Your PJ Our Way Books for April
Check out the four PJ Our Way books offered for April!
Check out PJ Our Way's April selections! This month, find out what happens when Ada moves to the countryside to escape war, or help Alyssa choose between ballet, her bat mitzvah, and a sick friend. Follow José onto a pirate ship in an exciting graphic novel or learn about basketball legend Red Klotz in a fun biography. Any of these titles would be a great addition to your bookshelf. Be sure to make your choice by the 10th!
José and the Pirate Captain Toledano
by Arnon Z. Schorr
Ages 10+
96 pages
It's 1547, and 14-year-old José and his father are Portuguese refugees living in the colony of Santo Domingo. José knows he's different from everyone else, but it isn't until the evil Captain DeGuzman arrests his father that José learns they're Jewish and hiding from the Spanish Inquisition. After his father is arrested, José escapes to a pirate ship that had just come ashore. But when José and the Pirate Captain Toledano learn they share a dangerous secret, José's future is plunged into uncertainty.
This action-packed graphic novel is a coming-of-age story about survival, justice, figuring out who you are, and finding your tribe.
Homecourt
by Larry Needle
Ages: 9+
96 pages
This is the true story of Louis “Red” Klotz, who fell in love with basketball as a boy in 1930s Philadelphia, went on to play for a professional all-Jewish team, and eventually toured the world as player-manager of the Washington Generals, the team that always played against, and nearly always lost to, the Harlem Globetrotters.
The War I Finally Won
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Ages: 10+
385 pages
Eleven-year-old Ada's clubfoot and abusive mother have left her suspicious of kindness and afraid to believe that anything good could happen to her. When she and her younger brother, Jamie, go to live with their guardian, Susan, on the country estate of imperious Lady Thornton, and then Jewish refugee Ruth comes to live with them, Ada discovers that, even during the hardships and uncertainties of war, happiness and even love can be found. Set in the British countryside during World War II, this is a simply wonderful book. It has emotional complexity and depth, well-rounded characters, themes of found family, resilience, tolerance, and belonging. It also has plenty of elements of a children's fiction classic, including a strong, relatable heroine, orphans and horses! The sequel to the Newbery Honor Book The War That Saved My Life, The War I Finally Won works equally well as a standalone novel and received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and The Horn Book. Highly recommended for parents as well as children!
Pink Slippers, Bat Mitzvah Blues
by Ferida Wolff
Ages: 9+
143 pages
Alyssa is relieved to be done with her bat mitzvah so she can totally focus on her dancing! But many other pressures in her life compete with her total dedication to her craft. Rabbi Perelman wants her to join the confirmation class and continue her Jewish education, and her best friend Ellen is very sick and needs her too. As Alyssa steps into her role as a modern Jewish teen, she learns to make her own decisions, integrating the rigorous demands of ballet training with other important values in her life.
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.