The keys to Fanny

the long version

"Thirteen-year-old Fanny faces a bleak future after the sudden death of her mother. Forbidden to learn how to read and write in her native Ukraine, Fanny is forced to care for the family after her father remarries. Upon learning that a marriage has been arranged for her with her stepmother's lazy, cruel nephew, Fanny panics. But when her Aunt Freda offers her secret passage on a boat headed to America, Fanny faces a crucial choice. Determined to forge a future for herself abroad, Fanny and her aunt must first outwit marauding Cossacks, survive unrelenting storms, and stand strong in the face of a devastating family secret. Readers will cheer for Fanny as she bravely embarks on a journey full of danger, intrigue ... and hope."--Back cover.