New Releases by Sonia Levitin

A beautifully repackaged 50th anniversary edition of Sonia Levitin’s powerful classic story about a young Jewish girl forced to flee her home, winner of the National Jewish Book Award. In 1938, Lisa Platt and her family know something dangerous is happening in Germany. Lately, there have been more and more restrictions for Jews: yellow stars they have to wear, schools they cannot attend, things they are forbidden to do. When their neighbors are arrested for petty reasons, the Platts realize they have to escape. Forbidden to bring money or possessions out of the country, Lisa’s father secretly leaves for America, planning to work until he can send for them. But when conditions in Germany worsen, Lisa, her mother, and her sisters flee to Switzerland to wait, surviving on what little they have in a continent hurtling toward war. Inspired by Sonia Levitin’s own experience of fleeing Germany as a child, this moving novel chronicles one family’s bravery in the face of aggression and apathy.

Each paperback in this series features a trio of fictional stories highlighting a moment in American history. Troubled Times contains three stories focusing on the Great Depression. In The Lucky Star a girl helps her sister and other children learn to read when their school is closed. Rudy Rides the Rails features a boy living the hobo life. In Junk Man''s Daughter, a family struggles after moving to the United States.

Even before they immigrate to America, Hanna and her family dream of the new life they will have there. "You will see, Hanna," Papa said. "There are streets of gold." But when they arrive, they find life very different from what they had imagined. Their apartment is small and Hanna and her brothers must sleep on a mattress on the floor. Mama spends her days knitting shawls and sweaters to sell on the streets but no one stops to buy. And Papa can find no work. Hanna looks everywhere for the gold Papa promised them but it is not to be found. What will happen to their dream of a new, better life in America? One day a seemingly insignificant find on a slushy street leads to an opportunity for a brighter future. And like many others before them, Hanna and her family realize that through small steps and hard work they can make their American dream come true.

A summer in paradise. That''s all Marne wants. That''s all she can think of when she asks her parents permission to spend the summer in Hawaii with Aunt Carole and her family. But Marne quickly realizes her visit isn''t going to be just about learning to surf and morning runs along the beach, despite the cute surfer boy she keeps bumping into. For one thing, Aunt Carole isn''t even Aunt Carole anymore—she''s Aunt Chaya, married to a Chasidic rabbi and deeply rooted in her religious community. Nothing could be more foreign to Marne, and fitting into this new culture—and house full of kids—is a challenge. But as she settles into her newfound family''s daily routine, she begins to think about spirituality, identity, and finding a place in the world in a way she never has before. This rich novel is a window into a different life and gets to the very heart of faith, identity, and family ties.

As son of the Compassionate Director of the Dominion of the Americas, Will, along with his twin brother Berk, has been groomed for leadership in a society that values genetic fitness, but he encounters information which causes him to question that society as well as his own identity.

After German forces occupy Denmark during World War II, fifteen-year-old Julie Weinstein and fifteen-year-old Niels Nelson and their friends and families try to cope with their daily lives, finding various ways to resist the Nazis and, ultimately, to survive.

Kangaroo learns the proper way to behave on the first day of school.

Explains all the things that Elephant should know about how to behave when attending a birthday or other kind of party.

After her family moves to California where her father goes to work in the gold fields, Amanda decides to make her own fortune baking pies and she encourages others to provide the necessary services--from a general store to a school--that enables her town to prosper.

Publisher Description

An English youth and an Indian girl are caught up in the events leading to the mysterious disappearance of the colony at Roanoke Island.

While traveling in Israel for the summer, seventeen-year-old Mitch decides to stay and pursue a life of Jewish orthodoxy, forcing him to make some important decisions about the family and life he is leaving in southern California.

A sixteen-year-old boy living in 2407 collides with the past when he finds himself in Strasbourg in 1348 confronting the anti-Semitism that sweeps through Europe during the Black Plague.

When her mother has to leave home suddenly, Amanda learns how demanding it is to run a household and care for a baby.

After her mother''s sudden death, high school student Laura starts hunting for information about her mother''s mysterious past, and in searching, uncovers some terrible secrets.

Annie''s Promises is Sonia Levitin''s unforgettable work of historical fiction. As a young refugee from Nazi Germany, Annie Platt seizes the opportunity to attend Quaker Pines, a camp for people of many different backgrounds. The conclusion to Levitin''s series about the Platt family, German Jewish refugees, is a "solidly crafted novel." (Publisher''s Weekly)

Amanda travels by stagecoach with her four siblings and her mother from Missouri to California to join her father.

When Moses comes to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land, Jesse, a Hebrew slave, finds his life changed by his growing faith in God and his attraction to the half-Egyptian, half-Syrian Jennat.

Gregor decides to take his special blanket when his family leaves Russia to live in America, but he worries about his choice all during the journey.

Laurel Wang knows that the ghost of her beloved great-grandfather lives in the oak tree outside her house. But now her grandparents are arriving from China, and the family must move to a bigger place, leaving the protective spirit behind. Twelve-year-old Jonathan and his family are moving into Laurel''s house -- and he''s not too happy either. He''s living with a stepfather he can''t stand and a dog he didn''t choose; now he has to say goodbye to his old neighborhood and his wonderful Uncle Jake. But moving blues soon give way to angry ghosts, fortune cookies that predict the future, and a very scary accident, as the two teenagers with very different backgrounds join together to investigate a mystery and in the process discover something remarkable about each other.

After winning an ordinary dish at a local carnival, a thirteen-year-old is catapulted into a terrifying world of psychic phenomena where she discovers some shocking truths about her own past.

Having once had his heart broken, Jack keeps it in a bucket safe from harm until one day a young maiden asks him to solve a riddle which teaches him the true meaning of love.

When Adam and his friends start a war with a rival club over a clubhouse, the conflict ends in violence.

Silver Days is Sonia Levitin''s story of a Jewish family—escaping from Hitler''s Germany—that moves from New York City to California. In this sequel to Journey to America, the reunited Platt family works hard at settling in to America, but the spectre of the war in Europe continues to affect their lives.

Casssidy Keaton earns good grades, has lots of friends and a good home life. But having spent two weeks at summer camp, she begins her junior year a little bored -- and a little restless. Ken Farquar had "fallen" for Cassidy at camp. Still, he''s not sure he really fits in with her crowd -- and he''s not sure he wants to anyway. Right now, all he knows is that he wants to be with Cassidy. But one moonlit night, everything in their lives changes. While partying with their friends, Cassidy and Ken stumble upon a dead body. Suddenly, they are faced with the toughest decision of their lives. Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery.

Fifteen-year-old Desta belongs to a small, isolated mountain community of Ethiopian Jews. She and her brother and sister leave their aunt and uncle and set out on the long and dangerous trip to freedom -- an airlift from the Sudan to Israel, the Promised Land. They travel barefoot, facing hunger, thirst and bandits. "Vivid and compelling...Levitin''s tour de force is sensitively written." BOOKLIST. An ALA 1987 Best Book for Young Adults.

Desta and the other members of her Falasha family, Jews suffering from discrimination in Ethiopia, finally flee the country and attempt the dangerous journey to Israel.