of people in our world today don’t know that, or care.

“Rachtzah— the great hand washing machine” by Chris Baron. In this step, hands are washed again. The main character has been assigned by his grandfather to take over this step. The main character has been feeling that his family is broken because his grandfather is starting to lose his memories, and that is what held the family together. Since the main character loves to build machines, he builds a Rube Goldberg machine for the hand washing step. Things definitely do not go as planned. I liked this one, though the telling was a little discombobulated and I think it would’ve been easier to understand in print, because there must’ve been some designation between the parts of the story. Perhaps it was part of the point that it disconnected, though, because that was sort of the theme.

“Motzei Matzah— The smuggler” by Adam Gidwitz. In this step, the matzoh is broken. It represents the unleavened bread the Jews took with them out of Egypt. In the story, in a small town in Russia, a Jewish young man and his younger brother are trying to get out of Lithuania before the older brother is conscripted in the army and killed for being Jewish. It is a harrowing trip. I like this one it had a lot of suspense and links to the Exodus story. I also liked that it was a story of brothers who wouldn’t be separated.

“Maror—The bitter princess” by Sofiya Pasternack. This step of the Seder involves eating bitter herbs. In the story, Romanian immigrants in New York are walking to see their father. Along the way, the brother tells his little sister the story of “The bitter princess” who gets herbs from a witch. The witch tells the princess the herbs will let her know what she has forgotten. But what have the children forgotten? I’m not sure if the era of this story, but it could be the same era as the All of a kind family. Times were difficult for the family, who lived in a tenement and faced prejudice. The brother remembers his home, but his younger sister says that she does not. I thought this was a good interpretation of the step of the Seder.

“Korech—Growing up sandwiched between two identities” by Ruth Behar. In this step of the Seder, a sandwich is made out of matzah and haroset. In this essay, Ruth Behar describes the Seders of her childhood. Although her grandparents all came from Cuba, their traditions came from very different places. Once it was Ashkenazi, and one was Sephardic. They brought different foods and languages, such as Yiddish and Ladino, and she describes the slightly different traditions and the equally wonderful but different foods they would use to celebrate two different days of Seder. The details in this are so wonderfully evocative that it makes you feel famished! So far this is my favorite entry in the book. She really sets you in the world of her childhood, and the connection between the step of creating the sandwich and of being a sandwich of identities works perfectly. I think a lot of kids are also sandwiched between different identities and they will appreciate this description of how the author experienced to that.

“Shulchan Orech—Why I hate gefilte fish” by Sarah Kapit. This step of the Seder is the main meal. It is different for every family because there are no specific traditions about it. In the main character’s family, one of the traditions is the grandmother’s gefilte fish. However, the main character is autistic, and every sensory part of the fish is abhorrent to her. Her mother understands, but the rest of the family makes her feel bad about making a fuss and not trying the fish. She eventually ends up making a mess and fleeing the table. But is there a way that she can make people understand? I thought this did a good job of explaining why the sensory inputs are so difficult for the main character, and any autistic kids reading this will probably see at least some part of themselves here. It is also good for kids who are not autistic to read this so they can understand some of how an autistic person’s brain might work.

“Tzafun—The awful omen” by A.J. Sass. In this step, the kids search for the afikomen, which is a piece of matzah that was hidden earlier. In the story, the main character has decided to come out to their extended family as non-binary, but are worried because they get nervous when talking to a group, and they can’t face having to explain things over and over. They think that if they find the afikomen, which comes with a bonus wish, then they won’t have to say more than the minimum; everyone will have to use their chosen pronouns without question. The one problem, is that cousin Ava always finds it first. What will happen if the main character can’t find it first this year? I liked this one a lot. It was simple and featured a common anxiety that many kids face, public speaking. Also, the anxiety about coming out, or just revealing any part of themselves that they fear others might not understand. Hopefully, everyone’s cousins will have their back.

“Barech—Music and matzo” by Laura Shovan. In this step, the door is opened for the prophet Elijah to come in, and drink the wine that has been poured for him. In the story, Hannah has grown up as the only girl in an extensive family, and she has been the one to sing the four questions at this point in the Seder. Hannah loves to sing and loves that it is the way that she plays a role in this event. This year, however, she’s been told that the four young boys in the extended family will be doing the questions and she needs to teach them. In addition, there’s something else that she won’t be doing that she usually does. She struggles with feeling as though there’s no place for her anymore. I liked this one, because being on the cusp of childhood versus young adulthood and all that follows is a difficult place to be. I’m glad that this character found a way to bring herself back to the Seder.

“Hallel—Double Hallel” by Amy Ignatow. In this step, there are prayers for gratitude, and it can be a very, very long process that people often abbreviate or skip. The author of this one writes about a time in her childhood when her grandfather decided to record the Seder on audio, and after an excruciatingly long attempt, they discovered that it hadn’t worked, and they had to do it all over again! This has the warmth and humor of a familiar old family story, which it is.

“Nirtzah—Just Jaya” by Veera Hiranandani. This step is the last in the Seder and seems to involve mostly optional songs. In the story, the main character is Jewish on her father’s side and Hindu on her mother’s side, and they are headed for Martha’s Vineyard for Passover with her paternal grandmother. Jaya isn’t sure where she fits in the family, since they are not observant Jews at home, the way her cousins are. This year, she’s feeling more and more more ostracized by that feeling. But maybe she doesn’t need to be. I liked this one, which may be the way a lot of kids of two different heritages feel at celebrations like this one. I liked that it’s also another illustration of the diaspora.

The book ends with some recipes from different traditions. Overall, an enjoyable anthology with appeal specifically to kids with Jewish heritage.

[In The Loop About Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

DISCLAIMER: I’ve only read “Why I Hate Gefilte Fish” by Sarah Kapit, but not the rest of the anthology. Therefore, I will only be critiquing that short story in the book. If you want a more in-depth analysis, please read another review.
Also, this will contain spoilers for “Why I Hate Gefilte Fish.”

3/5 ⭐⭐⭐ An average read, nothing special.

Why I Hate Gefilte Fish centers around 12-year-old Myra Pribeagu, who is autistic. She despises gefilte fish because its texture and appearance are repulsive to her. When she and her mom visit her grandmother’s house for Passover, the rest of Myra’s family forces her to try her grandma’s world-famous gefilte fish despite insisting she doesn’t like it. This causes her to feel overwhelmed and run away to her mom and aunt's old bedroom.
When I first discovered this anthology, I wondered how the story would be executed. Especially considering how underrepresented Jewish and autistic characters are. But after I read through it, I felt more let down. Let's go over the pros, cons, and the autistic representation.

Pros: Now, not all hope is lost; there are some things I like about this story. Such as learning more about Jewish culture. That aspect of the story felt natural, and I enjoyed learning more about Passover.
Another thing I liked about the story was its use of humor. Myra's list of things that she hated about gefilte fish made me chuckle, and I feel like her personality shines through that.
Additionally, I liked Myra's relationship with her family. Her mother was understanding and supportive, but the rest of her family misunderstood her. It was such an interesting dynamic to read about, yet it was also a major missed opportunity, which brings me to the cons.

Cons: Unfortunately, there were a few things about this story I didn't appreciate as much. One was that it felt a bit too short. I understand that only so much can be done with a short story, but based on the events that were happening, it should’ve been three to five pages longer. Because of the story’s length, most characters are underdeveloped, and the pacing feels rushed.
Another thing I didn’t like was how the story ended. Usually, stories are supposed to resolve conflicts and tie up loose ends. Especially considering this is a short story. But with this narrative, the ending felt abrupt. It ended with Myra explaining to her grandmother about her sensory issues, and her grandma understanding her. Afterward, Myra continued to eat her food. I still have many unanswered questions about the story. Did Myra ever reconcile with her aunt? And who was her dad? These questions go unanswered, which further detracts from Myra's character development.
Also, I disliked how the narrative didn't explore Myra's dynamic with her extended family members, especially with her aunt. It would've been interesting to see her aunt, as well as one of her parents, misunderstand Myra not just with the gefilte fish, but other things attributed to her autism. But sadly, we didn't get to see that. Anyway, let's go over the representation.

The Representation: As an autistic person, the representation felt surface-level. For starters, it does have its strengths. Myra isn't a stereotypical autistic character. The way it described the ickiness of the gefilte fish resonated with me since picky eating is also something I struggle with. But it barely explored who she was outside of that. I also believe it was a missed opportunity to showcase Myra's autistic traits outside of sensory issues, especially with a holiday like Passover. We could've seen how much she interacts with her family during dinner or how she infodumps about her special interests to one of her family members. However, those aspects aren't explored in the narrative, which is disappointing, to say the least. Mike Jung's story in You Are Here: Connecting Flights: Twisted Tales of Young Asian Americans in a Chaotic Airport is a much better short story about autism. To start, Henry is Korean-American. This is a huge deal because Asian autistic characters are rarely represented in books, especially in middle-grade literature. Henry had a personality outside of the things he disliked, and we knew about the things Henry did like. His story also had a more satisfying conclusion. Meanwhile, Myra's story felt empty. And that's a shame because her story had so much potential. Let's move on to the conclusion.

Conclusion: Overall, Why I Hate Gefilte Fish was an average read. While Myra was a relatable protagonist, the story had missed potential in terms of character development, pacing, and autistic representation. If you want to read about how sensory issues impact autistic individuals, this story is for you. However, if you want a more in-depth look into the autistic experience, please consider reading Mike Jung's story in You Are Here: Connecting Flights: Twisted Tales of Young Asian Americans in a Chaotic Airport.
Thank you for reading, and God bless!

[Rebekkah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy to see Passover finally getting the attention it deserves! This is a very cute middle-grade short story anthology. It's tricky putting together an anthology, but I think this has something for everyone. I thought it was clever how the editors organized the stories according to the steps of the seder and I absolutely loved the acknowledgements, as well as each contributor's bio, which made some reference to their own Passover traditions—I wish some of the stories had that same spirit and voicey-ness, but I think perhaps some of that was sacrificed in order to make the anthology accessible for all readers, which is also an admirable goal. As a result, some of the stories fell a bit flat for me, but there were some I absolutely loved, including Adam Gidwitz's story about two brothers being smuggled out of Lithuania, and Ruth Behar's piece reflecting on the different Passover traditions of her Ashkenazi and Sephardi grandparents. A solid four stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Moona · Rating 4 out of 5]

On All Other Nights is an extraordinary anthology that brings together 14 acclaimed authors, each reimagining a different step of the Passover seder for young readers. This diverse collection captures the universal themes of freedom, joy, tradition, and community, which are central to the Passover celebration. From contemporary to historical fiction, verse to prose, and fiction to nonfiction, these stories offer a modern lens on the timeless traditions of this Jewish holiday.

The authors—such as Chris Baron, Ruth Behar, and Adam Gidwitz—bring a variety of voices and perspectives, ensuring that the themes of the seder resonate with readers from all walks of life. The book, suitable for middle-grade readers, offers a compelling blend of storytelling that both educates and entertains, making it a wonderful resource for young readers and families celebrating Passover. On All Other Nights is not only a celebration of Jewish traditions but also an invitation for everyone to connect with the deeper messages of freedom and hope.

[Bonnie Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

“We sit around tables and invite others to share with us. We tell stories and laugh. We hope and remember.” Welcome to Passover, a Jewish holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. The heart of Passover is the Seder, a meal full of rituals, special foods, and songs where we gather together to retell the story of the Exodus, when the Jewish people achieved freedom from Egypt.
This collection of short stories explains the different steps of the Seder for today’s young readers.

These stories are told through verse and prose, fiction and nonfiction. Gifted writers from different Jewish backgrounds gather round the Seder table and invite everyone to join them.

Thank you for teaching me about this ancient ritual that is celebrated through the Seder’s themes of freedom, joy, tradition, and hope.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 14 steps of the Passover seder form the outline for the anthology “On All Other Nights: A Passover Celebration in 14 Stories” edited by Chris Baron, Joshua S. Levy and Naomi Milliner (Amulet Books). Each story is connected to specific part of the seder, although that connection can be tenuous at times. But the range of work is wonderful: there’s contemporary and historical fiction, poetry and memoir, many told from the point of view of different communities of the Jewish world. In addition to explanations about the meaning of each step, the editors include four questions for each section readers can use to ponder their own lives. The end of the book features recipes by authors from different Jewish traditions.
See the rest of my review at https://www.thereportergroup.org/book...

[Yapha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you celebrate Passover, you need this book. This short story collection, with one for each of the 14 parts of the Seder, has something for everyone, beautifully encapsulating the many different ways American Jews celebrate and observe Passover, retelling and interacting with the Passover story. This would be the perfect Afikoman prize for this year's seder! There are so many amazing Jewish children's book authors with stories included. This is a must purchase for schools and public libraries. Highly recommended for grades 4 & up.

eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely book that explains the various parts of the Passover meal. It is a good book both for the secular Jew who may not recall in great detail what each part is like and the meaning behind the various foods. It is also excellent for young readers to learn more about Passover and it does it through a series of stories by different authors. By combining the Passover story with the Jewish experience throughout the centuries, it shows the relevance even today.

It is easy to read and entertaining. Four purrs and two paws up.

[Rosa Hsiung · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a non Jew, this book was a fun introduction to a culture, history, and holiday. It’s very thoughtfully put together. I very much appreciate the diversity and variety of authors and genres. There really is something for everyone. The characters are likeable and relatable as are their struggles. It was fun to read about the authors as I read their stories. And the original recipes brought everything full circle! Now I can’t wait for spring and an invitation to a chocolate seder!

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
I read a digital copy courtesy of the publisher and Edelweiss
This collection of short writings (as some are fiction, some not) all center around the steps involved in Passover Seder. All authors speak from their personal lives as they create an entry that reflects on the meaning of Passover and how it fits with their faith in this day and age.

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

i rarely enjoy middle grade anthologies, but this was a pleasant exception. each story/chapter could easily be developed into a full length book, yet each one also felt contained and complete. i enjoyed the mixture of NF and fiction, poetry and prose. each chapter also includes thoughtful discussion questions.

[Sharron · Rating 5 out of 5]

A kid's book of stories that take you through the steps of the Passover seder. But, it's gloriously inclusive and kids will see themselves in a story: a girl finds her place in the seder, there is an autistic child, a multicultural family. Each story is written by a different author, so some hits and some misses.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful collection of stories about Passover from popular authors, who all have different experiences from each other. I believe my favorite was Ruth Behar's story about coming from Cuba and participating in her family's Passover traditions: her mom's side (Ahkenazi Jew) and her dad's side (Sephardic Jew). There are also recipes included at the end which sound wonderful.

[MC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually a brilliant idea for an anthology. Given that this holiday is very personal to each family, the different stories in different voices lend themselves beautifully to a range of versions of each part of the seder. The stories themselves are as interesting and heartwarming as they are diverse. And it's fun to read with and to kids — even out of order! I really love this book.

[Ari Cohen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. It is a Great Passover Book!

Thanks for all 14 Authors: 1. Mari Lowe, 2. R. M. Romero, 3. Naomi Milliner, 4. Joshua S. Levy, 5. Laurel Snyder, 6. Chris Baron, 7. Adam Gidwitz, 8. Sofiya Pasternick, 9. Ruth Behar, 10. Sarah Kapit, 11. A. J. Sass, 12. Laura Shovan, 13. Amy Ignatow, and 14. Veera Hiranandani!

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
This is a good book to have if Ali and Saeed's Once Upon an Eid: Stories of Hope and Joy by 15 Muslim Voices or Rosen's Coming of Age: 13 B'Nai Mitzvah Stories circulate well.

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading these stories. It's a great compilation and will be a good read for Passover.
I enjoy seeing more Jewish holiday representation in books these days.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

[Mary-Esther Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of warmth, love, and family, this is an anthology for everyone.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short story collection was more hit than miss than most, and I learned a lot about Passover traditions. A win!

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This diverse collection includes a wide variety of perspectives and genres and includes recipes.

[Baht]

Cute collection of stories. Ari and I have been reading a story a night since Passover

[Julie Ditton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this Passover book different from all others? I have found a multitude of Passover picture books, but this is the only storybook that I have run across for older children. There are a variety of Haggadahs available. The word Seder means order, and the Passover service always follows a basic structure. This fantastic anthology is organized like a Haggadah. Each story is somehow connected to a part of the service. The editors have gathered fourteen popular Jewish children’s authors who have each provided their own unique Passover story. Although I had already read books by some of these authors, this book introduced me to several more, and I can’t wait to read some of their books. Although the stories feature preteen characters and therefore it is a Middle Grade book, these stories will appeal to older readers as well. These stories reflect the diversity of Jewish backgrounds and traditions. There are many variations in the traditional seder depending on one’s heritage and each family has its own traditions as well. There is no one way to be Jewish and no one way to celebrate the holiday.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the title makes clear, this is a book of fourteen Pesach stories. I’ve never seen a book with such great diversity in Jewish representation. Ashkenazi Orthodox, two different stories of Cuba Jews (both Ashkenazi and Sephardic), early-1900s Yiddish-speaking immigrants, even of half-Indian patrilineal Jew. Only thing missing was a Mizrachi character, if you’re trying to go the full spectrum.

Really nice to read a book by Jews and for Jews; no explanation of tzitzit or kashrut or anything like that. Highly recommend this one if you want an easy read for the chag.

[Dara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade anthology includes 14 short stories, each inspired by the steps in the Passover Seder. Featured writers include Mari Lowe, Laurel Snyder, Adam Gidwitz, Sofiya Pasternack, Ruth Behar, Sarah Kapit, AJ Sass, Laura Shovan, Vera Hiranandani, and others and each story is introduced with a description of that part of the Seder and 4 questions to match. The writers represent a cross section of Judaism and the stories reflect our diversity without dismissing tradition or Torah. ⁣In these stories, a boy loses a hidden piece of bread, a mermaid saves a girl from drowning, a family deals with the loss of their grandmother, a boy learns about the importance of remembering the past, the story of Nachshon is retold, and a story is told in verse. There are historical fiction stories of escaping from Russia and of immigrants in NYC, and there is a non fiction story of Cuban Jewish identity. There is a story about a girl with autism, and one of a a non binary character sharing their true self. There are even Passover recipes included. ⁣