Anthologies#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Mothers and Other Creatures |
2015 |
Buy |
Collections#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| In the Mellow Light |
2009 |
Buy |
| Three For a Dollar |
2017 |
Buy |
Non-Fiction#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| The Story of Blima |
2005 |
Buy |
Picture Reading Order#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| Charlie Wonder–Chef-Detective |
2005 |
Buy |
| Brad Sureshot–Coach-Detective |
2007 |
Buy |
| Zoey and the Purple Elephant |
2015 |
Buy |
| Where is Emmy? |
2021 |
Buy |
Standalone Novels#
| Title |
Published |
Buy on Amazon |
| My Mother’s Shoes |
2011 |
Buy |
| The Music Makers |
2014 |
Buy |
| A Castle in Brooklyn |
2023 |
Buy |
| The Baker of Lost Memories |
2025 |
Buy |
Shirley Russak Wachtel grew up in New Jersey and spent much of her career teaching English at Middlesex County College, where she remained a faculty member for decades. Her writing reflects a deep commitment to storytelling rooted in family and community, and she has spoken in many forums about how her mother’s experience as a Holocaust survivor shaped her own sense of narrative obligation.
Her nonfiction debut, The Story of Blima, introduced readers to her mother’s journey through the Holocaust, and it found a wide audience in schools and reading groups. Her novels, including My Mother’s Shoes and A Castle in Brooklyn, carry that same emotional honesty into fiction, tracing the lives of Jewish Americans across generations. Her picture books, including the Charlie Wonder and Zoey series, show a different side of her work, one aimed at younger readers with warmth and imagination.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many books has Shirley Russak Wachtel written?
Shirley Russak Wachtel has written twelve books across five series.
What was Shirley Russak Wachtel's first book?
Shirley Russak Wachtel’s first book is Charlie Wonder–Chef-Detective, published in 2005.
What themes run through Shirley Russak Wachtel's books?
Memory, family, and the immigrant experience are at the heart of much of her work. Her novels often explore how the past shapes identity, and several of her stories draw on the experiences of Jewish families in America, including the Holocaust’s long shadow across generations.