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    Jesse's Star
    Jesse's Star
    Jesse's Star
    Ebook75 pages48 minutes

    Jesse's Star

    By Ellen Schwartz

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    About this ebook

    Jesse's project about his immigrant ancestors is due tomorrow and he hasn't started. In a last-ditch effort to find some information about his great-great grandfather, Yossi, Jesse rummages through the mess in the attic until he finds a little battered travel case, full of pictures, and something else—a Star of David. At first it looks plain and unimportant, but as he holds it in his hand, the star begins to glow. Jesse is in for the surprise, and adventure, of his life as he finds himself becoming the star's first owner, his own great-great grandfather.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOrca Book Publishers
    Release dateJan 1, 2000
    ISBN9781554696505
    Jesse's Star
    Author

    Ellen Schwartz

    Ellen Schwartz is the author of eighteen award-winning books for children, as well as one non-fiction book for adults, a collection of profiles of women singer-songwriters. In addition to writing books, Ellen works as a corporate writer and editor and as a freelance magazine writer who has published hundreds of magazine articles. Ellen has taught creative writing classes for many years at the college and university levels. Her passions include reading, jazz dancing, baking, and hiking. After a decade of being hippie homesteaders in the Kootenay region of British Columbia, Ellen and her husband now live in Burnaby, BC.

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      Book preview

      Jesse's Star - Ellen Schwartz

      Chapter One

      Remember, children, your family reports are due tomorrow, Ms. Brannigan reminded the class as they headed out the door.

      Jesse groaned.

      That stupid assignment. He hadn’t even started it yet.

      What was he going to do?

      Scowling, he shoved his hands in his pockets and started across the school field.

      Tomorrow? No way.

      What a dumb project anyway. Find out how your relatives came to Canada, Ms. Brannigan had said. Find out when they came and why they came, and what the conditions were like in the country where they came from. Write it all up in a report. Then we’ll put all the reports together in a big scrapbook that the whole class can share.

      Yippee, Jesse thought, kicking a stone. As if he cared about his dumb old relatives. What difference did it make when they came to Canada, or why, or how? They were all dead now, had been dead for years. They got here and now Jesse’s family lived here — that was all that mattered. So why bother going back in time to find out all that stuff?

      Jesse whacked at a tree with a stick.

      And how was he supposed to find it all out anyway? He knew nothing about his relatives, didn’t remember hearing any stories. He had no papers or pictures or scrapbooks or diaries, like some of the other kids. And the stupid report was due tomorrow.

      Jesse aimed a stone at a telephone pole. Ping!

      Shoot. He’d have to ask his parents. And then they’d know he’d left it until the last minute. Again. Last time, with the science project, was bad enough. But now, again …

      Well, there was no help for it. No one else to ask. Might as well face the music — and hope his mom or dad could bail him out.

      He entered the kitchen. No sign of his dad, but his mom was there, stuffing papers into her briefcase.

      Hey, Mom, he said, how’s it going? No harm buttering her up a bit first.

      Hi, Jesse. She waved a hand as she hurriedly slipped on her dress shoes.

      Got a minute?

      As a matter of fact, no. I’ve got to dash. What’s up?

      Where’re you going?

      Big meeting at the office — remember?

      Jesse’s heart sank. But Mom, I need your help.

      For what? she said, stuffing papers into her briefcase.

      A social studies report. About our relatives.

      Which relatives? What about them?

      The long-ago ones. The ones who first came to Canada. I need to know when they came and why they came and how they came and —

      Jesse’s mom laughed. That’s quite a project.

      I know, Mom, that’s why I need to ask you —

      Not now, that’s for sure.

      But Mom —

      Sorry, Jesse, I’m running late as it is. Tell you what. We’ll sit down tomorrow after school. You can ask me all the questions you want. Promise. She ruffled his hair, then started putting on her jacket.

      Panic set in. But Mom, it’s due tomorrow.

      She stopped with the jacket halfway on. It’s what?

      Jesse lowered his eyes.

      You left this until the last minute?

      Well, yeah, but —

      Jesse!

      Aw, Mom, you know how much I hate Social Studies, and it’s a dumb assignment anyway —

      That is no excuse.

      I know, but —

      I can’t believe you’ve done it again, Jesse. You’ve got to smarten up!

      I know, Mom. I will. Really. But in the meantime can’t you at least tell me when they came? And where they came from?

      She frowned at him, shaking her head. They came from Russia. Around the end of the nineteenth century.

      "Around? Jesse repeated, dismayed. Don’t you even know the year?"

      Not the exact year.

      Why not?

      Because nobody kept any records.

      Why not?

      His mom ran a brush through her hair. "They were poor Jews, Jesse. They escaped at a time when many Jews were leaving Russia. Things were crazy. People were dying. Everyone was in a hurry to

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