Home at Last : Sofia's Ellis Island Diary, Book Two
by Kathryn Lasky
My America (20th Cen. Immigration: Sofia's 2nd Diary, 1903), Dear America Collections (My America: 20th Cen. Immigration / Sofia's 2nd Diary, 1903), My Story
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In 1903, ten-year-old Sofia and her family begin their life in America in Boston, where her father works in a grocery, her mother sells pasta, and she goes to school while trying to stay in touch with her old friend Maureen. Includes historical notes.Tags
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Member Reviews
This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.
Short, sweet, not too deep. Kathryn Lasky works a relative of her husband, Dr. Balboni, into the story, as the physician who assists Sophia's family.
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ThingScore 100
Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Dec. 15, 2003 (Vol. 100, No. 8))
Reviewed with Kathryn Lasky's Hope in My Heart. An Italian immigrant child writes her diary in these two small books that are part of the My America series. Hope in My Heart is the most dramatic. After the family finally arrives at Ellis Island, nine-year-old Sofia is separated from her parents and quarantined. Terrified, angry, and show more knowing almost no English, she is at the mercy of officials and doctors, some of whom are prejudiced and corrupt. Only her friendship with an Irish girl and the support of a kind official and a priest make her life bearable, until her heartfelt reunion with her family. Home at Last is a conventional account of Italian Americans who struggle and eventually make it in the North End community of Boston. A teacher makes a huge difference, as does a doctor, whose character is based on a real person, Lasky's husband's grandfather. As is often the case with books in this series, the diary format is an awkward contrivance, but it certainly makes the tale more immediate. A historical note and archival photos add to the story. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2003, Scholastic, $12.95, $4.99. Gr. 3-6. show less
Reviewed with Kathryn Lasky's Hope in My Heart. An Italian immigrant child writes her diary in these two small books that are part of the My America series. Hope in My Heart is the most dramatic. After the family finally arrives at Ellis Island, nine-year-old Sofia is separated from her parents and quarantined. Terrified, angry, and show more knowing almost no English, she is at the mercy of officials and doctors, some of whom are prejudiced and corrupt. Only her friendship with an Irish girl and the support of a kind official and a priest make her life bearable, until her heartfelt reunion with her family. Home at Last is a conventional account of Italian Americans who struggle and eventually make it in the North End community of Boston. A teacher makes a huge difference, as does a doctor, whose character is based on a real person, Lasky's husband's grandfather. As is often the case with books in this series, the diary format is an awkward contrivance, but it certainly makes the tale more immediate. A historical note and archival photos add to the story. Category: Books for Middle Readers--Fiction. 2003, Scholastic, $12.95, $4.99. Gr. 3-6. show less
added by kthomp25
Elizabeth Young (Children's Literature)
Nine year old Sophia has just been released from being quarantined on Ellis Island because of a possible eye disease. Her new home is sparse at best, but it is home and she is with her family a month after their arrival in America. Sofia is the kind of daughter every mother wishes for--good natured, optimistic, studious and caring. This installment in the show more "My America" series is an engaging quick read. It is a story of dreams begun, dreams fulfilled and of hope. While reading this I couldn't help but notice similarities to the "Little House on the Prairie" television series, right down to the storeowners and local doctor. We are shown glimpses into the historic North End of Boston at the turn of the twentieth century. Most anecdotes are well placed, but do we really need to know about Marco swallowing the eye of a doll, and mentioning Rose Fitzgerald with no further explanation is just plain name-dropping! Sofia's story is one of encouragement for any age. From her Ellis Island release, her academic achievements, overcoming infantile paralysis, to the reality of possible losing her best friend, Sofia never loses her positive outlook and her penchant for bettering herself and others. 2003 show less
Nine year old Sophia has just been released from being quarantined on Ellis Island because of a possible eye disease. Her new home is sparse at best, but it is home and she is with her family a month after their arrival in America. Sofia is the kind of daughter every mother wishes for--good natured, optimistic, studious and caring. This installment in the show more "My America" series is an engaging quick read. It is a story of dreams begun, dreams fulfilled and of hope. While reading this I couldn't help but notice similarities to the "Little House on the Prairie" television series, right down to the storeowners and local doctor. We are shown glimpses into the historic North End of Boston at the turn of the twentieth century. Most anecdotes are well placed, but do we really need to know about Marco swallowing the eye of a doll, and mentioning Rose Fitzgerald with no further explanation is just plain name-dropping! Sofia's story is one of encouragement for any age. From her Ellis Island release, her academic achievements, overcoming infantile paralysis, to the reality of possible losing her best friend, Sofia never loses her positive outlook and her penchant for bettering herself and others. 2003 show less
added by kthomp25
Lists
Learning history through first-person, young adult, historical fiction one
188 works; 4 members
Books for An American Girl Readers
58 works; 1 member
Author Information
198+ Works 58,800 Members
Kathryn Lasky was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on June 24, 1944, and knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she was ten. She majored in English in college and after graduation wrote for various magazines and taught. Her first book, I Have Four Names for My Grandfather, was published while she was teaching. She has written more than seventy show more books for children and young adults on everything from historical fiction to picture books and nonfiction books including the Dear America books and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Many of her books are illustrated with photographs by her husband, Christopher Knight. She has received many awards for her titles including Sugaring Time which was a Newberry Honor Book; The Night Journey which won the National Jewish Book Award for Children; Pageant which was an ALA Notable Children's book; and Beyond the Burning Time which was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. She has also received the Washington Post's Children's Book Guild Award for her contribution to children's nonfiction. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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