All the Way to America

All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel
by
Dan Yaccarino
children's nonfiction, ages 5-7

The author lovingly tells and illustrates the story of how his ancestors immigrated from Sorrento, Italy to New York City and how, through hard work and determination, his family achieved the American Dream.
I am adding this book to my bibliography of read-aloud stories about genealogy and oral history.

Ellis Island

Ellis Island
by
Kate Kerrigan
adult historical fiction

I have read quite a few books about Irish immigrants coming to America to stay, but in this book the main character comes to America with the intention of making some money, then going back to Ireland or having her husband join her in America. It gets a little complicated when she realizes that her husband does not share her desire to leave Ireland and she does not want to come back to the backwards rural life of the Old World when there are things like Chanel #5 in New York! It is an interesting twist that gives this book a unique place among historical fiction.

Here is a "love of books" passage from when Ellie is traveling back to Ireland (in a better class of cabin than when she came).


"There was a small library next to the dining room and after breakfast each day I would borrow two dog-eared paperbacks to take back to my cabin and devour, sitting up in the hard bed until lunchtime. When I started to get cabin fever, I went up and read in the smoking lounge or took a walk around the deck, my book in hand. Thinking about what lay ahead of me,or what I had left behind, was a torture. So every waking hour I immersed myself in penny-dreadful crimes and romances, existing solely in the imagined world of girls in dramatic costumes falling hopelessly in love with vagabonds, or troubled men catching out clever criminals in hotel rooms. In this way, I was able to place my own concerns aside and curl myself up in the cocoon of somebody else's imagination".

Girl in Translation

Girl in Translation
by
Jean Kwok
YA or adult fiction
and the book on CD Narrated by Grayce Wey

Kim and her mother immigrate from Hong Kong some time before it reverts to Chinese control (probably 1965-1980). They are sponsored by her mother’s sister who sets them up in a horrible, condemned apartment and gets Kim’s mother a job in a clothing sweat shop in Chinatown, New York. The mother deals with very long work days and Kim has to help her mother at the factory and at home whenever she is not in school. Kim struggles with cultural assimilation and extreme poverty.
The most memorable character is the "evil aunt". Kim's aunt does the minimal amount to help Kim and her mother to save face and show family loyalty, but really she treats them like dirt.
The book on CD features a narrator with a strong Chinese accent. I guess this makes sense. In the printed version, the main character hears some words wrong and the author puts them down in italics as Kim heard them wrong.

Topics for discussion:
Plight of Chinese immigrants;
Plight of immigrants;
Sweat shops;
Poverty in America

Masquerade

Masquerade
by
Nancy Moser
adult Christian romance fiction

A young woman from a respectable Victorian family must leave England, as her father has lost the family's money and a suitor from New York has agreed to court her. Charlotte wants more out of life than a boring marriage, though. So she and her maid switch identities as they disembark in NYC. Can she and her maid be true to their own personalities even though they are in disguise? Will they find the love they desire? Does wealth buy happiness?
This is a pleasant but unoriginal plot. If you are looking for a quick, but forgettable read, then try this book.
P. S. I think this is an unfortunate title that can be confused with many other books with the same title. Three hundred three titles with the word "masquerade" show up in my library's catalog.

Ask Me No Questions

Ask Me No Questions
by
Marina Budhos

Young Adult Fiction.
2007 James A. Cook Award Winner (Celebrating Diversity in Teen Literature)
http://www.olc.org/news_storyJamesCookBookAward.asp

It is hard enough to be a teenager without having to worry about being deported to a country with which you no longer feel ties. Two teenage girls are living in New York City trying to get good grades, but they have a secret - any day they and their parents may be deported because they are living in the U. S. illegally. Their parents, like many others, left Bengladesh with no intentions of ever returning.
The Bengali community lends its support whenever it can, but even they can not avoid the law forever.

Letter to Amy

Letter to Amy
by
Ezra Jack Keats
children's fiction,
ages 3-6

Peter is the main character in more than one Keats book. Peter, a little African American boy, lives in NYC and has simple adventures that are age appropriate.
In this book, Peter has a girl friend. He worries that his boy friends will think he is funny to have a girl as a friend. It is an appealing plot and boys and girls should both enjoy this book.
The illustrations are ripped paper and watercolors. Keats' story is tender and universal. I give bonus points for the use of the dachshund in the background and you can see that a number of books that I have reviewed have featured dachshunds.
It is copyright 1968, but is still timely and relevant.