The Do More Club by Debut Author Dana Kramaroff

Praise for the DO MORE CLUB:

Shortlisted as a 2024 finalist for middle grade books by NAIBA, the New Atlantic Independent Bookseller Association
https://www.naiba.com/books-of-the-year

Named a 2024 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts by the Children’s Literature Assembly of the National Council of Teachers of English
https://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/notables.html

Honored as one of the best books of 2023 by Colby Sharp

Every so often, a book rocks me to my core. THE DO MORE CLUB, a middle grade novel in verse by Dana Kramaroff, is just such a book. I’m not typically drawn to books in this style, but I’m so glad the tag line, “Spread Kindness So Hate Can’t Win” made me overcome my hesitation.

Josh Kline is the only Jewish kid in his middle school, a situation to which I can relate. HIs name doesn’t scream “I’m Jewish”, unlike my maiden name of Fineberg, so he skates under the radar. But then the unthinkable happens: swastikas are spray painted all over the middle school, no doubt targeted at Dr. Harris, the new principal, who also happens to be Jewish. Josh knows it’s about him, too, even if no one else is aware of his religious identity.

On page 5, Josh writes,

“I’M ANXIOUS inside.
my chest
is cold and
icy feeling.

It’s something
i’ve never felt before

ever.

Josh wishes he could push the horrible incident under the rug, but social media makes that impossible. Luckily, he has support from his parents and his rabbi at the temple they attend, as well as from his favorite teacher. But when community members share their disbelief about how this hateful act happened in their town, all Josh hears is wouldas, couldas, and shouldas instead of concrete actions that might make him feel safe.

Fortunately, three discussion facilitators are welcomed into the school. Students are broken into groups, and through a number of ice breaker questions like “If you really knew me” (page 36), Josh struggles with whether or when to reveal his secret identity. But he also comes face-to-face with the prejudice others experience due to outward, observable traits such as being overweight or having a different skin color. When he finally tells his group that he’s Jewish, all are surprised. But one, named Gavin, starts spewing despicable hate speech, and Josh, shocked and appalled, responds the only way he can think of by (attempting to, anyway) punching Gavin to make him stop.

Ultimately, Josh comes around to the idea of forming a club, whose mission and name are one and the same: DO MORE. He’s stunned when the club needs to be capped at 50 participants, and ways the students spread kindness are so simple yet effective, I fervently hope the ideas catch on like wildfire. This book is a quick but powerful read, one that can engender meaningful family and classroom conversations about how we can all do our parts to practice tikkum olam, the Hebrew expression for repairing the world through action. To quote the words that often go along with that concept, “if not now, when?”

Debut author Dana Kramaroff shares tips on her website to help kids form their own DO MORE clubs! To access her website, click here!