Jesse has little to write about for a project on his immigrant ancestors until his mother sends him up to the attic to dig through a battered travel case. He slips an old chain with a Star of David over his head, and he's suddenly in a Russian village. It's 1890, and thieving soldiers terrorize the small Jewish community, raiding crops, burning books, and beating or even killing anyone who opposes them. The villagers' only hope is to flee to Canada and it's up to Jesse-called Yossi now-to help them escape the soldiers. Ellen Schwartz, whose own grandparents' escape from Russia was the seed for Jesse's Star (Orca $6.50), is also the author of Mr. Belinsky's Bagels and the Starshine series. 1-55143-143-2

[BCBW Summer 2000]