(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy June Bates. Newman tells the story ("based on two true stories") of nine-year-old Jewish immigrant Gittel's voyage to Ellis Island; details in the Old World–style illustrations, along with the appended author's note, place her home as Eastern Europe around the turn of the twentieth century. When her mother doesn't pass a health inspection, Gittel must make the journey alone. Accessible text, warm-toned art, and lavish page decorations enhance the tale of courage and kindness. Websites. Bib., glos.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(3) YA Defining Images series. This volume details the history of Ellis Island, with a focus on William Williams, commissioner during its busiest years in the early twentieth century. Williams's record-keeping and extensive collection of photographs, letters, and more provide valuable insight into the workings of the immigration station. Powerful archival photos enhance the account. Additional information on key photographs is appended. Reading list, websites. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) K-3 National Geographic Readers series. This leveled text for fluent readers is an accessible account of the "main gateway to America," where so many immigrants started their lives in the U.S. The layout is busy and colorful, crowded with archival photographs, captions, call-outs, and text with solid information; kids won't know the highlighted famous immigrants (e.g., songwriter Irving Berlin). A quiz is included. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Connect: U.S. Immigration in the 1900s series. Eleven-year-old Emma narrates the arduous journey from Ukraine to America as she and her family make their way to North Dakota in 1910, fleeing the discrimination they face as ethnic Germans in Czarist Russia. The narrative is unsubtly curriculum-oriented but fulfills its stated goal of putting a human face on the context for and challenges of early-1900s immigration to the U.S.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(4) 4-6 Connect: U.S. Immigration in the 1900s series. Capitalizing on the Common Core, this uneven set (linked to the fictional Emma's New Beginning) introduces historical facts along with biographical information, passages exemplifying cause and effect, and exploratory questions. Life and Journey are repetitive; both include timelines. Liberty includes primary source quotes from immigrants, making it more immediate. Abundant archival photos (with captions in a difficult-to-read font) are included. Reading list. Glos. ind. Review covers the following Connect: U.S. Immigration in the 1900s titles: Life in America, In the Shadow of Lady Liberty, and Journey to America.

Reviewer: Melinda Greenblatt

(4) 4-6 The sight of America fills twelve-year-old Sarah, a Russian immigrant, with hope, but that changes when her mother dies on Ellis Island. Alone and in New York City illegally, Sarah finds refuge first inside the Statue of Liberty and then on the Lower East Side. Sarah's adventure is engaging, but the many people she encounters are undeveloped. Historical notes are included. Timeline.

Reviewer: Lisa Catherine Findlay

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. An Italian immigrant tells his great-granddaughter the family's history by showing her his "diary"--the contents of the matchboxes that he collected before he could write. His storytelling is so captivating that it will probably escape readers' notice that the girl isn't much of a character. Realistic acrylic gouache paintings on mottled tan pages simulate photographs of an earlier time.

Reviewer: Nell Beram

(2) 4-6 Mixing fictional monologues, dialogues, letters, and poems with real photographs and factual essays, this well-designed and clearly organized volume conjures up the soul of Ellis Island throughout its history. Together these imagined voices and real images paint an emotional and informative picture of Ellis Island's impact, on both a grand and an individual scale. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Julie Roach | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) K-3 Looking Glass Library: Our Nation's Pride series. Illustrated by Judith A. Hunt. This series focuses on symbols, holidays, and buildings that have come to represent America's past and ideals. The texts provide broad overviews of the title subjects, from early influences on U.S. history to continued significance today. Though the writing can be choppy, the volumes serve as decent introductions. Impressionistic illustrations (some muddy) help bring the subjects to life. Glos., ind. Review covers these Looking Glass Library: Our Nation's Pride titles: The Bald Eagle, Ellis Island, The Lincoln Memorial, and Memorial Day.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(3) 4-6 This is a well-researched and clearly written look at the iconic New York City immigration station. After explaining how it became a symbol for European immigration to America, the author provides a chronological overview of the island from the 1700s to the present. Moving stories, intriguing details, fascinating primary source images, and copious photographs make for a handsome volume. Reading list.

Reviewer: Monica Edinger

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Walter Lyon Krudop. The "many voices" of the title include a fictional letter from an Armenian girl to her dead mother, a running narrative from a modern-day child, and--most successfully--quotations from real people who passed through Ellis Island. Their powerful words are accompanied by historical photographs; paintings (some muddy) also decorate the crowded pages. The format blurs fact and fiction in a confusing way. Reading list, websites.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Checkerboard: Symbols, Landmarks, and Monuments series. These books discuss some history behind each landmark or monument and how each has become a symbol of America. With their well-chosen photographs, easy-to-read text, and appealing tone, the volumes will prove useful for report writers and will inspire readers to seek out more information about these American symbols. Timeline. Glos., ind. Review covers these Checkerboard: Symbols, Landmarks, and Monuments titles: Air Force One, The Alamo, Ellis Island, The Smithsonian Institution, The United States Supreme Court, and The Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Reviewer: Elizabeth Shaver

(3) 4-6 Focusing on the years 1892–1918, when Ellis Island was the principal gateway for immigration to the U.S., this book explains the motivation, transportation, and examinations that were the first experiences of millions of immigrants. The text incorporates quotations, including those following later lives of a few immigrants, and captioned black-and-white photos authenticate the details. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) 1-3 My America series. In Hope, when Sofia and her family arrive at Ellis Island from Italy in 1903, the doctors think she has trachoma, an eye disease. She is quarantined for two months without her family. In Home, Sofia, reunited with her family, settles in Boston's North End and adjusts to her new country. Sofia describes these events in her diary in a strong voice. A historical note is appended. [Review covers these My America titles: Home at Last and Hope in my Heart.]

Reviewer: Patricia Riley

(4) 4-6 Ellis Island series. Dreams tells of Kristin Swensen from Sweden, Hope features Rebekah Levinsky from Russia, and Promise focuses on Irish Rose Carney's immigration story. Although formulaic, these books present three strong female characters whose attempts to reconcile their heritage with their new lives offer an interesting look at important eras in American history.

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(4) 4-6 How It Was series. Following lengthy introductions that provide factual information, the volumes shift into fictional accounts to provide readers with a picture of a day spent at these locations in their prime. The prose has little literary value, but the scenarios offer a personalized glimpse at the past. Informational sidebars and color photos accompany the texts. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Anne St. John

(4) K-3 This bare-bones history of Ellis Island Immigration Station offers a brief overview printed in an easy-to-read large-type text. Immigrants' experiences entering the country are sketched out, and the site's evolving functions (from fort to immigration station to tourist attraction) are relayed. Most of the full-page photos are black-and-white archival reproductions. Report writers may need to supplement the information. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Barbara Barstow

(4) YA Way People Live series. A well-organized account of how hundreds of thousands of would-be immigrants lived on Ellis Island in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries waiting to learn whether they would be deported or allowed to live in America. Black-and-white photos of varying quality and sidebars quoting primary documents help bring to life a historically important slice of American history. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman