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 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.

Includes Passover recipes.

Breaking bread at the Seder /Mari Lowe -- The truth about mermaids / R.M. Romero -- Chocolate tears / Naomi Milliner -- Broken pieces / Joshua S. Levy -- Nachshon in the desert, alone at the sea / Laurel Snyder -- The great handwashing machine / Chris Baron -- The smuggler / Adam Gidwitz -- The bitter princess / Sofiya Pasternack -- Growing up sandwiched between identities / Ruth Behar -- Why I hate gefilte fish / Sarah Kapit -- The awful omen / A. J. Sass -- Music and matzo / Laura Shovan -- Double hallel / Amy Ignatow -- Just Jaya / Veera Hiranandani.