gillian rosner

The streets are eerily empty, and everyone in the Jewish community is terrified of Peter the Hermit. His men, the Crusaders, are moving through the town on their way to the Holy Land. They have been known to batter down doors and burn Jewish houses, all in the name of religion.

This is not Nazi Germany but Troyes, France, in 1096, as seen through the eyes of funny, feisty, twelve-year-old Elvina. She is the granddaughter of the great rabbi Rashi, and she knows how to read and write—which is very rare for a girl of her time. She draws strength from this, as well as from her guardian angel, to whom she regularly speaks.

On a cold Sabbath afternoon while Elvina is alone in the house, three soldiers pound at her door. One of them is wounded. Elvina has only a moment to make a difficult choice that could put her family and the entire community at risk. Can her guardian angel guide her and keep her safe?

My Guardian Angel is a story of compassion and tolerance that speaks clearly to readers of all faiths. Elvina’s voice lingers long in memory, and her courage and humor long in the heart.