"There are so many things I do not understand.”

What happens when the lone Jewish girl in a small Mississippi town challenges the rules of segregation in the hot summer of 1953?

Essie Rose Ginsberg, writer, loner, and all-time worrier, is hoping for a carefree summer vacation. But when the family’s beloved housekeeper is suddenly called away, Essie Rose must figure out how to "get on with her business" and make her Pearlie May proud. 

When Daddy’s store is vandalized, when mean girls bully her, when her entry in the town’s essay contest is jeopardized because Pearlie May is not a Caucasian, Essie Rose’s worries become a reality. 

The Fourth of July comes and goes without Pearlie May's return. Will she make it home in time for Essie Rose's 11th birthday? Will the Ginsbergs remain in Tipton, or will increasing discrimination and danger finally force them to return up North? 

Listen over her shoulder as Essie Rose captures it all in her Writer’s Notebook, chronicling a summer of friendship, love, loyalty, and “getting on with her business.

Inspired by the author’s childhood experiences in the Jim Crow South, Yasner’s coming-of-age debut novel is a moving, multi-layered, and meticulously-researched story of loneliness and loyalty, bullying and friendship, loss and courage.

“Yasner is a new talent to watch, and Essie Rose is an unforgettable character. Don't miss this story.” (Anna Myers, author of 20 books for young people, including Tulsa Burning)

“An absolute delight. I laughed. I cried. I loved it.” (Mary Guess Flamer, EdD, former title i coordinator,  NJ Department of Education)