Eleven-year-old Ariel is part of a Jewish family and she leads a complex life in 1960s America: her family suffers financial difficulties and the possibility of having to sell their bakery, her sister Leah has run away to marry a Muslim fellow and both families are distressed their children are marrying outside their faith, Ariel is subject to anti-Semitism at school, and she is diagnosed with Dysgraphia and must learn to deal with her learning disability. When Ariel and her best friend go on an adventure to find Leah Ariel learns a lot about herself. This engaging novel can launch a poetry unit, be used as an independent or literature circle novel, and can be a good addition to a school library.