Review: The Do More Club
The Do More Club by Dana Kramaroff Rocky Pond Books (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2023 Category: Middle Grade Reviewer: Meg Wiviott Buy at Bookshop.org Sixth-grader Josh doesn’t feel comfortable in his new school. In truth, he doesn’t feel comfortable in his own skin. He hides who he really is—probably the only Jewish kid in his middle school—especially once the school is vandalized with swastikas. Gradually, Josh realizes other students are subjected to other forms of prejudice, and when the one Black student experiences a similar racial attack, Josh is determined to become an ally and forms the Do More Club, based on tikkun olam. Though the club is a success, there are further acts of antisemitism, teaching Josh that change takes time. The Do More Club is fast paced. Written in verse, mostly using lower case with little punctuation, makes a difficult story more digestible. Josh is a likeable and sympathetic character. His problems are, sadly, real. Kramaroff creates poignant mo...