The Lace Dowry by Andrea Chang

Imagine being twelve-years-old and having your mom get something special for your wedding. You don't have a boyfriend. You don't care about boys. And you really don't care about going miles away on a train to get a lace tablecloth for this someday wedding you don't care about. Who could guess that when she's there she'll fall in love with a tiny kitten and become friends with young Roza, a girl who doesn't go to school. Poor Roza has to work hard on the farm and then spend hours sewing tiny stitches to make the lace, wondering if she'll go blind like her mother. Juli might not care about boys, weddings, or lace, but she cares about a girl who doesn't even have the time to learn to read. Juli does care about Roza and knows she has to come up with something that will make Roza's life better!