Swain, Gwenyth. Hope and Tears.

Swain, Gwenyth.   Hope and Tears.   Boyd's Mills/Calkins Creek    115p  $17.95  978-1-59078-765-6     ms/hs       E-BN      Historical fiction/nonfiction

This beautiful book would best be used by a classroom teacher or teacher-librarian who is leading a study of immigration to the US. The author has researched some of the many immigrants who made their way to America through Ellis Island, as well as the people who worked there, and even some contemporary people who have immigration-related stories to share.  From her research, and the wonderful photos she dug up, she has written poems, letters, and even e-mail messages ostensibly "by" the historical figures she discovered.  The concept is perhaps a little "hokey", but the end result is fascinating and thought-provoking.  The book is a creative mix of fact and imagination that will draw kids into the Ellis Island immigration experience of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  However, students may not pick up this book and read it on their own (unless they are personally fascinated with Ellis Island to begin with).  So they may need a teacher or librarian to introduce the book to them, in the context of a unit on immigration.

Or, parents may want to purchase the book after a family visit to Ellis Island or a browse through old family photos of the "old country".

The organization, writing, and choice of photos are all brilliant. This is highly recommended! Don't let it be neglected on a shelf!      This is recommended for middle schools and high schools that study immigration to the United States, and for any public library.    

Immigration, Ellis Island                                        -- Carol Kennedy