When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Somehow I'm on the verge of tears every time I finish this book. Jessie is a bright-eyed 13 year old who braves the Atlantic alone in search of new life in America. The rabbi of her little village in Europe hand chose Jessie to apprentice at a lace shop in New York. But the move separates Jessie from Grandmother -- her only living relative. Adjusting to life in a new country is full of challenges such as language, culture, and new laws. However, Jessie finds that the strong Jewish community embraces her with open arms. She diligently writes letters to Grandmother about her new life, learning, and budding romance. Readers follow their correspondence back-and-forth across the ocean until the two reunite in New York City.
Lexile: 0470L

The Keeping Quilt

Patricia Polacco shares the legacy passed down from her Great Gramma Anna, a Jewish immigrant from Russia. The quilt is portrayed in vivid colors on each page. This contrast makes a bold statement against the rest of the book's charcoal illustrations.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

As provocative as this title sounds today, James Weldon Johnson's raw memoir must have sparked even more controversy when first published in 1912.  This is a commentary on race-relations in turn of the century New York. Johnson was the first black executive secretary o f the NAACP; his conversational voice invites the reader into his experience as comrades do over coffee in the corner of a city cafe.

Farmer Boy

Ok, up to this point we've tracked the Ingalls family as the traveled around the Midwest. And by they, I mean Pa, Ma, Laura and Mary.  Farmer Boy alludes to Laura's future relationship status by ushering us into the daily grind of Almonzo Wilder.  Tracking this young man around a New York farm offers the reader a broader perspective on 19th century  life. I personally found this forray into farm life intriguiging as a child.  I certainly didn't grow up anywhere near on, and none of my relatives were farmers. The simple details skillfully acquaint the sub/urbanite with a life-style that still characterizes many around the globe. Almonzo is a tough, hardworking kid with a passion for horses...a passion that may send away from the East Coast and out to the plains one day.