Ever since his parents and sister died when he was four, Jacob Weiss has struggled. His Uncle and Aunt took him in for as long as they could, but times are hard in Poland in the 1920s, and Jacob has to go live at an orphanage.

Smaller than other boys his age, Jacob gets picked on by the neighborhood bully and fears what his future will bring. He finds solace in playing the mandolin with the orphanage mandolin orchestra.

When an American comes to the orphanage and proposes to take a group of older students to a farm in Canada, Jacob struggles with his fears of the unknown, but ultimately decides to immigrate to Canada.

Along the way, he has to conquer his natural timidity to help a stowaway friend, perform with his orchestra in front of rich people, and settle into a new life far from everything he’s ever known.

This sweet, fictionalized account of real events would act as a great discussion starter for an elementary or middle-grade history class. It touches on prejudice, immigration quotas, an unusual instrument, being Jewish, and orphanages.

It ends rather abruptly, and the reader is left wanting to know more of the story. The author has materials at the back of the book for further research on this unusual and little-known event in Canadian history.