Omg this book was so much fun! Give me a time loop/ groundhog day vibe, but make it Jewish and I am here for it! I loved the Jewish representation, and how both Finn and Ezra observed things differently. This had just enough sciency stuff for me to understand, given that it was middle grade, but as someone not well versed in that realm, I appreciated it. While this was lighthearted and a bit silly at times (in the best way), there were also important life lessons sprinkled in. I felt myself getting emotional and really valued these conversations. I also loved the explanations of Jewish customs and traditions. As a Jewish person, I understand these, but it made it really approachable and easy to understand for non-Jewish readers. I truly loved this book so much. I loved reading from both Finn and Ezra's perspectives and how their stories ended up overlapping. There also was a plot twist I wasn't expecting and I was shocked. Overall, I'm a big fan of the story and grateful to have books like this in the world. Thank you to Harper Kids for sending me a copy to read and review!

I usually am really interested in some of the content in this book--such time travel and characters with Jewish heritage. I'm surprised that I didn't enjoy this so much. Excellent premise at being a Groundhog Day for kids, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief long enough to see the problems.

This is such a fun story!! I just love a good time loop and I really enjoyed reading one with a Jewish spin! Finn and Ezra have so much learning and growing to do and little by little, each loop helps them do that. This is a great middle grade book that all can enjoy!

I don't typically read middle grade books but I'm so glad I read this one. I adore books about time travel and this one is no exception.

From the humor to the heartfelt moments to the Jewish representation, this story was delightful and moving.

I would absolutely recommend it to middle grade and young adult readers.

Thank you to Net Galley and the author, Joshua Levy, for an ARC of this book.

This book was so clever and so much fun! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and author Josh Levy for giving me the opportunity to read this books ahead of pub day.

Finn and Ezra are two 13 year olds celebrating their bar mitzvah's at the same hotel during the same weekend. And both of them are stuck in a groundhog day like time loop where the same weekend repeats itself over and over and over again.

The story alternates between Finn and Ezra's POVs. Finn is an only child and discovers Ezra first. Ezra is the middle child of five children in a more orthodox family, and is often overlooked in all that is happening.

The two of them join forces and come up with a number of zany schemes to break free. Both of their personalities and their family stories shine through. And both learn a very valuable lesson and what's truly important in life and in family.

Phenomenal jewish rep, 2 male MCs, and a whole lot of fun, this is a great book to add to home and classroom libraries! Recommended for ages 9+.

At the beginning I was a bit overwhelmed. But I liked both Ezra & Finn and the ways they connect as they try to get out of the time loop. I really enjoyed the Jewish representation, managing to highlight so many aspects of Jewish life. I felt the ultimate message is to treasure what we have here and now.
A fun middle grade read

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

A little while ago I was presented with some feedback on a manuscript - the two points of view were too similar. It was suggested that I sit down and and work through how each character thinks and ensure that was reflected in the pages. Not so much their turns of phrase or character traits, but what actually makes their brains tick. I wasn't entirely certain how to go about that so I took a break to refill the creative well. As is often the case, the break turned out to be the solution. Because I picked up my copy of Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy and in this MG sci fi about two bar mitzvah boys, I found exactly the lesson I needed to fix my female only, adult, romcom. Because good writing is good writing, no matter the genre.

The book features two boys - Finn and Ezra - who are stuck in a time loop, doomed to repeat their bar mitzvah weekends forever. These two boys live in completely different worlds. Finn is an only child with doting parents, attends public school, and appears to practice reform Judaism. Ezra, on the other hand, has a house full of siblings competing for his parents attention, attends an all boys yeshiva, and is ultra orthodox. These differences, however, are NOT what most sets them apart. When I opened a chapter I could immediately tell whose head I was in, even without a label, because of the different way these boys move through the world. Finn is scientific, his mind whirring a million miles a minute, even if it leaves him a little callous to the feelings of those around him. He has tried every angle and every experience possible to try and break out of the loop. Ezra is more laid back, worried about his family but not so much his mishna, and just goes with the flow. He wants out of the loop, but it never occurs to him to try and break out. He doesn't even try and use his knowledge of the weekend to get a better grade on the mishna test he has taken five hundred times. He just keeps circling "C". Yet he still cares about what happens to the people in his lopp - even if they will forget it all the next day.

The combination of these two personalities is hilarity in itself. Obviously, they each have something to learn from the other, and things to learn about their own lives that only become apparent as they provide fresh eyes towards each others loops, but the ways in which they try to break out of the loop are so creative I had to laugh. The side characters are well utilized and the bank robbing sequence - yes you read that correctly, bank robbing is a thing here - is genius. Even the small throw away lines were guaranteed to make the reader smile. I got some pretty serious side eye for the way I laughed out loud when the boys approach Ezra's Rabbi for help with a scheme and he suggested the boys seek the greatest reward - learning Torah! It was just so exactly what many youth Rabbi's would say, really spot-on.

Like any time loop book, the trickiest part is the introduction of the loop itself. I was a bit disoriented at first but eventually caught on. So the reader should just plow through the first few pages and settle in. I had no issue fully integrating into both characters worlds but I will say I'm better equipped than the average reader to understand the goings on in Ezra's synagogue and family so I can't comment on how a complete stranger to many Jewish rituals and customs would find those aspects of the story. I enjoy when a story is not written for an outside gaze and this one trusted the reader enough to provide a fully immersive experience without overdoing the explanations.

I'm a huge fan of Jews from different religious backgrounds working together. I loved seeing this partnership in the book and how both of the boys observance is reflected on the page, but most of all I enjoyed seeing the world through Finn and Ezra's eyes. Because even though they are both thirteen year old boys trapped in the exact same weekend, their takes on the situation were so vastly different. It is that fullness of character development through viewpoint details and actions that I hope to hope to achieve when I turn back to my own work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Two boys seemed destined to keep reliving the same bar mitzvah weekend over and over—despite crazy hijinks to try to stop it. Why is this happening? How?? Who can help them?? This book explores great themes.

A quick and fast-paced read, I very much enjoyed Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop. It has phenomenal Jewish representation, managing to highlight so many aspects of Jewish life - both big and small - throughout the countless loops. I would have loved to have a book showcasing Judaism like this when I was a kid. Finn and Ezra’s constant scheming to break free of the loop kept the plot fresh even when reliving the same weekend on repeat. I loved the ultimate message, to treasure what we have here and now.

This was such a sweet and insightful book. Watching Finn and Ezra discover who they are, what family means, and learn to appreciate what they have has caused me to take pause and reassess how I see things. I think this book is perfect for middle grade readers - with just enough silly action to keep even reluctant readers engaged. I definitely recommend this one

This book was a very good read about two boys learning about life and to not take the small moments for granted. It was a quick and easy read with good pacing and I think this would be the perfect inclusion for an in-classroom library!

Stuck as a middle child and in a 3 day loop of his Bar Mitzvah weekend, Ezra notices a second anomaly in time - there’s another looper, Finn. It’s more than a coincidence that they having their Bar Mitzvahs on the same day, at the same hotel and stuck in the same loop.

Finn & Ezra start working together to break out of the loop. They try a few things which leads to all sorts of hijinks until they find out the hotel is hosting a convention for “time scientists”.

They pull in friends & family to help, plan a time loop bank heist (with a few hiccups) and have a mysterious person deleting their data.

⏳ Middle grade
⏳ Jewish rep - conservative and reform
⏳ Dual POV
⏳”Grass is always greener in the other loop”
⏳enjoying the moment

The life lessons here are so good - and so is the rep!