Gingersnap by Patricia Reilly Giff

Jayna is living with her brother and they have created their own "family" since their parent's death.  Then Rob is called up to go to war in 1945 and she's left alone, with just her landlord for company.

Random House Children's Books sent me a copy of this book for review (thank you).  It was published in January, so you can buy a copy now at your local bookstore.

Jayna is knicknamed Gingersnap because she's a redhead.  She knows they have an old cookbook from her Grandmother and that the old lady lives in Brooklyn.  When she gets a notice from the service that her brother is missing in action and may not be coming back, she decides to take charge of her own life.  She heads out for Brooklyn to look for Grandma.  Some family is better than none.  What she finds is not family, but it is a place to belong.

This is an authentic look at 1945, how simple and how hard it could be, and what one little girl will do to try to find a place to call home and a family to care for her.

I enjoyed this read.  Why not give a try and see what you think?

Happy reading.