One Foot Ashore by Jacqueline Greene 
One Foot Ashore is a compelling story about a sixteen year old Jewish girl named Marie Ben Lazar and her sister Isobel.  When they were ten and four years old they were kidnapped by the Portuguese Inquisition and taken to Brazil to work at the monastery's farms for six years. After six years Marie comes up with a deceptively simple plan to find their parents.
    Her plan was for her and her sister to board two separate ships and sail as stowaways to Amsterdam,  then when they got to Amsterdam they would look for their parents. Isobel didn't want to separate, but Marie was unflinching in her decision, but when Marie spends a week alone in hiding she fully realizes why Isobel was afraid to separate. 
    Finally the ship arrives in Amsterdam, and Marie becomes poignant because she remembers that she doesn't speak this country's language, she doesn't know where to turn to and doesn't have any money either. While she's trying to figure out what to do she gets into trouble and gets put in jail. While she is in jail a stranger comes and talks to the jailers and then asks Marie in Portuguese who she is and where she is from. Marie tells him who she is and the stranger pays her bail and gestures for her to follow him home and hands her a package to carry.  
    Gripping the package in one hand she picks up the bundle she brought and follows the stranger home.  As she walks with this stranger she tries to figure out why he is wanting her to follow him home.But all at once she realizes that this stranger wants to help her. This is a riveting and powerful story that girls will really like.