Sonia Levitin

Jesse, a Hebrew slave, and Jennat, a half-Egyptian, half-Syrian servant girl, both serve the Egyptians, but they live in vastly different worlds. Though Jennat serves a wealthy mistress, Memnet, she is content to share in the glitter of Egyptian life and idol worship. But Jesse's life is filled with cruelty inflicted upon him by Egyptian task-masters. Jesse's father believes only in survival and will stop at nothing to gain favors from the rich and...

Each paperback in this series features a trio of fictional stories highlighting a moment in American history. Troubled Times contains three stories focusing on the Great Depression. In The Lucky Star a girl helps her sister and other children learn to read when their school is closed. Rudy Rides the Rails features a boy living the hobo life. In Junk Man's Daughter, a family struggles after moving to the United States.

A Jewish family fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938 endures innumerable separations before they are once again united.