Teacher Recommended Literature- Middle School

A Light for Greytowers
by: Eva Vogiel and Ruth Steinberg (Feldheim)
From a tiny shtetl in Czarist Russia, Miriam Aronowitch is transported to the countryside of Victorian England, where she and her mother Anya begin to build a new life. But when Anya becomes critically ill, fifteen-year-old Miriam finds herself alone and at the mercy of the cruel Miss Grimshaw, matron of Greytowers Orphanage. Only the strength of her devotion to Hashem, imbued in her by her beloved mother, enables her to withstand the torments and bleakness of Greytowers and to rekindle the light of Yiddishkeit in the hearts of her young companions.
Akiva
by: Marcus Lehman (Feldheim)
This breathtaking, historical novel tells the story of the life and times of the great sage, Rabbi Akiva. It is a classic literary tapestry woven with the details of life in Eretz Yisrael after the Destruction of the Second Temple. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, this book will captivate and inspire all audiences. Rav Meir (Marcus) Lehmann’s magnum opus, a favorite for generations of readers, is now presented in a newly translated and revised edition for contemporary readers to enjoy.
Every middle school student should read this book.
All for The Boss
by: Ruchoma Shain (Feldheim)
This is the inspiring story of the life and impact of R’ Yaakov Yosef Herman, a Torah pioneer in America, as told by his loving daughter, Rebbetzin Ruchama Shain. With uncompromising firmness expertly mixed with unwavering love and devotion, R’ Herman lived his life like a soldier in G-d’s Army, his every action dedicated solely as “All for The Boss”.
Avraham ben Avraham
by: Selig Schachnowitz adapted by Yehoshua Leiman (Feldheim)
Graded at seventh to tenth grade reading level
Don Yosef Nasi
by: Rabbi Avishai Stokhamer (Artscroll)
….This historical novel is an exciting story of intrigue and escape, of courage and cowardice, of battle and blockade, of loyalty and treachery. The escape from Portugal and the establishment of a new life under the sword of the Inquisition. Brave Dona Gracia is denounced as a Jew, and intrepid Don Yosef mobilizes the Turkish fleet to save her. The jealous courtiers of the Sultan conspire to undermine the influence – and life – of the hated Jew. The Jewish settlement in Tiberias is established thanks to DonaGracia and Don Yosef.

Esperanza
by: Sarah Feldbrand (Judaica Press)
Esperanza’s father is all the family she has left in this world, but the evil tentacles of the Inquisition have snatched her away from him. The year is 1546 (5306), and twelve-year-old Esperanza finds herself suddenly lost in a world of pain and despair. But her vibrant spirit and steadfast faith propel
her forward as she finds loving friends who join her in her quest to explore life and discover authentic Judaism.
Meanwhile, far away in Constantinople, Esperanza’s father, Don Raphael, is tormented by grief over the uncertain fate of his only child. Follow Don Raphael through daring adventures and harrowing journeys as he travels to Aleppo and Italy, meeting many great people along the way. Trusting in Hashem, he forges a new life for himself, hoping against hope that he may one day be reunited with his beloved daughter Esperanza.
A compelling historical novel set in tumultuous times, Esperanza is the riveting tale of the struggles of a father and daughter to triumph over the extreme adversity that so many Jews faced in the shadow of the Inquisition.
A fascinating historical novel

Faithful Soldiers
by R.L.Leader (Targum Press Distributed by: Philipp Feldheim Inc.)
I read it and it is a masterpiece.
Forever My Jerusalem
by: Puah Shteiner (Feldheim)
History comes alive again with this powerful classic, the poignant, autobiographical story of the fall and evacuation of the Jewish Quarter, as witnessed through the eyes of a young girl. The writing is evocative; it paints pictures in the reader’s mind’s eye. From page one you will be transported to a different world, long ago, a world fraught with danger and immense change as the Jewish Quarter is tragically evacuated and the Arab victors plunder its homes. Includes maps.
autobiographical
Light From the West: The Life and Times of the Chasam Sofer
by: Zelig Schachnowitz (Feldheim)
The Chasam Sofer, Rabbi Moshe Sofer, is one of the most distinguished personages West-European Orthodox Jewry produced in the last two centuries. As his contemporaries decreed, Moshe emes v’Toraso emes: Moshe is true and his teachings are true – a dictum allocated to very few. A Torah giant who set the stage and the standard for Torah-true Judaism in modern times, the Chasam Sofer founded and guided the famed Yeshiva of Pressburg, which became the forerunner of hundreds of yeshivos that sprang forth in Hungary. His influence spread far beyond Hungary, and his responsa became an accepted guide in questions regarding Judaism. We present this new, revised edition of this inspiring biographical work for contemporary readers to enjoy.
8th to 9th grade reading level biography
The Cohens of Tsefat
by: Miriam Stark Zakon (Artscroll Mesorah Publications)
The moving and exciting story of the Cohen family, traced through exciting vignettes of historical fiction, spanning the course of 2,000 years.
The Exiles of Crocodile Island
by: Yosef Dershowitz (ArtScroll Mesorah Publications)
The story of a community of children torn from their homes by the Inquisition and their defiant struggle to keep their faith.
6.5 – 7.0 grade reading level
A book whose character development is dynamic and dramatic.
The Fateful Mission
by: Meir Baram (Feldheim Publishers)**
When the French monarchy orders the burning of Jewish holy books, Reuven makes a dangerous journey through France to deliver the Tosaphot commentaries to Rabbi Eliezer for editing.
The Parnas
by: Meir Baram (Feldheim) First published in Hebrew by Tvuno (HasMichui Hagvralii) 1983
This novel is based on the historical events surrounding the life of Rabbi Eliezer of Touques, editor of the Tosaphot, in thirteenth-century France. The medieval village of Touques (or, as it is often spelled, Tuch) no longer exists; but the nearby village of Toucy, which serves as the setting for our book, was a place very much like Touques where Rabbi Eliezer lived and worked. The story of Reuven’s mission is fiction; all of the historical background the Crusades, the trial and burning of the Talmud, Rabbi Eliezer and the editing of the Tosaphot is factual.
A Fire in His Soul
Irving M. Bunim and His Impact on American Orthodox Jewry
by: Amos Bunim (Feldheim Publishers)
Irving Bunim is a legend, one man who built American Torah Jewry in the wake of the Holocaust’s devastation. This inspiring book, written by his son, tells the story of one man’s uncompromising determination and his burning desire to see the Jewish People thrive and flourish.
An interesting and satisfying read. TEACHER GUIDE  AVAILABLE 
The Twins
by: Benzion Firer (Feldheim)
The brutalities of World War II swept through the Jewish communities of Poland, leaving a legacy of death and destruction in their wake. Yudel and Esther Glick met their death willingly, as Heaven’s martyrs, al kiddush haShem, but their twin children, Chaim and Brachah, survive. In all the chaos and confusion of the war, however, they are separated. Yet even great stretches of time and space cannot sever the bonds of the spirit which unite them in their strange journeys. With heartwarming
courage, and faith, they travel across a landscape of death and destruction and eventually find shelter and hope in the Land of Israel.
6.6 grade reading level