The Way Back
For the people of Tupik, a tiny riverside village in Eastern Europe, demons are everywhere— dancing on the rooftops at midnight, congregating in the trees, trying to steal away the living. The even have a land of their own— the Far Country— governed by demonic lords and ladies.
One night, the Angel of Death comes strolling through the village. This sense Yehuda Leib and Bluma, two children of Tupik, whirling off on a perilous journey through the Far Country, where they will make pacts with ancient demons and declare war on Death himself.
And maybe— just maybe— find the way back.
Drawing inspiration from Jewish folk tradition, The Way Back is an unforgettable and life-affirming adventure filled with heart and hope.
Anna and the Swallow Man
Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She’s alone.
And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see.
The Swallow Man is not Anna’s father—she knows that very well—but she also knows that, like her father, he’s in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness.
Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.