Journey to a New Land

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Title: Journey to a New Land
Genre: Historical Fiction
Author: Kimberly Weinberger
Major Awards: None
Age Group: 9 - 12 year olds



Summary:
This book, “Journey to a New Island” is a story about a young girl and her big family that lives in northern Italy. The girls' parents were not very wealthy and struggled to feed their large family of ten each week. After years of struggling the girls father gets a job offer but it is in san Francisco all the way in the US. Her father and brother leave and go to San Francisco while they stayed back in Italy until there was enough money saved to send them all over to the US. After four years and lots of struggle they had finally saved enough money to send the rest of the family over. The rest of the young girls family traveled on a boat called the, Caserta all the way to Ellis Island in the us where her father and brother were. The ride took 18 brutal days and the family and the young girl suffered many hardships. Once they finally arrived and were examined they set off to San Francisco to be reunited with the rest of their beloved family. The young girl was finally able to attend school and have a real relationship with her father before he passed away. At the end of the book, the girl discusses how proud she is of her father and how proud he would be of her for the lovely family she has started in the US.

I would use this book in my classroom when discussing immigartion. This book tells a story of a young girls trip from overseas to the US and the hardships her and her family endorsed to get here. I feel that this book is a great representation of what it was like coming to the US from overseas in the early 1900’s. I feel as if this book is very easy to follow along and takes you through the girls hard journey and life getting to the US.

I feel that this book is best for students in grades 2nd- sixth. It has a very easy storyline to follow as well as great facts about times in the early 1900’s. It also has a plethora of great pictures and easy to read words which would be appealing to students in earlier grades. In addition, it also aligns great with what students are learning about immigraton and the hardships behind it.

I would use this book in my classroom when discussing immigration and traveling in the 1900s. I would have my students read the book aloud and then have them create a timeline of the young girl's life/journey to the us. I would also have them discuss and write what hardships her and her family went to as well as maybe why they left Italy. I could also have them discuss reasons why people immigrate and different ways of immigratuon.





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