Orphan Of Ellis Island: A Time-travel Adventure [Hardcover]

Elvira Woodruff (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up

On a class trip to Ellis Island, orphan Dominic Cantori is mysteriously transported back to 1908 Italy, where he unlocks the door to his heritage and learns what it feels like to be loved by his own family."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6. Dominic Cantori has spent most of his life in foster care. When a guide asks Dominic's fifth-grade class to talk about their families during a field trip to Ellis Island, the boy is embarrassed because he has no heritage to discuss, and hides in a storage closet where he promptly falls asleep. Waking after the museum is closed, he panics until the prerecorded voice of one of the exhibits soothes him back to sleep. When he wakes again, he finds himself in Italy in 1908. He is befriended by three orphan brothers who are waiting for sponsors to pay their passage to America. Dominic becomes part of their adventures and gains a new sense of family. When one of the brothers dies tragically, Dominic accompanies the other two to America and discovers that the boys may actually be related to him in more than just spirit. He arrives on Ellis Island, first as a new immigrant, and finally as a boy returning from a long journey, or perhaps a dream, that has given him a new sense of himself as well as hope for his future. Easy to read and hard to put down, this convincing novel gives a poignant and believable picture of the lives and motivations of some of this country's immigrants, and of one boy who learns about himself. While the time-travel element and subsequent plot twists occur almost too easily, the characters and situations are too involving to quibble about story construction. An enjoyable and informative tale.?Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Dominic, a lonely orphan boy, is accidentally left behind on a fifth-grade school trip to Ellis Island. Wandering at night through the museum, he listens to the narratives of immigrants in the exhibit and is shocked when one of the voices addresses him, telling him about life in Italy. Exhausted, Dominic falls asleep, and finds himself transported to the same village the narrator was telling him about, a place in southern Italy, where the immigrant and his two brothers teach Dominic what it's truly like to be hungry and poor. They accept Dominic as a member of their little family, and eventually he ends up immigrating to America with them. The story, though not wholly plausible, sheds light on the values and experiences of Italian immigrants, with touches of humor and an easy-to-read style. An author's note at the end provides a thoughtful bridge from real life to fiction. Susan Dove Lempke

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590482459
• ISBN-13: 978-0590482455
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #977,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Elvira Woodruff is the author of over twenty picture books and novels for young readers including George Washington's Socks. Most recent books include Fearless and Small Beauties: The Journey of Darcy Heart O'Hara.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even reluctant readers love this book., November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Orphan Of Ellis Island: A Time-travel Adventure (Hardcover)

I'm a fifth grade teacher and our class reads this book during a unit on immigration. I've used it for two years and the students love it. Students who usually dislike reading moan with disapproval when I say "put away your books until tomorrow." It is exciting and is a great way to integrate instruction. Students who read about this time-traveling orphan express appreciation for their own families who are often taken for granted. Donna King, teacher on Long Island, NY

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Alright book for kids, January 4, 2005

By 

Kate Morgan (US) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Orphan Of Ellis Island (Time Travel Adventures) (Paperback)

While this book is strictly for younger audiences, it is a factual and easy read.

Dominic Cantori is a foster child who has been through many foster homes in his life. He does not know who his parents are or where he is from. On a field trip to Ellis Island with his classmates, he hides in a janitor's closet so that the other children do not find out that he has no real family. He ends going to sleep in the closet and wakes up to an empty Ellis Island Museum. He ends up going back in time to 1908 and meets a few boys who end up being his friends.

As I said, this book should be strictly for a younger audience. I say this because it is more than a little unrealistic and overdramatic. But it is okay.

~Atalanta

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Book, November 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Orphan Of Ellis Island: A Time-travel Adventure (Hardcover)

I am in &th grade and I read this book last year with my class. I loved this book sooooo much. I couldn't stand it when the teacher would tell us to put it away. When we had a substitute we begged her to let us finish it.