A âspiritedâ young adult novel of a teen immigrantâs challenges in NYC has âvivid period detail and strong female characters . . . [and] a hopeful conclusionâ (Publishers Weekly).
The compelling story of a young girlâs newfound independence, from her entrance into a new country to her frightening involvement in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911.
My heart filled with fear and hope at the same time. I had the feeling that I was brought to America for a purpose. Something important would happen to me here.
I remembered the words of the poem, âGive me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses . . . â
âHere we are, America,â I whispered. âWeâre just exactly what you ordered.â
When she arrives on Ellis Island as a seventeen-year-old Irish immigrant, Rose Nolan is looking for a land of opportunities; what she finds is far from all sheâd dreamed. Stubborn and tenacious, she refuses to give up. Left alone to fend for herself and her younger sister, Rose is thrust into a hard-knock life of tenements and factory work.
When the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911 sweeps through Roseâs life, her confusions are brought to an all-too-painful head. To whom and to what can she turn when everything around her is in ashes?
âFast-paced, populated by distinctive characters, and anchored in Auchâs convincing sense of time and place.â âSchool Library Journal.
âThe facts are riveting. . . . A good addition to womenâs history titles.â âBooklist, boxed review