Gift Recs: The perfect books for just about anyone

It’s Chanukah month! Great new releases are coming your way (full roundup coming soon), but gifting books needn’t be confined to the newest thing. This roundup features backlist gift ideas for every reader in your life, from the ‘read everything’ to the hesitant. Some are classics or new releases that you'll recognize instantly. Others are underrated oldies that will feel like your own secret discovery. All have the potential to transform a reader's world—one page at a time.

For the boys who only read comic books

• Ramoni Manor, (2021)

• Who is Coby Dubin, Dina Nueman (2023)

• Power Plays, Yonah Klein (2021)

• No 186, Meir Stein (2022)

For the preteen who’s obsessed with friends and politics

• The Achdus Club series, Faygie Holt (2021)

• Puzzle Pieces, Chani Altein (2007)

• The Starlight Sisters, Libby Lazewnik (2023)

• Copycat, Leah Subar (2009)

For the curious kids who read the back of cereal boxes

• Hide and Seek, Bracha Rosman (2022)

• Starlight, Henye Meyer (2015)

• Bridge in Time, Susie Garber (2021)

• Out of Mind, Rochel Burstyn (2020)

[More for kids: middle-grades girls, 2nd-4th graders, more middle-grades]

For the teens who’ve already gone through Agent for Hire

• The Mexico File, Chaim Greenbaum (2011)

• The Polygon, Yonah Sapir (2024)

• Blackout, Yair Weinstock (1998)

• Zero Hour, Rachel Schorr (2014)

[More action: here and here]

For the 8th graders who fancy themselves adult readers

• Never too Late, Bracha Rosman (2014)

• Stargazing, Rochel Grunwald (2017)

• Bricks and Stones, Ariella Schiller (2022)

• Shades of Normal, Rochel Samet (2024)

[More teen reading here and here]

For the busy mom with no time to read

• Long Story Short, Esty Heller (2023)

• Fault Lines, Rachel Newton (2024)

• Today, Shuli Mensh (2024)

• Another One for the Books, Fayge Goldstein and Chaya S. Newman (2024)

For the teacher, hostess, or recipient you know nothing about

• Ordinary Greatness, Jonathan Rosenblum (2023)

• Greatness, Rabbi Eytan Kobre (2022)

• One Good Turn, CB Weinfeld 2024

• A Heart for Another, Rabbi Yaakov Bender (coming soon)

For the woman who appreciates fine literature

• An Audience of One, Sarah Shapiro (2021)

• Scrolls of Poetry, Tzipporah Schecter (2023)

• Within My Walls, Leah Gebber (2024)

• Infinite Potential, Rachel Berko (2024)

For the harried woman who needs a light escape

• Veiled Truth, Etka Gitel Schwartz (2020)

• Daddy’s Girl, Dina Neuman (2016)

• The Stars are On Fire, Rachel Berger (2024)

• Dream On, Gila Arnold (2022)

For the well-read men interested in history

• I’ve Been Here Before, Sara Yocheved Rigler (2021)

• Kosher Astrology, Yitzchok Aharon Pinkesz (2024)

• Uncovering Sefer Yehoshua, Rabbi Landy (coming soon)

• Mavericks, Mystics, and False Messiahs, Pinni Donner (2018)

For the growing woman who wants some inspiration

• Mean What You Pray, Rabbi Shaul Rosenblatt (2022)

• You Revealed, Naftali Horowitz (2020)

• Be a Blessing, Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis (2020)

• Infinite Love, Rebbetzin Tzipporah Heller (coming soon)