Sarah Kapit’s chapter books in the RACHEL FRIEDMAN series including RACHEL FRIEDMAN BREAKS THE RULES (Macmillan, 2024) illustrated by Genevieve Kote follows a girl named Rachel whose enthusiasm, big ideas, and even bigger heart sometimes get her into relatable but humorous kerfuffles. Filled with positive instances of Jewish identity, friendships, and family, Rachel is a fun protagonist that young readers will enjoy getting to know. I look forward to learning more about the creation of Rachel, and the upcoming books in her series. Welcome, Sarah!

Rachel is a little sassy and very big-hearted—a combination that gets her into trouble. What inspired you to create her character – and her family?

The series was really born when I came up with the concept of the first book. I was thinking about going to synagogue as a child and how–quite honestly–I was oftentimes bored and frustrated by all of the written and unwritten rules that I had to follow at synagogue. (So many itchy dresses!) I got the idea of a character who deliberately broke all of the rules at synagogue, and from there I was able to write the first book of the series (RACHEL FRIEDMAN BREAKS THE RULES) fairly quickly. Once I had the concept, I instinctively got a sense of Rachel’s supporting cast: her overprotective dad, know-it-all brother Aaron, level-headed BFF Maya, and of course Cookie the cat. All of these characters had something to add to Rachel’s life and story. As I developed the series I realized that I could give each of them their spotlight in different books. 

Rachel is also strongly inspired by past spunky chapter book heroines like Ramona Quimby. I wanted to write a character with that kind of energy–but Jewish.

What do you love most about Rachel?

I love her fearlessness, curiosity, and willingness to question tradition.

What were your thoughts when you first saw the illustrations by Genevieve Kote?

I was absolutely bowled over when I first saw Genevieve’s illustrations. Her style perfectly captures the spirit of the series. Seeing Rachel and her crew brought to life was such a gratifying moment for me as a writer. As a cat lover, I especially love the Cookie illustrations!

What do you hope readers take away from Rachel and her experiences?

I hope Jewish readers can see themselves in Rachel’s experiences, and that non-Jewish readers can perhaps develop a greater understanding of their Jewish peers’ experiences.

As a writer, are there unique challenges in creating chapter books?

Yes, there definitely are! For me, one of the hardest parts about writing the series was making sure that the books felt balanced. The books are fundamentally fun and silly, but each book also touches on more serious themes (like feeling alienated from a Christian-centric culture). Figuring out how to include those themes without being pedantic or forgoing the fun was a challenge. 

Since the books are illustrated, I also wanted to make sure that every chapter had the potential for fun, dynamic illustrations. I’m not a visual thinker at all, but I think that thinking about the illustrations ultimately helped me to make the scenes more interesting and varied. (I also made sure to include more cat content so that Genevieve’s wonderful cat illustrations could be featured.)

How many books are planned for the series? 

Currently, there are three books planned. RACHEL FRIEDMAN BREAKS THE RULES and RACHEL FRIEDMAN’S EIGHT NOT-PERFECT NIGHTS OF HANUKKAH are out now. Next year, RACHEL FRIEDMAN IS NOT THE QUEEN (a Purim book) is coming.

Thank you, Sarah!

Sarah Kapit lives in Seattle with her husband and their goofy orange cat, and is the author of Get A Grip, Vivy Cohen! and The Many Mysteries of the Finkel Family. She earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, and she’s always happy to talk about the history of women, medicine, and any other history geek topic. She has a longstanding involvement in the disability rights and neurodiversity movements, and serves as chairperson of the Association for Autistic Community.

Tagged chapter book, Macmillan, Sarah Kapit