Gittel's Journey

Narrator Sarah Beth Goer evokes 9-year-old Gittel's every emotion in this historical fiction about the nineteenth-century immigrant experience. When her mother is denied passage to America because of an eye infection, Gittel bravely makes the journey alone, arriving at Ellis Island to discover that the address her mother gave her to go to is illegible. Lost and alone, Gittel relies on a kind Yiddish interpreter for help. Goer's sympathetic narration lets listeners hear the heartbreak in Mama's voice and the confused panic in Gittel's. Music, sound effects, and several Yiddish phrases (plus a glossary) heighten the drama and effectively depict the setting, although listeners may also want to see the illustrations for a more complete picture of the era and people. S.C. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine