With Passover fast approaching (it starts on April 19), you might be wondering how you’ll fill that extra time between family visits, seders and waiting for the little kids to find the afikoman. (Then again, we still look forward to finding the afikoman. No shame.) We know you could always get a head start on your homework, but we think these four Passover-related books might be a little more fun. Check out the reviews from your fellow JVibers, and then kick back with one of these meaningful and entertaining reads. Trust us … they’ll help you get your Passover on!

Seder Stories: Passover Thoughts on Food, Family & Freedom by Nancy Rips

The holiday of Passover was a meaningful time in the history of the Jewish people. It was the time of our Exodus and becoming a nation. However, today Passover has the connotations of frantic cleaning, an abundance of food, crazy family gatherings, long seders and overall, fun! Seder Stories presents 101 Passover memories that range from a musical seder with Bob Dylan to the poignant seders of the concentration camps during World War II, and everything in between.

Read about a Broadway seder, a zoo preparing for Passover, the “dysfunctional family seder survival guide” and old Passover jokes. My favorites include the blind man who tried to read the matzah, the “Top 10 Passover pickup lines” and the story of a seder for 400 people, led by a Jewish chaplain in an underground bunker in occupied Germany in 1946.

It’s stories like these that really define our culture. These memories are what keep our heritage alive, along with the transmission of family customs and tales from generation to generation. That’s the real message of the book, and that’s what Passover is really all about.

—Tova Simenowitz

Telling the Story: A Passover Haggadah Explained adapted by Barry Louis Polisar

Passover is a holiday full of singing, stories and, most important, precious time with family and friends. Although telling the story of Passover is a Jewish tradition, everyone does it differently. For many families not familiar with speaking or reading Hebrew, traditional Haggadahs can be confusing. This book walks readers through the different parts of a traditional Haggadah, but focuses more on explaining the story. It was written to keep with the commandment of “telling the story” and was made specifically for people who want to know the “whys.”

Compared to many complex Haggadahs I have read in the past, this Haggadah was much easier to follow but still taught me what I needed to know. I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking for an easier and more interesting explanation of Passover.

—Danny Wein

How This Night Is Different by Elisa Albert

This is such an extraordinary book that people of all ages will love. Most of the 10 short stories relate to Passover in some way. Many of these stories relate to situations that as Jewish teens, we all can remember and reminisce about. One story called “So Long” was so heartfelt—many of us have been through this moment before a special event, especially bar and bat mitzvahs.

Another story I enjoyed was one about a baby getting a bris. In “The Mother is Always Upset,” a non-Jewish mother is scared for her son to have a bris and is trying in every way possible to not get it done. This story took me back to when my brother had his bris—it made me think about what my parents were thinking as it was happening. Stories like these can relate to many types of people and families.

—Dara Zaintz

Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?: The Four Questions Around the World by Ilana Kurshan

“Ma nishtana halaila hazeh—Why is this night different from all other nights?” are the famous words that have been chanted by young children for more than 2,000 years at Passover seders. In many homes, the “four questions” are recited in Hebrew and then translated into English. At some seders, a grandparent will even teach a child how to ask them in Yiddish. But the fifth question remains: What about the rest of the world? In what languages do others ask the four questions?

This book addresses just that. The author provides the translation of the four questions in 23 languages! From Afrikaans to Chinese, Dutch, Greek, Farsi, Marathi and more, this beautifully illustrated book allows you to travel the globe and discover Jewish communities all over the world. For each country discussed, the author supplies a historical capsule of Jewry in that specific area; she includes details such as establishment, communal development, anti-Semitism, the Jewish population today and famous Jewish people from that area.

In addition to being an excellent read and a great afikoman present, this book is an informative introduction to Jewish history for young and old alike and will really enhance your Passover knowledge.

—Tova Simenowitz

Tova Simenowitz is 16 and a senior at an all-girls Jewish boarding school in Providence, R.I. She enjoys reading, writing, farming, tikkun olam, working with children, environmentalism and learning. She's also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.

Danny Wein is 16 and is from Highland Park, Ill. He loves politics, traveling, hanging out with his friends, going to the movies and being active. He's also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.

Dara Zaintz lives in Oviedo, Fla. She loves to laugh, live life, play tennis, read and go to temple. She's also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.