Blue Thread

by Ruth Tenzer Feldman

Overview

The women’s suffrage movement is in full swing in 1912 Portland, Oregon—the last holdout state on the West Coast. Miriam desperately wants to work at her father’s printing shop, but when he refuses she decides to dedicate herself to the suffrage movement, demanding rights for women and a different life for herself. Amidst the uncertainty of her future, Miriam’s attention is diverted by the mysterious Serakh, whose sudden, unexplained appearances and insistent questions lead Miriam to her grandmother’s Jewish prayer shawl—and to her destiny. With this shawl, Miriam is taken back in time to inspire the Daughters of Zelophehad, the first women in Biblical history to own land. Miriam brings the strength and courage of these women with her forward in time, emboldening her own struggles and illuminating what it means to be an independent woman.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781932010411
Publisher:	Ooligan Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	The Blue Thread Saga
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	296
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Ruth Tenzer Feldman is the author of numerous historical and political nonfiction books for children and young adults, including The Fall of Constantinople, Thurgood Marshall, Don’t Whistle in School: The History of America’s Public Schools, and How Congress Works. She holds degrees in both law and international relations, and has spent time working as a legislative attorney for the U.S. Department of Education. Ruth is an active member of local Jewish organizations and historical societies. She has spent countless hours researching Jewish history, women’s suffrage, and early twentieth century printing techniques to bring historical accuracy to Blue Thread, her first young adult novel.

Read an Excerpt

The grandfather clock ticked in the hall. Serakh stroked the blue thread with her free hand. “Miriam,” she said softly, “I cannot make you touch this thread, so I ask again for the sake of Tirtzah and our people. Tirtzah struggles to share in her father’s dream. Will you come?”   I thought of Papa and that VOTE NO card. “I have problems with my father, too.”   Serakh frowned. “Of that I am sure.”   I was curious—who wouldn’t be? And it wasn’t as if Serakh was forcing me. Besides, what was the worst that could happen? I could still outrun her if things got any stranger, and we hadn’t even left the house yet. She gestured to the shawl again.   I reached for the blue thread.   An eerie blue glow spread over my fingers. I stared at her as I fought an urge to let go of the thread. “Who in heaven’s name are you?”   Serakh didn’t answer. Instead she kissed my forehead and covered my hand in hers. My stomach felt queasy and a great crushing feeling squeezed my chest.   Blue lightning crackled before my eyes.   My world turned black.

Editorial Reviews

"Like Miriam herself, Blue Thread interweaves elements of faith, history, and politics, but what I loved most about this young adult novel was the even more powerful element of family. From the dominant conflict and connection between Miriam and her father to the more fantastical tie between the women of the Josefsohn family, Ruth Tenzer Feldman does a beautiful job peering into the bonds that bring us together, tear us apart, and allow us to travel beyond ourselves." —Anne Osterlund Swan, author of Academy 7

"Hooray for Miriam, just the kind of young woman I like—curious, compassionate, intelligent, independent, and determined. Her story is told in Blue Thread, a wonderfully written novel about her struggle to be herself, to be honest, and to be just. In an intriguing blend of fantasy and historical fiction, Miriam finds the battles of the past informing her present and inspiring her future. I cheered her efforts, her courage, and her rewards. And so will you." —Karen Cushman, author of The Midwife's Apprentice

From the Publisher

Gr 8–10—Sixteen-year-old Miriam lives in 1912 Portland, OR, in a strict Jewish American home. Her father is a successful business owner and her mother is the perfect wife. Miriam has everything she needs, but she knows there's more to life than what her parents have planned for her. She wants to be a printer like her father, but they want her to marry an acceptable Jewish man. While her mother plans their trip to New York City to find her a husband, Miriam gets caught up in the fight for women's suffrage. At first she's nervous about going against her parents' wishes, but curiosity gets the better of her and she begins helping the suffragist Osborne sisters make yellow ribbons in support of women's voting rights. However, after a mysterious girl named Serakh whisks Miriam back to biblical times, her desire to be a larger part of the movement becomes stronger. Through her adventures with Serakh, she learns about her past, her present, and the powerful influence she has over both. Teens may find the story slow at first, but will want to know how it turns out.—Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY

School Library Journal

Travels in time give a middle-class girl the courage to fight for both women's suffrage and her own dreams. Sixteen-year-old Miriam, lover of typography, wants nothing more than to train at her father's print shop. But respectable, well-to-do girls don't work with heavy machinery in 1912 Portland, Ore. Miriam's immigrant Jewish parents, proud of the future they've built from poverty, intend an advantageous marriage for their only living child. If befriending a lovely pair of poor young suffragists isn't enough to make Miriam rebel, what is? Perhaps time travel is what she needs. Miriam is visited by her biblical relative, Serakh, who begs Miriam to travel back in time to help her ancestors. The daughters of Zelophehad seek a favor from Moses, and Miriam is needed to provide them with courage. Miriam pops back and forth between worlds: well-to-do Portland, where she makes morning calls and attends fancy-dress parties; biblical Moab; and the equally exotic, alien environment of suffragist marches and working-class neighborhoods. It takes all three to help her find the initiative, empathy and common sense to help push her toward adulthood. In the spirit of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic (1988), with a mix of historical details about the women's-suffrage movement and early printing, tied together with a very Jewish thread of historical continuity. (Historical fantasy. 11-13)

Kirkus Reviews