In the midst of the Great Depression Jake’s life is turned upside down when his father gets caught up in the Socialist fervor washing over their Finnish mining community in Minnesota. His father decides to move their family to Karelia, Russia, a change that fills Jake with dread. His father dreams of creating a worker’s paradise, but Jake and his family find disappointment and hardship. The story culminates with a thrilling, mid-winter attempt to escape – on skis – from Russia to Finland.
Minnesota Book Award Winner
Junior Library Guild Selection
New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age List