Twelve-year-old Sarah has a lot to contend with this holiday season. It is the first Hanukkah since the death of her little brother, and Sarah is having a hard time convincing her parents that they should celebrate as usual. When her father refuses to participate and her mother busies herself with other things, it is left to Sarah to polish the old ancestral menorah in readiness for the traditional lighting of the candles. To her great amazement, when she lights the candles and watches them burn, the "miracle" of Hanukkah transports Sarah into another world.

Night by night, hypnotized by the flames of the candles, she is drawn into this world of the past — a ship crowded with immigrants, a traditional synagogue in Eastern Europe, an old store in Toronto's Kensington Market. Sarah realizes that these nightly voyages take her into the life of a particular family that includes a young girl also named Sarah. When her parents too are touched by the spell of the menorah, they join her in seeking out Sarah's great-grandmother Ruth, the living link between past and present.

Tender and authentic, Jaffe's Feast of Lights is a celebration of Hanukkah, a tribute to Toronto's multicultural heritage and a comforting guide for any young girl coming to grips with loss and mourning. Ellen Jaffe brings home the importance of love and family heritage in this beautifully written tale of discovery.