Tuesday, October 23, 2007

The King of Mulberry Street

In Napoli, Italy, a nine-year-old boy (later to be called
Dom) lived his regular life with his aunt, mother, uncle,
and younger siblings. But one day his mother woke him up
early, and suddenly set him on a ship straight to America.
Dom found himself alone on the streets of the strange town
the civilians called Five Points. Dom discovered friends on
the streets and realized that he had to rely on himself more
than on others. Even though he was Jewish, Dom was forced to
go to a Christian church and eat un-kosher foods. Soon he
settled into life and blended into the New York crowds.<

p>The King of Mulberry Street was amazingly written, and
suspense was included in all of the appropriate places to
polish it off. Donna Jo Napoli helps the reader visualize
the life of an orphan living on the streets in New York in
the 1890s. I think this novel could become a well-known
historical book about what life was like for nineteenth
century American immigrants. It might be as popular as the
novel Stones in Water, another one of Donna Jo Napoli's
books. The King of Mulberry Street is definitely a page turner.

Rating (0 - 10 scale): 9

Some adult situations that some children may not understand.

Reviewer Age:11

Reviewer City, State and Country: Osseo, Wisconsin United
States

posted by Flamingnet Book Blog @ 7:59 AM