THE LACE DOWRY

In 1933 Budapest, Juli is a tall, awkward 12-year-old who loves reading. Her mother is insistent that she have a dowry, however, and takes her to Halas, the center of lace making, to order a lace tablecloth. Juli is fascinated by the farm, and by the intricate work that the lace maker and her daughter, Roza, do. Roza and Juli form a tentative friendship: Roza is too busy at the farm and at lace making to attend school; Juli tries to share book learning as Roza tries to show stitches and lace design. But Roza’s mother loses her sight from the endless close work, and Juli, stung, tries to find a way to assist her and Roza. Based on her own family story, Cheng captures Juli’s voice, and that of her difficult mother, directly and simply. The final resolution supplies both enlightenment and a small measure of reassurance in a deftly sketched historical setting. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)