Orphan Of Ellis Island (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) [School & Library Binding]

Elvira Woodruff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000 | Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. During a school trip to Ellis Island, Dominick Avaro, a ten-year-old foster child, travels back in time to 1908 Italy and accompanies two young emigrants to America.

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. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 174 pages
• Publisher: Turtleback (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613300793
• ISBN-13: 978-0613300797
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,795,811 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

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Orphan of Ellis Island, June 9, 2003

A Kid's Review

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

In the book, the Orphan of Ellis Island by Elvira Woodruff, Dominic Cantori, a fifth grader, has somthing he doesn't want to tell. Since Dominic is a orphan, he doesn't want any one to know about his family. While on a class trip to the Museum of Ellis Island, a park ranger asks the kids about their families. Dominic runs away from the group and falls asleep in a nearby closet.
When Dominic wakes up, the museum is deserted and dark. Dominic is scared and picks up the exhibit phones, hoping that this will pass the time and help him forget his fears. He just talks to the recorded voices of immigrants, the people from far away places. Suddenly, an old italian immigrant joins in his conversation. Next thing he knows, Dominic goes back into the world of this old man, in the year 1908.
Dominic meets three kids. Their names are Fransesco, Salvatore, and Antonio Candiano. The three kids are orphan brothers and live in an Italian village in Avaletto, Italy. The kids do have shelter and a friend who is priest named Father Tomasso. The Candiano bothers also have a goat name Violetta. They pick lemons for money. These bothers accept Dominic as family.
The novel is unlike any other novel. The genre is definitely different, with historical fiction and some fantasy making it an adventurous and exciting novel to read.
Our group rates the book, The Orphan of Ellis Island, four out of five stars. we rate the book this because the climax is at the end of the book and the begining of the book is not as interesting as the ending. It is a very good book that once you start, you will never be able to put down.
BY:
Rachel Fisher
Chris Vilkas
Gaje Darby
Seth Keplinger

7 of 9 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:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Orphan Of Ellis Island, October 5, 2009

By 

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

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

A class 'eld trip turns into the adventure of a lifetime when young Dominic Cantori, an orphan, visits Ellis Island. Uncomfortable with all of the discussion about ancestry during the 'eld trip, Dominic wanders off from the group, falls asleep in a utility closet, and soon 'nds himself swept away to another time and place. This time travel trip takes Dominic to Italy in 1908 where he befriends three orphaned brothers. He discovers the harsh conditions that compelled people to leave their homes and seek refuge in the United States. Dominic joins the brothers as they leave Italy and he experiences 'rst hand what it felt like to travel as a steerage passenger aboard a ship to America. Upon entering New York harbor he is elated to see the Statue of Liberty and soon discovers the challenges immigrants faced at Ellis Island. When Dominic returns to the present he has developed a deeper appreciation of the struggles of those long ago immigrants and welcomes the opportunity to be placed with a foster family that is eager to adopt a child like him.