"Will the meeting please come to order?" I announced to the girls crowded into our two-room Walnut Street apartment.

It was the first meeting of the American Young Sisters Society, a group of Jewish immigrants from Russia. I, Goldie Mabowehz, naturally appointed my self president.

In the room was my little sister Clara, my best friend Regina, my neighbor Belle and her sister Frieda, my classmate Lillian, and others.

I had called the meeting to discuss textbooks.

"The kids in our school don't have enough money to buy them," I explained. "They need our help."

"Have you seen Hymie's book?" asked Regina. "He say she's the third person in his family to use it. It's missing half its pages."

"Jennie keeps peeking over my shoulder to see my book," Frieda said. "I wish she'd get her own."

"How much money do we have to raise?" asked Belle.

"Three cents a week," I said, "from each of us." As the best math student in the whole fourth grade, naturally it was up to me to figure this out.

Lillian groaned. "Goldie, that's too much. A loaf of bread costs three cents."

"So does a quart of milk," added Sarah.