• Age: 12 to 17
• Grade: 8 to 12
• Reading age: 13 to 18

Rachel, a young Jewish woman from a small town in Russia, has made an incredible journey. Forced to leave her homeland because of the anti-Semitic violence that killed her father, she made her way across land and sea to find refuge in Shanghai, China where she not only survived but managed to establish herself as a newspaper writer — no easy task for a woman at the turn of the 20th century. Now eighteen, Rachel remains separated from her sweetheart, Sergei, but she has finally realized her dream of coming to America. Arriving in California, she is inspired by the women she meets in the labor movement. She remains determined to go to school, and to continue her career as a journalist. Sergei, now in Moscow, is becoming more involved in the fight for democracy and freedom of speech. But his work distributing illegal newspapers and preparing for Gorky's revolution puts him at greater and greater risk of harsh reprisal from the Russian Tsarist government. Rachel won't let anything stop her in her goal of starting a new life - not poverty, not even the great San Francisco earthquake. But will she ever see Sergei again”

SHELLY SANDERS is the author of Daughters of the Occupation (Harper, 2022), a Canadian bestseller for four weeks. The novel is inspired by the discovery of her Jewish roots as an adult, and by her grandmother’s family, many of whom were murdered during the Latvian Holocaust. Carol Memmott, of the Washington Post, says this “haunting novel refers not only to the victims of Latvia’s Holocaust but also to their descendants, who carry the trauma of their ancestors.”

Shelly is also the author of three Young Adult historical fiction novels (The Rachel Trilogy, Second Story Press); the first received a Starred Review in Booklist, and two of the three were named Notable Books for Teens from the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Follow Shelly on Twitter @shelly_sanders and on Instagram: fictionbyshellysanders

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