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

After losing her parents, fourteen-year-old Victoria and her young twin brothers move in with their aunt. But shortly afterward, her aunt’s boyfriend attempts to assault her, and she runs away and learns to survive on the dangerous streets of Paraná, Argentina. Encountering a world of street kids, gangs and drug dealers, Victoria overcomes deprivation and great hardship. With the help of newly-found friends and her single-minded determination to survive, she carves out a new life for herself and her little brothers.

Silvana Goldemberg was born and raised in Argentina. Her books and magazines have been published in Spanish and English throughout the Americas. She moved from Argentina in 2003 and, since then, she lives in Richmond, BC, with her husband and their two daughters.

Silvana Goldemberg's profile page

• Short-listed, Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize nominee

"Victoria’s persistence in overcoming her circumstances and her ability to maintain her own values and beliefs in the face of such adversity create an uplifting message. Goldemberg provides this message without being unrealistic with a 'rags to riches' type of story. In addition, readers will have a better understanding of the realities of the life of street kids."

CM Magazine

"Argentinean-born writer Goldemberg captures the colorful and dangerous atmosphere of street life in Paraná, Argentina, in this story of grace under pressure...Spanish vocabulary and translated song lyrics provide cultural verisimilitude."

Publishers Weekly

“Goldemberg's ... hard-hitting plot moves quickly. There's no authorial moralizing; readers must find their own message.”

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