Jacqueline Dembar Greene

Nine-year-old Rebecca Rubin eagerly helps her cousin Ana, newly arrived from Russia, to adjust to life in New York City, but when their teacher says the two must sing together at a school assembly, Rebecca worries that her big moment will be ruined.

While Rebecca Rubin helps her building's ailing superintendent take care of his homing pigeons, she puzzles over what to do with the Christmas centerpiece her teacher insisted she make but which has no place in her Jewish home.

When Rebecca helps her injured neighbor, Mr. Rossi, by caring for his pigeons, she discovers a strange black pigeon with an eerie message warning Mr. Rossi of danger, and consults a fortune teller to learn if she is in danger, as well.

In these six stories from the uplifting American Girl series, a young girl living in 1914 New York learns what it's like to grow up in the big city. Rebecca Rubin has big dreams of becoming an actress, but her parents don't think girls are cut out for performing. As Rebecca searches for alternatives, she finds new ways to fulfill dreams that she never thought possible.

"Rebecca Rubin is growing up in the bustling city of New York in 1914. She dreams of being a star on the silver screen, but her performance this year is on the stage at school. She has to share the spotlight with her cousin Ana, though, and Rebecca fears the audience will laugh instead of applaud. Will Ana hurt or help the performance? Then, being included in a special plan fills Rebecca with joy. But what act of kindness teaches her the true meaning...

"Rebecca is thrilled to spend the day at a real movie studio, and when a super, spectacular opportunity presents itself, she is quick to volunteer. But how will this scene play out? Then, on a visit to Coney Island, Rebecca gets the chance to use her acting skills to lighten the mood in an embarrassing situation--and her climbing skills to rescue someone in a dangerous spot. But a factory tour makes Rebecca believe her skills are needed there, too....

While celebrating her brother's Bar Mitzvah on Coney Island, nine-year-old Rebecca Rubin disobeys by going off on her own, leaving her cousin Ana, a recent immigrant, alone.

Three Chippewa legends featuring the mythical hero Manabozho, who introduces fire and wild rice to his people and saves the rose from extinction.