My Aunt Manya by Jose Patterson
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My Aunt Manya is a period novel set in Russia at the end of the 19th century. The heroine, ten-year-old Sarah, lives unhappily with her much-hated stepmother. Sarah’s father has gone to live in New York with his sister Manya while he looks for a job. Sarah’s life changes overnight when Aunt Manya writes with news that her father has been killed in an accident. She sends her a boat ticket, some money and an offer of a home. Sarah’s family and friends are poor, Yiddish-speaking Russian Jews. Their lives are in constant danger from Cossacks – cruel Russian soldiers who, without warning, kill innocent Jews in attacks called Pogroms. When Sarah’s friends get word that a group of Cossacks is camped nearby, they lose no time in helping her to set out alone on the longest journey of her young life. My Aunt Manya is a heart-warming story of Sarah’s journey to America on the ‘other side of the world.’ She becomes an immigrant with just one goal – to live with her Aunt Manya in a free country. Sarah faces difficulties and dangers of the unknown with great courage and determination which, together with the hand of fate, combine to make this an unforgettable story. Readers aged 9-11 years who love adventure will be captivated by Sarah’s bravery.
