Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Gittel's Journey by Lesléa Newman - Available

Gittel's Journey

An Ellis Island Story

by Lesléa Newman
Amy June Bates
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Gittel and her mother were supposed to immigrate to America together, but when her mother is stopped by the health inspector, Gittel must make the journey alone. Her mother writes her cousin's address in New York on a piece of paper. However, when Gittel arrives at Ellis Island, she discovers the ink has run and the address is illegible! How will she find her family? Both a heart-wrenching and heartwarming story, Gittel's Journey offers a fresh perspective on the immigration journey to Ellis Island. The book includes an author's note explaining how Gittel's story is based on the journey to America taken by her grandmother and family friend.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 19, 2020

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781666551563
      • File size: 13056 KB
      • Duration: 00:27:11

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Sarah Beth Goer evokes 9-year-old Gittel's every emotion in this historical fiction about the nineteenth-century immigrant experience. When her mother is denied passage to America because of an eye infection, Gittel bravely makes the journey alone, arriving at Ellis Island to discover that the address her mother gave her to go to is illegible. Lost and alone, Gittel relies on a kind Yiddish interpreter for help. Goer's sympathetic narration lets listeners hear the heartbreak in Mama's voice and the confused panic in Gittel's. Music, sound effects, and several Yiddish phrases (plus a glossary) heighten the drama and effectively depict the setting, although listeners may also want to see the illustrations for a more complete picture of the era and people. S.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from October 29, 2018
      Nine-year-old Gittel and her mother are immigrating from the Old Country to America, leaving behind friends and many cherished belongings (“Can’t we take Frieda with us?” Gittel asks. “We cannot bring a goat to America,” Mama says). But when they reach the boat, Mama is barred from boarding due to an eye infection, and she insists that Gittel continue without her. “Home is not safe for us,” Mama tells her tearful daughter. “You are going to America to have a better life.” Wearing a bright red kerchief, clutching the address of a cousin in New York City, and carrying Mama’s precious Shabbat candlesticks in her bundle, Gittel starts her journey to Ellis Island. Mixed-media images by Bates (The Big Umbrella), washed in yellows and browns and framed by woodblock motifs, give readers a vivid sense of the historical context while infusing the story with a timeless emotional immediacy. Newman (Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed) skillfully modulates her narration, capturing her protagonist’s feelings of excitement, loneliness, and fear. The ending, handled with both restraint and warmth, relies on one of those improbable twists of good fortune that define so many immigrant stories—and it’s based on a real event. Ages 5–8.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading
Check out what's being checked out right now