Product Description

Ellis Island
1904

Still aboard the ASTORIA
February 12, 1904

I want to get off this cold, gray ocean more than I have ever wanted anything....oh, how I just wish we would arrive and be off this smelly ship.

The ship is nearing Ellis Island. Arriving in America will mean seeing her father again after two long years, but Nell Dunne is still miserable. The journey has been awful; the food is stale and the ship is filthy. Nell's mother and baby sister have been seasick off and on, and her grandmother's forgetfulness and confusion have gotten worse. And now Nell is worried about rumors saying the American inspectors at Ellis Island can send infirm, elderly people back. If Granny Rose is sent home to Ireland, Nell will have to go, too, to take care of her. Has Nell endured the arduous ocean crossing only to end up being separated frorm her family?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1183206 in Books
• Published on: 2000-08-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-Nell's story begins aboard the Astoria, as she and her Irish family are en route to join her father who left years before to find a better life in America. When the bright lights of the city are spotted, the excitement and trepidation mount; the passengers are herded first off the ship to Ellis Island for inspection, and finally to their new homes. The author describes the sights, smells, and sounds of immigrant ships, with their poor ventilation, inadequate food, cramped sleeping quarters, and lack of bathing facilities. Ultimately, she captures the experience of thousands of immigrants seeking freedom and fortune in America. A good addition to any collection.
Alison Grant, West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

An excellant addition to the series.
Nell Dunne is scared. She and her mother, baby sister, older brother, and grandmother have endured the long journey from Ireland to the United States to be reuinted with her father after two long years. But before they can rejoin him, they will have to go through Ellis Island. Nell is worried that her grandmother, who is weak and forgetfull, will not pass the inspection. If Granny Rose fails the inspection, Nell will have to accompany her back to Ireland to care for her, and she will never see her father. This book was a detailed account of what a young girl coming to America might have encountered on Ellis Island in the early 1900s. I highly reccomend this excellant addition to the American Diaries series.

great
A great American Diarie book. Although at times it got a little boring, the book was exciting at times. I never really knew what the test were like when people came in to America but this book tells you. Nell is scared the Granny rose won't pass the tests. if she doesn't, then Nell will have to go back to Ireland and may never see her father. A good book.