Just Call Me Joe (Orca Young Readers) [Paperback]

Frieda Wishinsky (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Orca Young Readers

The year is 1909 and Joseph has just immigrated to the United States from Russia. He thinks that life in New York City will be wonderful, but he has not bargained for the challenges of learning English and of resisting the pressures to skip school, steal and fight to earn a place among the boys in his neighbourhood. Just Call Me Joe presents a full picture of life in New York City for the working poor. Anna, Joe's older sister, struggles to cope with the terrible factory conditions of the time. Aunt Sophie must take in boarders to make ends meet. And Joseph must both accept change and remain true to himself in a new city with new challenges.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-4-This easy chapter book presents a touching look at life in 1910 New York City through the eyes of a 10-year-old who has just emigrated from Russia. Joseph and his 17-year-old sister, Anna, are staying with their Aunt Sophie in her Lower East Side apartment. Joseph, who is placed in first grade because he doesn't speak English, yearns to make friends with boys his own age, and he gets involved with bullies who cut class and steal. Anna experiences the trials and tribulations of factory work. By the end of the story, the siblings are beginning to feel at home and are waiting anxiously for the day when Mama and Papa will join them. Joe is the primary focus of much of the story, and boys will easily relate to him and the situations he encounters. Simple but poignant full-page pencil drawings accompany the text. A valuable resource for children studying immigration or the history of New York City.
Christine E. Carr, Lester C. Noecker Elementary School, Roseland, NJ
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A ball bounced hard into his chest. Startled, Joseph glared at the thin, tall boy with cropped black hair who had thrown the ball.

"Gimme that ball," the boy barked in English..Joseph didn't understand the boy's words, but from the boy's tone and sneer, Joseph knew he wasn't apologizing.

"Watch where you throw," said Joseph, throwing the boy back his ball.

"Watch where you sit, greenie," the boy snarled back, this time in Yiddish.

For a minute both boys stared at each other. Then Joseph's face broke out into a smile. "I am a greenie now," he told the boy, "but soon I'll be a regular American. I catch on to things fast."

Product Details

• Paperback: 101 pages
• Publisher: Orca Book Publishers (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551432498
• ISBN-13: 978-1551432496
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,478,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to immigration stories and historical fiction, October 5, 2009

By 

American Immigration Council's Community Educ... (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Call Me Joe (Orca Young Readers) (Paperback)

It is the year 1909 and Joseph and Anna's parents have made the tough decision to let their children leave a life of persecution in Russia and emigrate to the United States to be with their Aunt Sophie in New York. They are leaving behind them days of anxiety and fear in their Russian shtetl where murderous soldiers would often sneak up on unfortunate Jews in the woods or come bursting into their homes in the middle of the night. Joseph and Anna are both excited at the adventures and prospects ahead. Following the sea voyage, they soon find that the streets in America are not "paved with gold" and many challenges await them. 17-year-old Anna finds herself working day and night in a dreary clothing factory and 10-year-old Joseph struggles to learn English, make new friends and be accepted by the boys at his new school. He is constantly challenged by his idyllic notions of what he thought America was going to be like. Aunt Sophie takes in boarders just to make ends meet and struggles to provide for them.

Readers will cheer Joseph and Anna as they try to adjust to life in the early twentieth century New York. Although characters were a bit too one- dimensional, this book is a great introduction to immigration stories and historical fiction. Just Call Me Joe is ideal for curriculum units on immigration where teachers want to include an easy to read novel with a stimulating story line.