Jason Belongs: The Story of Jason Schachter McKinney

by Audrey Ades, Jason Schachter McKinney, Book Buddy Digital Media (Read by)

Overview

The true story of Jason Schachter McKinney.

Jason has a big voice. He sings everywhere—until a whisper runs through his Jewish day school: Jason is Black. Is he really Jewish? "Can I be both Black and Jewish?" wonders Jason. He stops caring about Jewish songs and prayers.

His African ancestors' music continues to touch Jason's heart and spirit, but he longs for a community where he can be his complete self. When he finds his way to services at a synagogue years later, can Jason learn to sing with his whole spirit, both Black and Jewish?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765685990
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	11/04/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	51 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Audrey Ades grew up in New England and holds degrees in theater and psychology. She lives in South Florida with her husband, son, and persnickety Pomeranian, Cookie. Jason Belongs is Audrey's third book with Kar-Ben Publishing. Check out her website at AudreyAdesBooks.com.

Jason Schachter McKinney is a versatile singer, instrumentalist, composer, and advocate for the arts. He has performed at renowned venues like the White House and Kennedy Center and is the Music Director at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, NC. With an international opera career, Jason has also created original works such as Moments with Paul (Robeson) and Frederick, a Musical Narrative.

Isabel Muñoz is an illustrator of more than forty children's books. The Bright Agency has represented her since 2016. Previously, she studied fine arts at The Complutense University of Madrid. She grew up loving everything cute, spooky, vintage and having a box of colored waxes as her favorite child game. Isabel works from a lovely picture book-filled studio in the magical Asturias, in northern Spain. She lives with her husband Fer, their baby Little M and their funny dog Pepi. You can follow her at www.isabelmg.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The story arc, deliberately simple, makes McKinney's journey accessible to any child who has questioned where or how to fit in with community, family, and school. The story also has an inevitability that makes his arrival at the synagogue in Antwerp a pitch-perfect moment. Vibrant illustrations of McKinney's life also contribute to the accessibility of the story; that a majority of the book is about McKinney as an adult will leave children encouraged that growing up is a forever process and there will be plenty of time for life-altering decisions. Ades treats questions of identity with a light touch, which only gives the story more power."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher