written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Ben F. Stahl
Fifteen-year old, Annie, and her younger brothers are on a ship to America from their home in Ireland. Their parents had already settled in America three years before. The journey isn’t always an easy one, but Annie does her best to keep everyone’s spirits up, and their new friend helps them out when he can. When they finally arrive at Ellis Island, the book offers a gasp-inspiring surprise for the reader (or at least for me, it did). While this book is fiction, it is based on the story of three actual travelers from the 1890s.
We picked this book up while studying Ellis Island. To be honest, I don’t know that I would have found it otherwise. But I’m so glad we read it. I love that the book offers beautiful illustrations as well as actual photographs from the time period. I sob out loud every time I read this to our daughter, to the point where I can’t get words out—always a sign of great book.