Shavuos 2023 Releases
It’s time for another release roundup for the Shavuos 2023 titles. It’s the season of creativity and imaginative stories, with hints of sci-fi, adventure, and humor in many of these books. Plus, check out some exciting book news at the end - there’s lots more to look forward to this year! Have a beautiful Yom Tov :)
3rd-4th Grade
Layla’s Vistaville Spring, Faygie Holt - Thrilled to be back with her cousins in Vistaville, Layla is eager to embark on another adventure, investigating the mystery of Vistaville’s disappeared history. But everyone around her is acting strange and doesn’t seem excited about the project. The beloved diary format takes girls deep into the heart of the story. Short chapters are great for hesitant readers.
Ruvy’s Startling Discovery, Moshe Bauman - Ruvy is thrilled to be back at his familiar sleepaway camp, but the new kids are bothering him, and the staff isn’t happy with his sour and snobby attitude. An exciting discovery leads him to learn important lessons from a special gadol, tailor-made for him.
From Me to You, Chaya Rosen - Personal stories of adventures and challenges. Simple language and personal detail bring kids right into the world of their peers.
5th-7th Grade
Total Miss Understanding, MC Millman - A crew of out-of-towners joins the 8th grade at Boker Ohr Academy, only to be quickly rebuffed. The laughs and mishaps of an adventurous year at the dorm are told through the voices of the 8th graders, introducing us to a delightful cast of girls and the exploits that unite and divide them. This fun preteen novel condenses Classified Information into one fast-paced adventure.
Face2Face Yonah Klein - An imaginative story that’s simultaneously adventurous and heartbreaking. Shimon dreams of a real family and bravely upends everything to find his father, determinedly chasing his goal through scary encounters and loving assistance. Aharon is content to stay deep in his magical cacoon of reading but bravely takes a step outward to overcome the terrible fears keeping him inside. Two boys who have nothing in common but are entirely alike learn what true bravery means from each other. (Great for fans of Hide and Seek!)
Adult Fiction
Return from Captivity, Rochel Istrin - Sequel to The Captives, Return from Captivity is a suspenseful and vivid adventure of a family scattered across pre-Civil War America. Dynamic and intriguing characters bring life and playfulness to the rugged Western setting. Following their dramatic escape from the clutches of the Cherokee tribe, three young braves struggle to move forward in a foreign world. As they toe the line between the past and future, only the nuances of connection can tear down the walls that threaten to hold them back.
Bumps in the Rhode, Bina Scharf - Uniquely ironic, joyful, and sarcastic humor that somehow gets away with the most cliche stereotypes, painting them in a thoughtful light that surfaces the nuances of society and the moments of adventure in our own lives. Fans of Rocky fans can come along for the ride as she navigates an overflowing plate filled with teenagers and chinuch, and her mother’s excessive interventions. The easy, segmented format lends well to light or interrupted reading.
Read our conversation with Bina Scharf here.
Flawless, Freidy Feldman - A fun, fast-paced, and thoughtful novel about transition, self-identity, and blind spots. Navigating a tumultuous post-Sem year, Chaya is eager to forge her adult identity. She’s desperate to break free from the expectations of her parents and the assumptions of her friends, but her experimentation topples the stability she’s taken for granted and threatens her future. Where do the constraints that have shaped her really come from?
Adult Non-Fiction
The Maggid of Sydney, Nachman Seltzer (Biography) - There’s no such thing as an ordinary Yid. The Maggid of Sydney is the surprising story of an unexpected friendship between the Kamarno Rebbe and Tom Rev, a butcher in Sydney, Australia. Heartwarming anecdotes of intriguing and eclectic experiences illustrate the hashgacha, joys, and sacrifice that lie behind the facade of the “regular” Jew.
Read our conversation with Nachman Seltzer here.
Compatible with Life, Devorah Schendler (Memoir) - A raw and emotional memoir with simple prose and profound insight. The uplifting writing transforms a frantic medical drama into a journey of overcoming challenge and finding faith and courage amidst despair.
The Eternal Wisdom of Pirkei Avos, Rabbi Yechiel Spero (Short Stories) - inspirational stories arranged around the mishnayos in Pirkei Avos, perfect for easy Shabbos afternoon reading
For more recent releases, check out Pesach’s roundup:
Book News Catch-Up
Upcoming releases: Backstage, short stories from CB Weinfeld will be released next week. Point Blank 2, the conclusion of the most recent installment of Yonah Sapir’s Agent to Hire series, is expected to be released in June.
Esther Kurtz just wrapped up her upcoming collection of short stories, expected to be published before Sukkos. The collection will combine Esther’s stories from Family First and Calligraphy, as well as some unpublished ones.
The first in a new Libby Lazewnik series for middle-grade girls will be published by Artscroll before Sukkos. Each book in the Starlight Series will feature another talented girl at the “Jewish School of Performing Arts.” From all of Libby's writing, the pre-teen drama and fun look most similar to Three Cheers for Shira. The cover illustrations and description closely resemble Menucha’s marketing of their reprinted The BY Times… is this The BY Times for the next generation?
The 4th and final book in M. Kenan’s Khazar series is set to be released for Chanuka 2023. Like Dark Secrets, the forthcoming book leans more toward a thriller than the emotional tone of The Outcast, and will leave fans satisfied with the series’s conclusion.
Family First teased Miriam Zakon’s upcoming serial, a sequel to Freefall called Fallout. It will follow Abe and Annie Freed’s children navigating the tumultuous 60’s and the Vietnam War.