I’m Heidi Rabinowitz and I am so happy to be Jewish. The beautiful and varied customs, the focus on deep thought and learning, and the historical connections going back over the centuries, all bring me joy. That’s why I’ve dedicated my career to synagogue librarianship and why I’ve been podcasting about Jewish children’s literature for 20 years on The Book of Life, and established a new hub for Jewish kidlit this year at The Jewish Book Garden on Substack. That is also why I created the Jewish Joy series here at Multicultural Kid Blogs!
What?
I’m thrilled to share this Jewish Joy series for Multicultural Kid Blogs with you. I’ll be bringing you Q&A’s from diverse intersectional Jewish authors, showcasing the variegated tapestry of Jewish life and books. In each interview, I’ll link back to the author’s appearance on The Book of Life Podcast for you to hear their voice and learn more about them.
Why?
In these turbulent times with antisemitism at record highs, Jewish Joy is crucial. As poet Toi Derricotte says, joy is an act of resistance. Joyful books invite everyone in, so that Jewish stories can, in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, become windows as well as mirrors, bringing hope, demystifying the Jewish experience, and building empathy and understanding.
Who?
In the last Jewish Joy post in this series, you met Richard Michelson, prolific author of Jewish picture books and biographies. Today, I’m thrilled to introduce you to Deke Moulton, who writes middle grade Jewish fantasy. I interviewed Deke on The Book of Life Podcast in 2024 as part of my Creature Double Feature series. In Part I of the series, Deke talked about her vampire and werewolf novels Don’t Want to Be Your Monster and Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf. (Part II was with author Emi Watanabe Cohen, featured in the Jewish Joy series in 2025.)
Deke’s writing combines humor and excitement with thoughtful explorations of prejudice and relationships. I’m pleased to bring you this exclusive Jewish Joy interview for Multicultural Kid Blogs, and if you’d like to hear more from Deke in her own voice, please click on the podcast link below.
Q&A with Deke Moulton
THE BOOK OF LIFE: Deke, please describe your own Jewish identity, along with any other aspects of your identity that you’d like to share.
DEKE MOULTON: I am Jewish – I grew up Reform, and now I tend to bounce between Reform and Chabad. My identity has been a bit of a scramble to work through and analyze lately!
TBOL: Why is it important to you to include Jewish representation in your writing?
DM: I always loved adventure and fantasy novels growing up and I strongly remember never been able to find any books with Jewish heroes in them. In my school library, if I wanted to read about Jews, it was always Holocaust literature. And while I can understand how important it is to learn about the Holocaust, it is a bit of a struggle to read as a kid, always having Jews portrayed as victims during the worst possible trauma.
I read a lot of more fantasy/horror novels and while I often use those writing styles to make analogies for difficult times in Jewish history, I always want to make sure that the adventure itself is fun.
TBOL: About being Jewish: what is hard, and what brings you joy?
DM: Oh my gosh, just living in this life today is hard as a Jew. But there is so much that brings me joy. Reading other Jewish books! Just knowing I have brachas [blessings] I can rely on when I encounter beautiful extraordinary things in my everyday life.
In a funny way also, my fashion brings me Jewish joy. I always do it with a Jewish eye. I wear a lot of Jewish jewelry. Since October 7th [the date in 2023 when Hamas terrorists attacked Israel], I’ve made a commitment to wear skirts and dresses, choosing to follow Orthodox rules of modesty to just help me connect to feeling more Jewish. So every time I get ready in the morning, I am very consciously aware of my Jewish choices.
TBOL: What do you want the world to know about Jewish people?
DM: Whatever it is you think you know about us, it is probably wrong. We are such a beautiful, joy filled people, despite centuries and millennia of trauma and harm done to us.
TBOL: Tell us about any Jewish books you’ve written.
DM: Well, I wrote the Sydney Taylor Honor Book Don’t Want to Be Your Monster, as well as the Jewish Book Council middle grade finalist Benji Zeb Is a Ravenous Werewolf. I also have an upcoming young adult debut that is a Pinocchio/golem story called They Carved Us to Be Perfect, coming out summer 2027 with Tundra Books.
TBOL: What other Jewish books are you excited about, and why?
DM: I’m very excited about 72 Hours of You by Darianne Schramm! I actually mentored her during DV Pit (Diverse Voices in Publishing & Literary Pitch Event) for a middle grade book that just absolutely reduced me to tears and was so beautiful, but unfortunately was never able to sell.
Also the new book by Isaac Blum, Out of the Clear Blue Sky. He is an absolute must-buy author!
TBOL: Deke, thank you for answering my questions and for creating fun and thoughtful Jewish fantasy!
Heidi Rabinowitz
Latest posts by Heidi Rabinowitz (see all)
- Jewish Joy with Deke Moulton - October 19, 2026
- Jewish Joy with Richard Michelson - September 22, 2026
- Jewish Joy with Rachelle Burk - August 24, 2026
