<p>Late to the party here, but . . . </p>
<p>I agree that people who don’t feel comfortable giving money shouldn’t.</p>
<p>I don’t think non-Jews should feel compelled to give Jewish-themed books.</p>
<p>Hertz or Plaut are wonderful (and expensive), and may not be appreciated immediately, but will be some day. I still have my Bar Mitzvah Hertz. I find it tough to believe that many synagogues give them out.</p>
<p>Borders made out like gangbusters on both my kids’ Bar Mitzvahs. Gift certificates for books are a very safe choice.</p>
<p>Consider also a book by L. Sandy Maisel called A History of Jews in American Politics (or something like that). Somewhat more substantive than Jewish Sports Heros (but still lots of pictures). Historical Atlas is great, too.</p>
<p>If your child knows the boy well, let him pick something out. The two gifts that absolutely meant the most to my son were (1) a Japanese action-figure doll of a character in the manga Akira, given to him by an older teenager who had introduced him to Akira, and (2) a set of small dragon figures that a close friend had bought for $5 in Chinatown, that happened to be EXACTLY what he would have wanted if he had walked into that store.</p>