Chris Baron

Welcome to Passover, a Jewish holiday that has been celebrated for thousands of years. The heart of Passover is the seder—a meal full of rituals, special foods, and songs—where we gather together to retell the story of the Exodus, when the Jewish people achieved freedom from Egypt. And yet this story is about more than the ancient past. The seder’s themes of freedom, joy, tradition, and more, are timeless and universal, for all. In this unprecedented collection of short stories, 14 bestselling and award-winning authors each reimagine a different step of the seder for today’s young readers. Through historical and contemporary fiction, verse and prose, fiction and nonfiction, these gifted writers from different Jewish traditions and backgrounds gather around the seder table and invite everyone to join them. The full list of On All Other Nights contributors includes: - Chris Baron (The Magical Imperfect) - Ruth Behar (Lucky Broken Girl) - Adam Gidwitz (A Tale Dark and Grimm, The Unicorn Rescue Society) - Veera Hiranandani (The Night Diary) - Amy Ignatow (The Popularity Papers, Jedi Academy) - Sarah Kapit (Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen) - Joshua S. Levy (The Jake Show) - Mari Lowe (Aviva vs. the Dybbuk) - Naomi Milliner (Super Jake & The King of Chaos) - Soifya Pasternack (Black Bird, Blue Road) - R.M. Romero (The Dollmaker of Kraków) - A.J. Sass (Ana on the Edge) - Laura Shovan (The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary) - Laurel Snyder (Orphan Island, Charlie & Mouse)

The Gray is a sensitively told middle grade story from Chris Baron about living with anxiety and finding ways to cope. It’s been a tough year for Sasha―he’s been bullied at his middle school and his anxiety, which he calls the Gray, is growing. Sasha’s dad tells him to “toughen up”―and he does, but with unfortunate, hurtful results. His parents and therapist agree that a summer in the country with his aunt might be the best medicine, but it’s the last place he wants to be. He'll be away from his best friend, video games, and stuck in the house that reminds him of his beloved uncle who died two years earlier. His aunt is supportive, and there are lots of places to explore, and even some potential new friends. When Sasha is introduced at a local ranch to a horse coincidentally--incredibly--nicknamed the Gray, he feels he's found a kindred spirit. But his own Gray is ever-present. When one of his new friends disappears, Sasha discovers that the country is wilder and more mysterious than he imagined. He tries to muster enough courage to help in the search . . . but will the Gray hold him back?

Set against the backdrop of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake in a town of refugees who came to America via Angel Island, the middle grade novel in verse is about a boy who is selectively mute and a girl who won't leave her house because of a skin condition and the magical Jewish clay that allows them to help each other.