Across So Many Seas
In a novel that spans centuries and countries, the individual lives and experiences of four 12-year-old girls coalesce to tell the story of one Sephardic Jewish family. In Toledo, Spain, in 1492, Benvenida scrawls a message on the wall of her home before leaving with her family for Naples; they have chosen migration over conversion to Catholicism. But with the rise of antisemitism in Italy, their time there will be limited. In 1923, Benvenida’s descendant, Reina, lives in peace with Muslims, Christians, and other Jews in Constantinople. When Reina is caught spending time with her neighbor, Sadik, her father disowns her and arranges a marriage for her in Cuba, where her aunt lives. In 1961, Reina’s youngest child, Allegra, is eager to become a brigadista and teach people in the Cuban countryside to read; she signs up against the wishes of her father, who is skeptical of the Revolution. But after her older siblings escape Cuba, Allegra ends up moving to the United States, securing passage as part of the Pedro Pan airlift. Finally, in 2003 Paloma is traveling to Spain with her mother, Allegra, and grandmother, Reina. The story comes full circle at the Sephardic Museum in Toledo, where the family unknowingly admires the message written by their very own ancestor, Benvenida. While heartache abounds for this family, so too does resilience; and while the timeline is sprawling, the girls are connected by tradition, pride, history, and a great love of music. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 10-13
Age Range:
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
15th Century
20th Century
21st Century
Anti-Semitism
Cubans and Cuban Americans
Immigration and Immigrants
Jewish People
Middle Ages
Spanish and Spanish Americans
World History
Diversity subjects:
Black/African
Latine
Jewish
Publishers:
Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Random House
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 258
ISBN: 9780593323403
CCBC Location: Fiction, Behar