A Real American [Hardcover]

Richard Easton (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

Eleven-year-old Nathan McClelland hates the fact that everything is changing in his small farming community, now that the countryside is turning into a coalfield. His best friend just moved away and immigrant miners have built shanties where his farm used to be. To his parents' dismay, Nathan befriends a young immigrant boy named Arturo, who walks back and forth across his lane every day on his way to the coal mines. Nathan decides to help Arturo become a real American--the kind of friend he thinks he wants--but soon discovers that he and Arturo have more in common than he realized. When an accident befalls Arturo, Nathan must challenge traditional ways of thinking in order to come to the aid of his friend.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grades 3-6--An insightful look at the immigrant experience in America. Eleven-year-old Nathan McClelland, who lives on a farm in a small Pennsylvania town, becomes increasingly lonely after a coal-mining company buys up neighboring properties and his friends move away. In their place, Italian immigrant miners move in, among them Arturo Tozzi and his family. While they want to forge a new and better life, the remaining townspeople, including Nathan's father, worry about losing everything they have worked for. At first Nathan dislikes the changes, but as the two boys develop a friendship, he becomes more sympathetic to the newcomers and their plight. When Arturo is injured in an accident in the mine that leads to a threatened strike, Nathan and his parents align themselves with the workers and reach out to the Tozzis. While the protagonist is a well-developed character with doubts, worries, and curiosity, the novel's strength is its unbiased view of the complexities surrounding its theme. Fans of the "Dear America" series (Scholastic) will especially appreciate this engaging story that flows swiftly and builds to a satisfying conclusion.
Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. The story takes place more than 100 years ago in Pennsylvania when Italian immigrants arrived to work in the new coal mines that drove the farmers off their land. The racist rhetoric is not too different from what is heard today: the immigrants are "stinking foreigners"; it's better to keep to our own kind. But the hope is also timeless: two kids reach beyond the grownups' barriers to become friends. First-novelist Easton tells the story through the viewpoint of farm boy Nathan McClelland, 11, who defies his bigoted dad by getting to know his new neighbor, Arturo Tozzi, who works with his dad and brother in the mines. The setting is realistic, and the characters are drawn with complexity. There are neither saints nor demons among the natives or the newcomers. Through the personal experiences, the labor history comes alive: the harsh, dangerous working conditions; the uprooting of the farmers; the greed of those cashing in; the aborted attempt to start a union. A fine companion to Susan Bartoletti's Growing Up in Coal Country (1996). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (April 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618133399
• ISBN-13: 978-0618133390
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teacher's Praise, April 26, 2002

By 

Allyson Eckenrode (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Real American (Hardcover)

I love the book! It is beautifully done, and the two young boys are wonderful characters that pull you in immediately. The entire time I was rooting for Nathan to make the right decisions and he did. Arturo is a loveable young man that has the dignity and enthusiasm for life that I wish all children possessed. Their relationship is the heart of the book, but the history and the social/ family tension is a wonderful thread throughout the novel.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read for Kids and for Adults Too, April 27, 2002

By 

Bert Ghezzi (Winter Park, FL, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Real American (Hardcover)

What a wonderful book! Author Richard Easton weaves a charming story and fast-paced tale that tells of two boys who learn how to build friendship in spite of enormous social barriers; who discover how to acknowledge their faults and forgive each other; who realize that by courageously doing the right thing, a young person can have a big impact on his family and the wider society. A Real American is To Kill a Mockingbird for kids. I plan to give it to each of my six grandchildren as an investment in their learning to love good books and in their simply learning to love.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly remarkable novel, April 2, 2002

By 

Carolina Velez (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Real American (Hardcover)

This novel not only descriptfully shows the past, but also puts you in the shoes of an eleven-year-old, Nathan McClelland. There is very good character development, which makes the entire novel even more believable. This book is refreshing, and don't except to be able to put it down.