How Kätchen Became Sparky

<p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; min-height: 14.0px;><br></p><p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 27.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 22.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; background-color: rgba(255 255 255 0.95);><span style=font-kerning: none;>When </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>German-born </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>Katharina Brandt newly nicknamed Sparky immigrates to America from Amsterdam in 1938 her dearest wish is to become a real American girl. </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>From now on her name is Katherine Small and she adopts the nickname Sparky to try to seem even more American. </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>Before she can realize her dream though she'll have to learn the ins and outs of the unusual Atlantic City neighborhood and group of friends in Atlantic City.</span></p><p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 27.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 22.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; background-color: rgba(255 255 255 0.95);><span style=font-kerning: none;>Sparky is taken under the wing of Cinnimin Filliard the youngest child of the man who helped the Brandts immigrate. Cinni teaches Sparky a thing or two not only about American life but also the strange town she's come to. Cinni and her friends look act and talk like they're a fair bit older all because of an esoteric radical quasi-religion and secret society of sorts that have been passed down for over a thousand years.</span></p><p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 27.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 22.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; background-color: rgba(255 255 255 0.95);><span style=font-kerning: none;>Sparky and Cinni quickly become best friends not least because they're living together. Sparky wants to believe Cinni is steering her right in her lessons about how to become an American girl but is a bit taken aback by her conflicting attitudes. How is it possible that this nice intelligent girl is the same person who often cops a superior attitude to her so-called friends just because she was voted Most Popular Girl? </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>Particularly to neighbor Violet whom Cinni is convinced is after her title.</span></p><p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 27.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 22.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; background-color: rgba(255 255 255 0.95);><span style=font-kerning: none;>Sparky will do almost anything as she navigates her way through American life to become a real American girl and stop giving herself away as a greenhorn. Anything that is but compromise her faith. </span><span style=font-kerning: none;>She longs to be Sparky to her friends while remaining Kätchen to her family and staying true to her values. But along the way Cinni who tries to tempt her into wearing shorter skirts and eating non-kosher food slowly begins realizing there's more than one acceptable way to be a real American.</span></p><p style=margin: 0.0px 0.0px 27.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; line-height: 22.0px; font: 12.0px Baskerville; color: #000000; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; background-color: rgba(255 255 255 0.95);><span style=font-kerning: none;>Will she ever be able to pull off being Sparky to her friends while remaining Kätchen to her family and staying true to her values? And just why was she nicknamed Sparky?</span></p>