Yasha's Amazin' Bar Mitzvah

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Author(s)

Margaret Gurevich

Publisher

Penguin Workshop

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 17, 2026

ISBN

978-0593659465

Buy This Book

A Russian American boy searches for his identity, true friends, and above all, tickets to see the Mets win the World Series in this heartfelt novel from Margaret Gurevich.

It's 1986, and thirteen-year-old Yasha Reznik doesn’t understand why his parents moved them all from his Russian community of Brighton Beach to the suburbia of Rockwood, New Jersey. Sure, it may be their “American Dream,” but it’s not his. Yasha’s dream is to make it through his Bar Mitzvah, watch the New York Mets make it to the playoffs, and fit in at his new school.

But fitting in may be harder than he thinks, when he’s one of only two Russian families in town and all the kids he meets keep calling him Drago (thanks Rocky movies), even after he starts going by “Jake” instead of “Yasha.” The only person who seems to really get him is Bernie, his pal from the senior citizen home where Yasha is doing community service for his Bar Mitzvah project.

Then Bernie says his dream is also to see the Mets win the World Series. And Yasha may not know his Torah portion yet, or why he feels alone even with his new “friends,” but he does know one thing: somehow, someway, he’s going to get those tickets.

Editor review

1 review

Delightful Coming of Age story

May 01, 2026 (Updated: June 22, 2026)

Overall rating

4.3

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

What I Liked: Some books pile so much in that’s its hard to focus on what the story is, this book manages to layer various topics in a way that ties together. Baseball is a important part of Yasha’s life and manages to connect him to various important people in this story.

This book does a great job of highlighting what moving to a new place is ike especially when you don’t seamlessly fit in. It showcases what it’s like to be a young boy stuck between two cultures, who is willing to do anything to fit in. While showing what that experience is like, it also highlights what happens when you’ve gone too far to fit in and stop recognizing yourself.

My favorite aspect of this book was the relationship that Yasha develops with Bernie. This relationship is one that Yasha is able to learn a lot from, and you come to realize that this relationship was also healing for Bernie. Their relationship develops due to their love for baseball, and it was significant that Yasha had someone who accepted him for who he was and an adult he trusted when he felt that he couldn’t speak with his dad.

Final Verdict: Yasha’s Amazin’ Bar Mitzvah is a delightful story that does a fantastic job of highlighting the coming of age, family, traditions, fitting in, and culture. This book is perfect for people looking to read something light-hearted that is realistic to the experience of moving into a new town and what middle school looks like.