Wel­come to turn of the cen­tu­ry San Fran­cis­co. Rachel Paskar, now 16, may be no longer live in Rus­sia, but she hasn’t for­got­ten how to face chal­lenges with courage and hope. Liv­ing with her old­er sis­ter, broth­er-in-law and Mena­hem, a young boy she escaped Rus­sia with, she faces many obsta­cles and hard­ships, includ­ing a new lan­guage and cus­toms. As she writes to her friend Sergei, ​“In some ways life is bet­ter here, but in oth­ers it’s a lit­tle disappointing.”

Rachel is a like­able char­ac­ter. Although she works as a maid, she still finds time to study Eng­lish. She does well. She also sur­vives the earth­quake and fire of 1906. The read­er quick­ly sees that no mat­ter how tough life gets, Rachel will sur­vive and over­come. Although at times, she may feel cursed, the nar­ra­tive nev­er lets the read­er for­get that Rachel is too good to be harmed.

Chap­ters told by her friend, Sergei, who has escaped Siberia, as well as a sub­plot involv­ing Anna, a young woman based on the Jew­ish- Amer­i­can social­ist, Anna Strun­sky, add tex­ture and sus­pense as well as a world­ly feel to the narrative.

Read­ers who love his­tor­i­cal fic­tion will enjoy explor­ing Sanders’ San Fran­cis­co as Rachel and her fam­i­ly learn their way around and begin to make a life. Her descrip­tions are engag­ing and spe­cif­ic. Although there are moments when this book lacks ten­sion and sus­pense, for those who loved the first two books this addi­tion will serve as a sat­is­fy­ing chap­ter in this tough young woman’s life. A glos­sary is included.

Rec­om­mend­ed for lovers of his­tor­i­cal fic­tion ages 11 – 15.