When Jessie Came Across the Sea

This book gives us a look into what it would be like when America was the new and exciting "promised land" for everyone. It takes us through the life of a little girl who is chosen to move to America and how she makes a living for herself. It mixes in a lovely little romance, and a heartwarming family situation. This story would be wonderful for older children around 4th or 5th grade. ( )

Beautifully illustrated!!! I like how the lessons Jessie and her grandmother learned early on in the book (learning to sew and learning to read) came back to be useful to them later on. The ending was absolutely adorable (if not a cloying), but I won't give it away! ( )

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A fictional tale based on the real life jouney many immigrants took to get to America, "When Jessie Came Across the Sea" follows the scary and uncertain path thirteen year old Jessie takes. After a rabbi elects to send Jessie to America to assist his brother's widow, Jessie must deal with leaving her grandmother behind and starting a new life in America. While the weather and long boat ride to Ellis Island are daunting, Jessie finds friendship and eventually love with another immigrant, Lou. Jessie starts a new life for herself in New York City but never loses connection with her grandmother overseas.

"When Jessie Came Across the Sea" tells the story of a young immigrant in an interesting and realistic fashion. Jessie's fear of leaving her home and family and embarking on an uncertain journey are vivdly depicted. The hope for a better life in America and the new beginning Jessie found are symbolic of the feelings and experiences many immigrants had in the late nineteenth/early twentieth centuries. ( )