Celebrating Hanukkah is bittersweet this year for twelve-year-old Sarah Goldman and her parents, who are mourning the recent death of Sarah's little brother. But when Sarah lights the candles on the menorah, she finds herself transported magically back to the times of her ancestors. For eight nights, mesmerized by the candle flames, she is drawn into the past: a ship crowded with immigrants, an old synagogue in Eastern Europe, a store in the Kensington Market of old Toronto. When Sarah realizes that she is meeting her own relatives from the past, a wonderful transofmation begins to occur ...

About the Author: Ellen Jaffe is a working writer. She has been teaching writing workshops at conferences, in schools, libraries and community centres since 1968. She completed her MA in Education in New York City and her Certificate in Psychotherapy in London, England. In her private practice, she offers creative writing programs for adults and children to help them express their feelings and emotions through stories and poetry. Ms. Jaffe is a widely published poet in Canada, the US and the UK, and the winner of the 2000 Orion Prize for Poetry.

Ellen S. Jaffe's profile page