The Girl in the Torch

Title: The Girl in the Torch

 

Author: Robert Sharenow

 

Summary: In the early 1900s, 12 year old Sarah and her mother immigrate to Ellis Island after the death of Sarah's father. On the trip to Ellis Island, Sarah's mother gets sick and then dies soon after. Sarah is set to be sent back to her home country, but jumps off the boat and swims to the Statue of Liberty Island.

She hides from everyone for a while, but is eventually found and is taken in by an island guard, Maryk. She finds her place, working for a nice Chinese woman who runs a boarding house. But when the boarding house owner and occupants are all arrested over suspicion of running a slave ring, and Sarah is left alone. When it is said that she must return to her country, Sarah and the friends that she has made help her find out how to stay in America.

 

Comments: This book is just so wonderful that I could hardly even sum it all up in the small summary I gave above. Sarah is just a character that is easily loveable - her determination to make a life for herself in America and her bravery. She grew so much throughout the book.

All the characters were well rounded and developed.

The history was my favorite part, I enjoy stories about Ellis Island and immigration - mostly because well-written books about those subjects are few and far between, it seems.

In the author's note, Mr. Sharenow writes that he did change a few things in history - he took an artistic license of sorts. I appreciate that he told the readers that, I feel like not every author would have been able to say that they did that.

The ending where the book skipped to years later...Oh that was just so great!

This book is in the running for one of my favorite books in 2016, I think.

 

Rating: 5 stars!