A Place for Joey [School & Library Binding]

Carol Flynn Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2001 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Reading leevel: Ages 9 and up.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-The time is post-World War I and the setting, Boston's North End seven years after Joey and his family have arrived from Italy. They have saved almost enough money to fulfill their dream of buying a farm in Watertown, but the 12-year-old wants to stay in the neighborhood he loves. One day, standing on a hilltop overlooking the harbor, he feels the ground shake beneath his feet-a giant molasses tank has exploded below. He rushes to the site and saves the life of the Irish policeman who had been hounding him about skipping school. The experience provides Joey with a role model; he reassesses his goals and comes up with a dream that fits in with his family's plans. Although the characters are somewhat one-dimensional, the book captures the sounds, sights, ethnic rivalries, and aspirations of immigrants in the early 20th century. An author's note gives historical background. This title is appropriate for younger chapter-book readers and older reluctant readers looking for historical fiction.

Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. Set in the early twentieth century, Harris' novel factors in a piece of Boston history. Twelve-year-old Italian immigrant Joey Calabro loves his Boston neighborhood, despite the poverty and ethnic tensions. In fact, he loves it so much, he resists his parents' dream to leave and buy a farm. Determined to stay no matter what his family does, Joey begins looking for a job on the docks. One day, he's caught in a conflict between feuding Italians and Irish that forever changes him. The depiction of Joey's home life, steeped in Italian tradition, gives a clear but never trite view of immigrant experience. Although Joey is an honorable protagonist, he's by no means perfect and the changes he undergoes are believable within the context of the events. A satisfying blend of action and character development. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 90 pages
• Publisher: Boyds Mills Pr; 1ST edition (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563971089
• ISBN-13: 978-1563971082
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,028,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Place for Joey - a great read, August 27, 2001

By 

A. Helies (Weston, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Place for Joey (School & Library Binding)

This is a story about immigrants in America told from a kid's point of view. It has great characters and exciting action built around one of the most bizarre disasters in American history: the great Boston molasses flood of 1919!

5.0 out of 5 stars Make "A Place for Joey" on your bookshelf!, August 17, 2004

By 

A Reader from Massachusetts (Stoughton, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Place for Joey (Paperback)

I've given this book as a gift to many nieces, nephews, and young friends - and they have all loved it! Joey is a character children can "trust" because, like them, he's not perfect. By turns loving, uncertain, disrespectful, heroic, and so on, Joey grows - but not without the growing pains young readers themselves experience. In addition, author Carol Harris neatly disguises lessons about history and tolerance in this novel, so young readers never feel that they are being "preached to." I especially admire Harris' keen ability to understand and relate the nuances of evolving relationships between characters. Make "A Place for Joey" on your bookshelf because it is a tale of Boston, of family, of immigrant experience, and of a local disaster - but mostly because it is a terrific read.