Dominic has never had a
place to belong. He goes from one foster home to the next trying to hide from
his different classmates. He's not like the rest of them. When his new
class visits the Ellis Island Museum, he is embarrassed because he has no family
history to speak of and no relatives that he can look up during the visit. Not
only that, his shoes are too tight, and he is exhausted. When he falls asleep
in a closet and wakes up hours later after everyone is gone, he panics. After
picking up the phone and talking to someone from Italy in the early 1900s, he finds himself in a mysterious field with three boys speaking Italian,
which he's shocked to find he can understand. Salvatore, Francesco, and
Antonio are three brothers without a home. Dominic’s behavior seems so strange that the brothers assume he hit his
head during an earthquake in another part of Italy. The boys become fast friends and after some
interesting encounters, they tell Dominic that he is like family to them
now. Unfortunately for Dominic, the boys
soon find out that they will be traveling to America to be adopted and must
leave in a few days. Making matters even
worse, the boys are being blamed for the death of a local villain and must flea
their village. Will Dominic be alone when the boys leave for America? Is it possible for four orphans to slip away
undetected from those trying to capture them? Will Dominic ever get back to the time period he came from? Read this heartwarming story to find out how
the story ends.
When I read The Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira
Woodruff I was immediately drawn into the story. I could relate to Dominic and
felt so bad for him that he felt completely alone in the world. Once he traveled back in time to Italy I was
immediately captivated by Francesco, Salvatore, and Antonio because of their
unique and irresistible personalities. Reading about the small village in Italy
made me want to hop on a plane and check out its countryside. I would recommend
this book to kids in grades three and up. Anyone who likes history and time travel will love the story and will be
piecing together clues to see if Dominic really did travel back in time. The
story has a wonderful theme of friendship, family, and acceptance. I even shed some tears towards the end of the
book! I enjoyed reading the author notes at the end of the book and finding out
where her ideas came from and some of her personal family history. I look
forward to reading more books by this author!
Has anyone else read The
Orphan of Ellis Island? Or have you read another book by Elvira Woodruff? We would love to hear your thoughts!
Happy reading!
~L
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Happy reading!
~L
Thanks for the review--I will add it to my time travel tbr list!
ReplyDeleteCharlotte- You are welcome. Enjoy! ~L
DeleteThanks for the review. I have nephews just the right age for this one. Will have to keep it in mind.
ReplyDeleteRuth- You are welcome. I bet your nephews will enjoy this one. It is a fast and entertaining read. :) ~L
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting time travel book. I imagine there are lots of kids in foster care who done really know anything about their families.
ReplyDeleteAlex- It is an interesting time travel books. I think a lot of kids will be able to connect to the story! ~L
Delete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting story! Thanks for highlighting it. =)
JMJ- It is great! Thanks for visiting. :) ~L
DeleteI haven't read this one, but I love stories that show us a different time. When I read about the trials of immigrants, I'm always amazed that they kept coming (and still come).
ReplyDeleteSounds like a really good book! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteCherie- Definitely a book worth reading. I want to go to Italy now! :) ~L
DeleteBarbara- For some reason I can't reply to your comment underneath it. I agree with you that learning about immigration is amazing and between the travel and exams- things weren't easy for them. I think this is a story you will enjoy. :) ~L
DeleteThis one is new to me, but I can definitely see it appealing to teachers.
ReplyDeleteKelly- It is the perfect book for teacher because of the themes and the travel back in time. :) ~L
DeleteHow lovely! I think I would totally geek out over this books. It's got all the ingredients that won me over when I was a MG reader. What am I saying? I'm still an MG reader!
ReplyDeleteCrystal- I love that this book reminds you of the books you loved growing up. I bet it would draw you in as an adult and you would love going back in time to Italy. :) ~L
DeleteThis sounds beautiful..intriguing and deeply meaningful! Very touching and I can relate! Fantastic share and wonderful review..many thanks!
ReplyDeleteVictoria
Victoria- My heart really went out to Dominic and the boys he meets. Their lives are hard and they have such big hearts. I hope you get to read this one and that you like it. :) ~L
DeleteI love the premise of this story! It's going on my TO READ list, loooooooooooooooooooong as it is. :)
ReplyDeleteBish- I am glad this story appeals to you. I thought it was a fast read and I loved learning some Italian along the way. :) My TBR list is super long too! Happy reading. :) ~L
DeleteThis sounds seriously wonderful! I love the uniqueness of the idea! Seriously, though, my TBR stack--it's going to hurt someone one of these days :)
ReplyDeleteMeradeth- I enjoyed the story and it was different from other books that I have read. The Italian countryside sounds so beautiful. I have books piling up everywhere too! :) ~L
DeleteOh schweet! Love to add it to my lovely pile. And I will. Gotta have it. Sounds like a lot of fun. Thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteRobyn- I am so glad The Orphan of Ellis Island appeals to you. It was a fun read and the characters were so sweet and memorable. I hope you get to read it soon! :) ~L
DeleteThis is very interesting to me. My grandmother came through Ellis Island and had some "interesting" stories to tell about her experience. This is a great story theme!
ReplyDeleteLee- How cool that your grandma came through Ellis Island. I am sure her stories about the experience were fascinating! Thanks for sharing. :) ~L
DeleteWow a time travel book, this sounds like fun and I love that it features Ellis Island, some of our family came through there.
ReplyDeleteKimba- This was a fun time travel book and it made me want to visit Ellis Island. I think it is awesome that you had family come through there! :) ~L
DeleteSounds like a nice book. Thanks for the review! I haven't read anything by Elvira Woodruff yet, but it sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteRachel- It is definitely a nice book. It made me want to read more books by Elvira Woodruff. :) ~L
DeleteThis sounds like an excellent read. I've not read anything by Elvira Woodruff but I think this would be a good place to start.
ReplyDeleteBarbara- I think this is a book that brings us back to a simpler time in life and the setting is beautiful. The characters were fantastic! Happy reading. :) ~L
DeleteSounds like a wonderfully heart-warming multi-layered story that I'll be sure to keep a look out for.
ReplyDeleteTracy- The Orphan of Ellis Island was very heartwarming. The characters were ones I would like to know. :) ~L
DeleteFirst of all, I find it amusing that his name is Dominic because I've never met a character with that name and I've loved the name Dominic for a long time. The story sounds so interesting I think I have to read it! Thanks for the review (:
ReplyDeleteAdriana- I think it is excellent that you love the name Dominic because that will make this book even more fun for you. It is a great book that allows you to go back in time and explore themes of friensdhip and family. The characters really stand out. :) ~L
DeleteThanks for the review! I'll definitely check this one out.
ReplyDeletewww.modernworld4.blogspot.com
Gina- You are welcome! Enjoy. :) ~L
DeleteThanks for sharing this one. It sounds really interesting, especially being in a unique setting. I'm just hoping over from Writer's Alley to thank you for the Twitter follow. I'm following you there and here, now. And YAY! for another Talcott Notch sister!
ReplyDeleteSA- The setting was great- almost like another character. :)
DeleteThanks so much for hopping over from Writer's Alley. It is so exciting to meet another Talcott Notch author. Fabulous! Thanks for following (we are following you too). :) ~Jess and Stephanie
I haven't read it, but it sounds very charming with a fun concept. Time travel always makes for exciting adventures!
ReplyDeleteJocelyn- I agree with you that time travel adventures are exciting! ~L
DeleteI haven't seen this before. You've made me interested. I hope to read it.
ReplyDeleteMedeia- Glad to introduce you to a new read. :) Enjoy! ~L
DeleteI haven't seen this one around either but it sounds exciting, especially the part where Dominic wakes up to find himself in another period, and the four orphans on the run. Will be looking out of this!
ReplyDeleteClaudine- It was a wonderful story that made the setting one of the characters. I fell in love with the Italian countryside and the orphans would be a blast to spend time with running around barefoot. :) ~L
DeleteWhat a unique and enthralling premise! I think Ellis Island is a great jumping off point for a story. Wishing Elvira much success! :)
ReplyDeleteLexa- I agree with you that Ellis Island is an excellent jumping off point for a story. So many possibilities. :) ~L
DeleteIf you cried it must be good then hehe. I enjoy stories with time travel if they are kind of logical... thanks for the recommendation!
ReplyDeleteGaby- I think the crying was a good sign, too. :) The time travel story line worked for me. Thanks for visiting. ~L
DeleteAw, sounds like an interesting story :D I'm glad you loved it. <3 I have not read anything by this author before, but I should check out her books :)
ReplyDeleteCarina- It is an interesting story. I look forward to checking out more books by this author. :) ~L
DeleteHeidi- This story has many great elements. It was fun to visit Ellis Island and Italy. :) ~L
ReplyDeleteoh my. I can only hope things turn out well for all of them.
ReplyDeleteDonna- I won't give any spoilers, but I did cry... ~L
DeleteThis book sounds like one I would enjoy. Orphans have a special place in my heart. My nother was a half orphan, put in the orphanage after her mother passed away. Adding this one to my TBR. Thanks for a great review.
ReplyDeleteBeverly- I think you will enjoy this one and your heart will go out to all of the boys. I am sorry for your mom that she had to go to an orphanage after her mother passes away. How difficult! Thanks for sharing. :) ~L
DeleteMy mother was very fortunate to have a loving foster family. I knew them as my grandma and grandpa, aunt and uncle.They of course could not make up for the family she left behind.
Delete