My America: Hope In My Heart, Sofia's Ellis Island Diary, Book One
Reviewed with Kathryn Lasky'sHome at Last.Gr. 3-6. An Italian immigrant child writes her diary in these two small books that are part of the My America series.Hope in My Heartis 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 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 Lastis 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.Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.