Many people came to America in the early 1900s looking for jobs, opportunity, and freedom, and a lot of them were kids. But what happened to all these immigrant children after they passed inspection at New York's Ellis Island-that is, if they passed inspection? Life was not easy for immigrants. Large families lived in small, one-room tenement apartments with failing plumbing and few windows. Children had to go to school with kids from different countries and learn to read and write a new language. And many of the boys and girls were going to school at night, after working a 12-hour work day to help support their families. But these immigrants learned to persevere through all odds so they could make it in America. Newbery Medal winner Russell Freedman tells the immigrant story through the eyes of children. Brian Keeler's clear narration will make difficult foreign and unfamiliar words easy to understand for listeners, allowing them to become immersed in the story.
