The Journey of Pieter & Anna: From the Netherlands to America

Immigrants Chronicles #2

by Helen Denboer

After his family emigrates from Holland, Pieter convinces them to help a girl they met on a coral boat who is trying to get to Michigan to find her father

Genres: Historical Fiction

132 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pieter Dekker and his family have to move from Zeeland to America to find religious freedom. On the way, Pieter meets a girl named Anna Deboer who has just lost her mother and is going to America to find her father. Pieter must adjust to his new home and help Anna find her father.
This book was good. I liked it, but it wasn't very captivating.

[Def not Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book for kids and a great insight into that point of time. I feel like there could have been more depth to it all, everything felt sort of rushed and sudden. Another thing I disliked is that the plot points that were supposed to be plot twists were so obvious I could have seen them from a mile away. It was a very wholesome book and I would certainly recommend it to 6-14-year-olds.
Overall: 8.5/10

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spring of 1848, eleven-year-old Pieter Dekker's father announces that the family will be leaving their home in Holland and move to Michigan in search of religious freedom. Pieter doesn't want to leave his home, his school, his friends, and his dog. The journey is long and difficult, and all Pieter wants is to go home. During the journey, Pieter and his older sister, Elizabeth, meet ten-year-old Anna. Anna is trying to travel to Michigan on her own in search of her father, after her mother's death at sea. The Dekker family takes Anna in, determined to help her. They arrive in Michigan and find it is not what they expected, and Anna's father is not where she thought he would be. Can Pieter ever feel at home in this strange new land, and will Anna ever find her father?

Young readers who enjoy historical fiction, particularly those who especially enjoy immigrant stories, would most likely enjoy this book. It has a nice story with a good message in it. It would probably appeal more to boys as it focuses more on Pieter than Anna, but girls could enjoy it as well.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was interesting purely for the information about the first settlers arriving in holland michigan and how horrible it was for them in the yucky wilderness there. Plot line was so-so, not what i would consider super well-written.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good historical fiction for kids (8-10 yrs) 3.5 stars.