Like her National Jewish Book Award winning, The Night Journey, this story draws on Lasky's Jewish grandparents' experience fleeing violent persecution under the Russian Czar in Eastern Europe at the turn of the nineteenth century.  It is a fictional story based on the early life of her grandfather, Joseph Lasky as portrayed by 15 year old violin prodigy Reuvan Bloom.  The story takes us from the Russian shtetl where he lived with his family, to his escape across the border with his baby sister on his back, to his immigration to America.  Reuven was first introduced in The Night Journey, but this novel easily stands on it's own. Ages 9-12.