Twelve-year-old Juli wants neither a dowry nor the dancing lessons that her mother has long planned for her. Studious and smart, Juli dreams of a career, not of marriage. But her mother insists, and together they make regular trips to the countryside to check on the progress of the large lace tablecloth commissioned for her dowry. Soon Julie makes friends with the lace maker's daughter, Roza, an unschooled girl her own age who is already saddled with adult responsibilities. When progression the tablecloth slows because of unexpected difficulties in Roza's family, Juli finds herself defying her mother in order to help her new friend. Through this painful episode, Juli and her mother grow to better understand themselves, each other, and how the past has shaped them.

 

This book was recognised by the Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award.

There are 115 pages in this book. This book was published 2005 by Boyds Mills Press .

Andrea Cheng is the daughter of Hungarian immigrants, and grew up among extended family -- all Holocaust survivors. She lives in Cincinnati.