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Ellis Island: An Interactive History Adventure
You’re one of millions of immigrants leaving your home in the early 1900s to move to the United States. You’re searching for a better life. Ellis Island, near New York City, is your first stop in your search for opportunity and freedom. Officials on the island have been processing immigrants there for decades, but not everyone gets through. If you pass the tests, you’re on your way to a new life in the United States. If you don’t, you may find yourself being sent back to your homeland. What path will you take? Will Be a Jewish youth leaving the violence of Russia in hopes of a better life in America? Be an Italian teen who lands at Ellis Island during World War I? A German immigrant who faces deportation? Everything in this book happened to real people. And YOU CHOOSE what you do next. The choices you make could lead you to opportunity, to wealth, to poverty, or even to death.
112 pages, Library Binding
First published September 1, 2008
116 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 25, 2023
Muffled scream.
For the love of all things. Immigration officials on Ellis Island did NOT change last names. This pernicious myth needs to die a quick death. I am SO SICK of it. And the fact that the author supposedly studied history? Shakes head.
I repeat - Ellis Island name changes at the hands of immigration officials were 100% not a thing. Sources: my own 4 year history degree, access to Google and the ability to search the phrase “ellis island name change myth”, and also google the imminent genealogist and journalist Jennifer Mendelsohn and “No Names Were Changed at Ellis Island: Debunking a Persistent Myth”, housed at rootstech by familysearch.
For the love of all things. Immigration officials on Ellis Island did NOT change last names. This pernicious myth needs to die a quick death. I am SO SICK of it. And the fact that the author supposedly studied history? Shakes head.
I repeat - Ellis Island name changes at the hands of immigration officials were 100% not a thing. Sources: my own 4 year history degree, access to Google and the ability to search the phrase “ellis island name change myth”, and also google the imminent genealogist and journalist Jennifer Mendelsohn and “No Names Were Changed at Ellis Island: Debunking a Persistent Myth”, housed at rootstech by familysearch.
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June 19, 2016Diverse Literature Text Set: All as One
Rationale: I choose this book because it chronicles the adventure of immigrating to America for three people: a Russian Jewish girl during the 1900’s looking for a better life in the U.S., an Italian boy landing on Ellis Island during World War I and a young German man facing deportation after World War I. It shows multiple perspectives about coming to America. This book lets the reader choose the paths of the characters. It is like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. I choose this book to depict what people went through to come to this country. I think this book does a great job of describing many aspects we do not consider when we think of moving to a new country. The author used words that might not be familiar to students, but gave a definition or an explanation right after the appearance of the word to aid understanding. This book would be a great tool or companion text for introducing concepts units on war, immigration, multi-cultural studies or the Holocaust. The “choose your own adventure” style of this book is unique and I think students would enjoy the format.
Reflection text-to-text: I remember reading “Choose Your Own Adventure Books” and loving them! Never once did I just read “one story.” I wanted to read all the possibilities for all the characters. I love reading non-fiction books and learning about history. Even thought this book was historical non-fiction, I felt like I was right there with the characters and was able to view history through there personal experience.
Blooms ?:
Remember: Describe two things you have in common with the character you chose to follow.
Understand: What was the main idea of your characters path?
Apply: Your character came from a different country. If you had to move to the country they came from during that time, what would be your biggest fears? Create a diary entry describing your thoughts and feelings about moving to that country.
Analyze: The beginning of the book describes what happened when immigrants came to Ellis Island, compare and contrast the process in which immigrants enter America now (present day) to the time when you character entered the country.
Evaluate: Imagine you are your character, would you have come to America? Describe the pros and cons of staying in your country and coming to America.
Create: Create a speech you will give to people debating whether or not to get on the boat heading for Ellis Island persuading them to either stay or get on the boat.
Rationale: I choose this book because it chronicles the adventure of immigrating to America for three people: a Russian Jewish girl during the 1900’s looking for a better life in the U.S., an Italian boy landing on Ellis Island during World War I and a young German man facing deportation after World War I. It shows multiple perspectives about coming to America. This book lets the reader choose the paths of the characters. It is like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. I choose this book to depict what people went through to come to this country. I think this book does a great job of describing many aspects we do not consider when we think of moving to a new country. The author used words that might not be familiar to students, but gave a definition or an explanation right after the appearance of the word to aid understanding. This book would be a great tool or companion text for introducing concepts units on war, immigration, multi-cultural studies or the Holocaust. The “choose your own adventure” style of this book is unique and I think students would enjoy the format.
Reflection text-to-text: I remember reading “Choose Your Own Adventure Books” and loving them! Never once did I just read “one story.” I wanted to read all the possibilities for all the characters. I love reading non-fiction books and learning about history. Even thought this book was historical non-fiction, I felt like I was right there with the characters and was able to view history through there personal experience.
Blooms ?:
Remember: Describe two things you have in common with the character you chose to follow.
Understand: What was the main idea of your characters path?
Apply: Your character came from a different country. If you had to move to the country they came from during that time, what would be your biggest fears? Create a diary entry describing your thoughts and feelings about moving to that country.
Analyze: The beginning of the book describes what happened when immigrants came to Ellis Island, compare and contrast the process in which immigrants enter America now (present day) to the time when you character entered the country.
Evaluate: Imagine you are your character, would you have come to America? Describe the pros and cons of staying in your country and coming to America.
Create: Create a speech you will give to people debating whether or not to get on the boat heading for Ellis Island persuading them to either stay or get on the boat.
November 21, 2019
Summary: This book is a "You Choose: History" book. These books are interactive, so the students choose which character or which story they want to follow and read about. The students are presented with questions to choose from. The different questions lead to different stories. This book was about Ellis Island and all of the different people who traveled to the island. This book shows the trials that these people went through in order to seek refuge on the island.
Evaluation: I liked this book, however, I think it would be best suited for older grade students. This is because the interactive nature of the book might be too difficult for some students to follow. The students may not understand that choosing the questions leads to different characters and different stories. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it was well written and teaches students a lot about the history of the island.
Teaching Idea: I think that this could be a good book for students to use to complete an assignment on Ellis Island. I'm not sure which grade, but I know either 4th or 5th grade has a standard on immigration. I think that this book could be used for students learning this standard. There are multiple characters and stories presented in this book which I believe gives students a lot of insight from many varying perspectives. I think students would enjoy using this book to complete a classwork assignment or project.
Evaluation: I liked this book, however, I think it would be best suited for older grade students. This is because the interactive nature of the book might be too difficult for some students to follow. The students may not understand that choosing the questions leads to different characters and different stories. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I think it was well written and teaches students a lot about the history of the island.
Teaching Idea: I think that this could be a good book for students to use to complete an assignment on Ellis Island. I'm not sure which grade, but I know either 4th or 5th grade has a standard on immigration. I think that this book could be used for students learning this standard. There are multiple characters and stories presented in this book which I believe gives students a lot of insight from many varying perspectives. I think students would enjoy using this book to complete a classwork assignment or project.
March 21, 2022
I enjoyed this since my grandmother came through Ellis Island as a immigrate from Germany about the same time frame as this book so it gave me insight as to what she may have experienced.
Interactive books can be confusing unless you use sticky notes to save each decision page.
Interactive books can be confusing unless you use sticky notes to save each decision page.
February 27, 2020
What an interesting idea. These books are a choose your own adventure, but they are based on historical events where people really die. Great way to bring history to life.
June 2, 2022
This series is a great way to teach kids about history by putting them in the middle of the action.
September 15, 2022
very interesting the adventures of different people coming to America.
June 11, 2016
I enjoyed the book. I read part of it out loud to my daughter. She was sad when it was time to go to bed instead of reading more. It reminded me of reading choose your own adventure as a kid. I thought that it had a lot of good information woven into the story. I was curious if students will go back and read other endings. I wanted to see all the possibilities, I think I read almost every page. Plus my daughter was sad because her first choices lead to death at sea. I had to find her a happy ending. There were a lot of variety to the endings consistent with what actual immigrants would have experienced. I think I will definitely be buying some of this series for my library.
January 10, 2014
This series is very similar to the "Choose Your Own Adventure" books I read as a child. The difference here is that the You Choose books teach about a specific time period in history. The various choices the reader can make throughout the book still makes this a popular series with my students. And the timeline, glossary, bibliography, and index ensure that these books align with Common Core.
August 27, 2016
You choose between three characters and pick the path you want to take. Some lead to happy endings while others lead you to death.
January 22, 2017
I think it is very fun to choose your own adventure
April 6, 2017
I loved how I could have been one of the immigrants and getting to experience it! Great Book! Recommended for all U.S. history lovers!!!! <3
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews