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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.
174 pp.
| Scholastic
| September, 2000
|
TradeISBN 0-439-09254-X$$10.95
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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.
(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.