Threads

China is a long way from Evanston, Ill., but perhaps not as far as Polonsky’s heroine, Clara, thinks. After all, Clara’s older sister, Lola, was born there, and the whole family visited Lola’s birthplace just a few years ago. Now, Clara is 12, and it’s has been two months since Lola died from leukemia. The family is deep in grief when China reenters Clara’s life via a note she finds in a purse—written by a 13-year-old girl kidnapped to work in the factory where it was produced. Desperate to save Yuming, Clara persuades her parents to travel to China once again; they agree, hoping the trip will help Clara find closure after Lola’s death. Meanwhile, Yuming doesn’t wait to be saved, and in increasingly tense chapters, she joins forces with others in the factory to escape. By letting Clara and Yuming tell their stories alternately and showing the risks both take, Polonsky (Gracefully Grayson) delivers an affecting story of connections that cross international lines: the objects we use, the geography we traverse, and the families we make. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (Nov.) [/em]