num_pages: 112
description: In 1902, in a small German Romanian town, immigration promoters turn up singing catchy songs about adventures in America. To the townspeople, the land sounds like paradise, and ten-year-old Johann Bonfert is excited when his own family begins planning a life overseas. His father and brother leave early to find jobs in the steel mills of Ohio, and the rest of the family follows later on a long, miserable sea journey. Johann soon discovers, however, that it not easy to start life from scratch. America is not automatically paradise and assimilation can be difficult, especially for grown-ups.
language: German
title: Das Paradies liegt in Amerika
titlecomplete: Das Paradies liegt in Amerika
genres: Childrens, Young Adult, German Literature, Historical Fiction, Fiction
ratings_count: 92
awards: awardedAt: 1009872000000
name: Batchelder Award
publisher: Beltz