Most Popular Books by Yona Zeldis McDonough

Ten years after losing her husband, Christina Connelly has worked through the pain, focusing on raising her teenage daughter and managing her small decorating business. But her romantic life has never recovered. Still, it’s irksome to be set up with arrogant, if handsome, doctor Andy Stern at her friend’s wedding. If he wasn’t also a potential client, needing his Upper East Side apartment redesigned, she would write him off. This is never going to work, Andy thinks. Still grieving his wife and struggling with a troubled son, he’s not looking for a woman, and certainly not someone as frosty and reserved as Christina. Their relationship will be strictly business. Yet to everyone’s surprise—including their own—these two find themselves falling in love. But if reconciling with their pasts is difficult, blending their lives and children to create a new family is nearly impossible. They’ve been given a second chance…but can they overcome all the obstacles in the way of happily ever after?

What do you do when you have to give up the person you love most? Thirty-five-year-old Miranda is not an impulsive person. She’s been at Domestic Goddess magazine for eight years, she has great friends, and she’s finally moving on after a breakup. Having a baby isn’t even on her radar—until the day she discovers an abandoned newborn on the platform of a Brooklyn subway station. Rushing the little girl to the closest police station, Miranda hopes and prays she’ll be all right and that a loving family will step forward to take her. Yet Miranda can’t seem to get the baby off her mind and keeps coming up with excuses to go check on her, until finally a family court judge asks whether she’d like to be the baby’s foster parent—maybe even adopt her. To her own surprise, Miranda jumps at the chance. But nothing could have prepared her for the ecstasy of new-mother love—or the heartbreak she faces when the baby’s father surfaces.... CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED

When Sarah accidentally breaks Bubbe’s beautiful blue glass bowl, she is heartbroken. But Bubbe comforts her, assuring her that it is Sarah—not the bowl—that is important. After sweeping up, Sarah finds a heart-shaped piece of glass in the corner, puts it in her pocket and, the next day, takes it to beach, where it begins a journey around the world.

The Silverstein family is coming together in Great Neck, Long Island, for the nuptials of the youngest daughter. Always considered the favorite—and the object of much envy and resentment—Angelica has planned a fairy tale wedding to her fiancé, a former fighter pilot. But there are storm clouds on the horizon. Gretchen, Angelica’s sister, is dealing with a failed marriage and her moody teenage daughter Justine. One brother is a callous businessman while the other is struggling with his search for love and a career. Her mother is in a battle of wills with the wedding planner, while her father, a recovering alcoholic, struggles to confront his ex-wife’s lavish new life in the Long Island manor of her dreams. And her grandmother Lenore has decided it’s high time to take charge and set her grandchildren on their proper paths. Then an impulsive act by Justine puts the entire wedding at risk and brings the simmering family tensions to the boiling point. Before vows are exchanged, this day will change more than one life forever…

A kid''s-eye view of the heroic events at Dunkirk! Aiden is the son of a fisherman on the south coast of England, and he''s feared the ocean since his oldest brother''s ship was sunk by a German U-boat. But that doesn''t matter when he and his best friend Sally hear chatter on their radio. Allied troops, including Aiden''s surviving brother, are trapped in France, surrounded by German forces. The British military have come up with a daring plan to save as many troops as possible, bringing them across the Channel to safety -- but they''ll need every boat they can get their hands on. Aiden''s parents forbid him from going, but he and Sally know they can help, and set off to join Operation Dynamo on their own. It''s a harrowing journey, and the pair are in grave danger as they help ferry troops from Dunkirk, searching for Aiden''s brother all the while. It will take an entire village for them to realize that as long as people are willing to help those who need it, there''s hope for a brighter tomorrow.

A tender story about the power of love in the face of loss Nine-year-old Claudine doesn''t want to leave her much-loved home in France to go live in America, not without her parents. But she knows about the shortages, about the yellow stars Jews must wear, and about Adolf Hitler. And she knows that there are some things she needs to do even when she doesn''t want to. It''s wartime, and there is much that is different now. There are more things that Claudine will lose to this terrible war. But not everything that is lost must be lost forever. Here is a moving story about lost and found lives, and the healing power of love.

After a pogrom forces Batya''s Russian Jewish family to leave their home and make the journey to America, Batya hopes her new life will offer her a chance to become a woodcarver like her beloved father. But while many things in America are different from the world of her shtetl, one thing seems to be the same: only boys can be woodcarvers. Still, Batya is determined to learn. With the same perseverance that helped her family survive and start over in an unfamiliar land, Batya sets out to carve a place for herself.

A highly respected mother-daughter team profiles 11 inspirational women from different times and fields of endeavor: Pocahontas, Harriet Tubman, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Clara Barton, Emily Dickinson, Mary Cassatt, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, and Margaret Mead.

Can Marcel make the ride of his life? Marcel loves riding his bicycle, whether he''s racing through the streets of his small town in France or making bread deliveries for his parents'' bakery. He dreams of someday competing in the Tour de France, the greatest bicycle race. But ever since Germany''s occupation of France began two years ago, in 1940, the race has been canceled. Now there are soldiers everywhere, interrupting Marcel''s rides with checkpoints and questioning.Then Marcel learns two big secrets, and he realizes there are worse things about the war than a canceled race. When he later discovers that his friend''s entire family is in imminent danger, Marcel knows he can help -- but it will involve taking a risky bicycle ride to pass along covert information. And when nothing ends up going according to plan, it''s up to him to keep pedaling and think quickly... because his friend, her family, and his own future hang in the balance.

Many girls in elementary and middle school fall in love with the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. What they don''t always realize is that Wilder''s books are autobiographical. This narrative biography describes more of the details of the young Laura''s real life as a young pioneer homesteading with her family on many adventurous journeys. This biography, complete with charming illustrations, points out the differences between the fictional series as well as the many similarities.Yona Zeldis McDonough''s Little Author in the Big Woods is a fascinating story of a much-celebrated writer.

A compelling novel about one woman’s search for the truth from the author of You Were Meant For Me. After suffering a sudden, traumatic loss, historical novelist Susannah Gilmore decides to uproot her life—and the lives of her two children—and leave their beloved Brooklyn for the little town of Eastwood, New Hampshire. While the trio adjusts to their new surroundings, Susannah is captivated by an unexpected find in her late parents’ home: an unsigned love note addressed to her mother, in handwriting that is most definitely not her father’s. Reeling from the thought that she never really knew her mother, Susannah finds mysteries everywhere she looks: in her daughter’s friendship with an older neighbor, in a charismatic local man to whom she’s powerfully drawn, and in an eighteenth century crime she’s researching for her next book. Compelled to dig into her mother’s past, Susannah discovers even more secrets, ones that surpass any fiction she could ever put to paper...

No one knows where the term Underground Railroad came from--there were no trains or tracks, only "conductors" who helped escaping slaves to freedom. Including real stories about "passengers" on the "Railroad," this book chronicles slaves'' close calls with bounty hunters, exhausting struggles on the road, and what they sacrificed for freedom. With 80 black-and-white illustrations throughout and a sixteen-page black-and-white photo insert, the Underground Railroad comes alive!

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama. This seemingly small act triggered civil rights protests across America and earned Rosa Parks the title "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement." This biography has black-and-white illustrations throughout.

The spellbinding story of a father and son, both married, who fall in love with the same alluring ballerina. Oscar Kornblatt has been a first violinist with the New York City Ballet for so many years that he scarcely notices the throngs of eager young dancers who fill the ranks of the corps de ballet. But Ginny Valentine catches his eye, and when he comes to know her he becomes utterly enchanted by her. One night when Ruth, his quietly independent wife, is away, he brings Ginny back to his Upper West Side apartment and the two become lovers. While the affair doesn’t last, Oscar’s attachment to Ginny continues to flourish. He invites her to join his family for Thanksgiving dinner, where she meets and falls in love with Oscar’s eldest son, Gabriel, home from San Francisco for the holiday. Gabriel, married to a beautiful, highly unstable woman, finds himself falling under Ginny’s spell. As the bonds of the family begin to erode, Ruth takes drastic and shocking measures to salvage what is most precious to her: her baby granddaughter, Isobel. Set against the glamorous, exciting world of the New York City Ballet, The Four Temperaments explores the ways in which love and marriage are tested. Through its unforgettable cast of characters, this novel reveals how the demands of the flesh can suddenly, almost inexplicably, turn lives upside down. With the assurance and virtuosity of a seasoned storyteller, Yona Zeldis McDonough presents the powerfully sexy story of two adulterous affairs and imbues them with an irresistible emotional undercurrent.

If not for a stint in reform school, young Louis Armstrong might never have become a musician. It was a teacher at the Colored Waifs Home who gave him a cornet, promoted him to band leader, and saw talent in the tough kid from the even tougher New Orleans neighborhood called Storyville. But it was Louis Armstrong''s own passion and genius that pushed jazz into new and exciting realms with his amazing, improvisational trumpet playing. His seventy-year life spanned a critical time in American music as well as black history.

Born a slave in Maryland, Harriet Tubman knew first-hand what it meant to be someone''s property; she was whipped by owners and almost killed by an overseer. It was from other field hands that she first heard about the Underground Railroad which she travelled by herself north to Philadelphia. Throughout her long life (she died at the age of ninety-two) and long after the Civil War brought an end to slavery, this amazing woman was proof of what just one person can do.

Biography of a printer, writer, scientist, inventor, and patriot who helped write the Declaration of Independence and was a very famous historical figure.

During the Depression, intrigued by the beautiful dollhouse they see in a house window, sisters Lila and Jane befriend its elderly owner and ultimately have a very different Christmas.

A fresh and whimsical novel featuring a single mother in Brooklyn who suddenly discovers an ATM machine that gives her free (and unrecorded) cash; what she does with that money changes many lives—including her own. Mia Saul is down on her luck. She’s been dumped by her husband, fired from her job, and forced to move with her ten-year-old daughter Eden to a crummy apartment. Juggling temp jobs, arguing over child support, and trying to keep Eden’s increasingly erratic behavior in check leaves Mia weary and worn out. So when a routine stop at an ATM turns into a stroke of luck Mia never expected, the results are nothing short of...magical. Teetering between guilt and generosity, Mia takes advantage of her sudden windfall in small ways. She also develops relationships with a variety of neighborhood characters she ordinarily would never have crossed paths with—and turns her life around in ways she never thought possible. Poignant, smart, and utterly captivating, this quirky "pay-it-forward" tale captures the everyday concerns of women everywhere.

Almost 100 years before Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, Sojourner Truth was mistreated by a streetcar conductor. She took him to court--and won! Before she was Sojourner Truth, she was known simply as Belle. Born a slave in New York sometime around 1797, she was later sold and separated from her family. Even after she escaped from slavery, she knew her work was not yet done. She changed her name and traveled, inspiring everyone she met and sharing her story until her death in 1883 at age eighty-six. In this easy-to-read biography, Yona Zeldis McDonough continues to share that remarkable story.

Traces the life of a Jewish girl who chronicled her day-to-day life in a diary as she hid in an attic in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years.

Moments in Jewish Life brings together the artist''s personal memories with brief descriptions of the meaning and history of the rituals at daily life and the special festivals that make up the Jewish year.

Describes the life and career of the famous architect.

No star in any genre has affected the world as deeply or has lasted as long without fading as Marilyn Monroe. This thought-provoking and wide-ranging collection of essays examines the undiminished incandescence of Marilyn Monroe -- the impact she has had on our culture, the evolution of her legend since her death, and what she tells us now about our lives and times -- and includes previously unpublished work from some of America''s best writers, such as: Joyce Carol Oates, Alice Elliot Dark, Albert Mobilo, Marge Piercy, Lore Segal, Lisa Shea, and many more. From her troubled family beginnings to the infamous $13 million auction held at Christie''s in New York City, All the Available Light paints an unforgettable portrait of Marilyn as you''ve never seen her before. This extremely rare cover photo was taken c. 1954, on the set of The Seven Year Itch.

The man who saved the lives of his PT-109 crewmen during WWII and became the 35th president fought-and won-his first battle at the age of two-and-a-half, when he was stricken with scarlet fever. Although his presidency was cut short, our nation''s youngest elected leader left an indelible mark on the American consciousness and now is profiled in our Who Was...? series. Included are 100 black-and-white illustrations as well as a timeline that guides readers through this eventful period in history.

Born in Austria in 1756, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his first piece of music, a minuet, when he was just five years old! Soon after, he was performing for kings and emperors. Although he died at the young age of thirty-five, Mozart left a legacy of more than 600 works. This fascinating biography charts the musician''s extraordinary career and personal life while painting a vivid cultural history of eighteenth-century Europe. Black-and-white illustrations on every spread explore such topics as the history of opera and the evolution of musical instruments. There is also a timeline and a bibliography. Illustrated by Carrie Robbins. Cover illustration by Nancy Harrison.

Big-eyed, blonde, and beautiful, Barbie took over the world in 1959 with little more than a white-and-black striped bathing suit and a pair of high heels. Today, Mattel sells three Barbies a second, and children in more than one hundred and fifty countries know her name. Now, on her fiftieth anniversary as cultural icon, Assouline presents the ultimate collector''s volume on the world''s most popular doll. Encapsulating her history, chronicling her fashion, and imagining heer life as a woman of mystery, glamour, and fun, Barbie presents this totemic figure as never seen before - in vivd dioramas of Barbie at work and play and in portraits of vintage dolls and accessories. A muse for children and adults, designers and artists, writers and cultural critics, Barbie remains a powerfully evocative and enigmatic reflection of our dreams, our hopes, and ourselves. AUTHOR: Yona Zeldis McDonough is the editor of The Barbie Chronicles. Her essays, articles and fiction have appeared in numerous national and literary publications. 69 illustrations

Refusing to accept the prejudice attitudes of the time, Henry Benjamin Greenberg pursued his dream of becoming a baseball player in the 1930s--ending up being one of the sports'' most celebrated figures and baseball''s first Jewish superstar.

Presents a series of stories from the Old Testament, including God''s creation of the world, Noah and the ark, the sacrifice of Isaac, Joseph and his brothers, and the giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses.

Learn the story behind the ten laws that have been the guiding light of Judeo-Christian belief. Not just about Moses, whose origin story leaves open questions, this book looks back at the time when the commandments were written, how the belief in one all-powerful God set the Israelites apart from other ancient peoples, and the roles the Ten Commandments have played in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It also looks at what each individual commandment means and how together they form the basis of leading a moral life as well as forming a just government.

When Anna spots a cat in the yard behind her parents'' doll shop, she is excited. Then she realizes the cat is about to have kittens--even better! And Anna has something else to look forward to: her cousin Tania is coming from Russia to stay with Anna''s family. Anna already has two sisters, but she and Tania are the exact same age--eleven--and she imagines they will get along perfectly. But Tania doesn''t respond to Anna''s friendly overtures, and her sisters don''t seem to like Tania at all. Luckily, Anna finds a creative way to use her love of dolls and cats to bring everyone together.

Nine year old Anna and her sisters like helping out in their parents'' doll repair shop, because once their chores are done, the fun can begin. The girls are allowed to play carefully with the dolls until they''re fixed and ready to be returned to their owners. But when World War I begins, and an embargo on German-made goods threatens to put the shop out of business, it''s up to Anna to come up with an idea to save the day.