(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Adam Gustavson. In this highly satisfying sequel to Our Only May Amelia, twelve-year-old Finnish American May Amelia is still getting into trouble, usually because she just wants to do what her brothers are allowed to do. Set in Washington State in 1900, Holm's story contains a true-to-life amount of danger. But even when the tragedies seem overwhelming, humorous and life-affirming moments keep readers afloat.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(4) 4-6 Jake is understandably reluctant when his father decides to move the family from Minnesota to Karelia, Russia, in 1934, but life in the new Soviet Union is even harder than any of them could have imagined. Based on the historical migration of Finnish-American communists to Karelia, the novel has plenty of rich context but fails to develop three-dimensional characters to inhabit it.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(3) 4-6 The author of The Journal of Otto Peltonen again tells about a turn-of-the-century Finnish immigrant family. Matti, fifteen, works in the Minnesota iron mines with his father and uncle. A deadly mine accident reinforces the family's desire for their own farmstead. Details of pioneer life and of Finnish culture are smoothly woven into this engaging coming-of-age story.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 My Name Is America series. Fifteen-year-old Otto describes his family's immigration to Minnesota in 1905. Otto, his parents, and sisters all find life in the iron mining community difficult and vastly different from their comfortable home in Finland. Historical facts are neatly woven into the story, which gains suspense with union struggles and a miners' strike. Historical notes, photos, and maps are appended.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander

(3) 4-6 Twelve-year-old May Amelia Jackson describes life as the only girl among seven boys in her Finnish-American family. The voice of the colloquial first-person narrative rings true and provides a vivid picture of frontier and pioneer life in Washington State in 1899. An afterword discusses Holm's research into her own family's history and that of other Finnish immigrants.

Reviewer: Jennifer M. Brabander