The arrival of Vera's new baby sister makes her feel displaced, so her grandfather helps create a special spot, just for her.

New York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian delivers “an all-encompassing and enthralling” (Oprah Daily) novel featuring an unforgettable heroine coming of age in the aftermath of catastrophe, and her quest for love and reinvention. Meet Vera Johnson, fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello. Vera has grown up straddling two worlds—the madam’s alluring sphere, replete with tickets to the opera, surly henchmen, and scant morality, and the quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her. On the morning of the great quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned, and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Disregarding societal norms and prejudices, Vera begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors, navigating through the disaster together. “A character-driven novel about family, power, and loyalty, (San Francisco Chronicle), Vera brings to life legendary characters—tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted mayor Eugene Schmitz and boss Abe Ruef, tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels. This “brilliantly conceived and beautifully realized” (Booklist, starred review) tale of improbable outcomes and alliances takes hold from the first page, with remarkable scenes of devastation, renewal, and joy. Vera celebrates the audacious fortitude of its young heroine, who discovers an unexpected strength in unprecedented times.

Everything seems to go wrong for Vera on her first day at a new school, until a classmate shares one of her mishaps.

Vera is finally big enough to go trick-or-treating after dark, and this year she is dressed as a mummy! When one of her tissue bandages unravels, she stops to fix it only to discover that her family accidentally left her behind. As Vera searches for them, it starts to rain. How will she keep her bandages from falling apart? How will she find her way home? Getting separated from loved ones can be a scary experience for children. In her reassuring way, Vera Rosenberry evokes the atmosphere of a spooky yet magical Halloween, and the comfort that comes when reuniting with loved ones.