Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011
351p.
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. Includes historical notes.
Great portrayal of 1983 New York from a kid's perspective. The story moved along quickly, especially for what one usually expects of historical fiction. A fun read for kids, while still having enough thematically to generate discussion.
ReplyDeletelooking forward to reading it
ReplyDeleteIt was a bit slow for me. I had to force myself to read through the middle. The beginning was great, it pulled me right in, but in the middle, it lagged, and I felt the story pulled on too long. At the end though, it picked up again.
ReplyDeleteIt read a little sloppily to me,some hard-to-believe coincidences, although the information jived with what I'd read recently in a non-fiction book about the newsies. It certainly touched on a number of areas in the time period.
ReplyDeleteI liked this book. I thought the pace was okay. In the middle, it was a little heavy on details, but I think it works for historical fiction. The characters were great. And the illustrations were a nice surprise. The short chapters and the large type would work well for a reluctant reader. Avi may have gotten himself another Newbery.
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