Rachel Stern is sixteen years old and already an accomplished painter; art school awaits and she's doing everything she can to improve her portfolio before the academy's application deadline. When an old family friend unexpectedly invites her to spend her summer on a kibbutz in Israel, Rachel can't imagine a better opportunity for creative adventure. Spending the summer with the Bason family on Kibbutz Givat HaShoftim, near the Mediterranean coast, proves to be very different from what she expected. Before returning to America, Rachel comes to love Israel and kibbutz life, and through her special friendship with Yoel Bason, discovers romance and finds a new direction for her artistic talent. Cecilia Cohen, an American-Israeli artist and writer, has lived in Israel since 1979. Her novel for tweens and teens eloquently breathes life into Israel's landscapes and traditional kibbutz culture.