Que Fue La Isla Ellis? (What Was The Ellis Island?)

What was...?

by Patricia Brennan Demuth, David Groff (Illustrations)

From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was the gateway to a new life in the US for millions of immigrants. In later years, the island was deserted, the buildings decaying. It was not restored until the 1980s, when Americans from all over the country donated more than $150 million. It opened to the public in 1990 as a museum. Learn more about America's history, and perhaps even your own, through the history of one of the most popular landmarks in the country.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Middle Grade, Historical, Biography, Chapter Books

124 pages, Library Binding

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I went into this honestly knowing nothing about Ellis Island, other than it was were the immigrants went before coming to land. Great bit of history for me and my 8 yr old. Loved the actual photos included. Would love to visit someday.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is worthwhile read for anyone, and I think this would make a good impression on the intended audience of 8-12 year-olds. I love how the book focuses on the bravery that immigrants show in moving to a new country. The courage it must have taken to sell all your worldly goods and take a chance loading your family onto a steamer to cross an ocean to a new land of unknowns is striking indeed. My heart goes out to those with children making such a trip. Nice little history lesson that obviously still resonates today.

[Tyra]

What was Ellis Island is a book about immigrants(immigrants are people who leave their homeland behind, hoping to find a better life) and how they came it the island. The founder is Samuel Ellis the island was about 28 to 30 acres the island was like a separate city it had about 33 buildings. The father went first to the island and he worked so the rest of his family could come, immigrants usually would ride on a boat to get there but it might be a steerage ticket, if you had a little more money you will ride better. The island did have a fire but the rebuilt, in November the island closed.

What was Ellis Island was a very good book I learned a lot about immigrants and what they had to go though to get free and to be in a better place. It made me think of how lucky I am, because all they were trying to do was get a better life for their family. I do want to learn more about the island, I would love to visit it one day just to see what it looks like now.

[Amanda up North · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Who/What/Where series installment. Well written, well illustrated, it thoroughly answers the question What Was Ellis Island? (Bonus: photos, too.)
I learned interesting things from this one. I had no idea Ellis Island was built up from a 3 acre seagull rock to 27.5 acres, using landfill from the digging of New York's subway tunnels. Great information on the the history of immigration in the U.S. and the experiences of immigrants.

Also, I've been waiting for Andrew Carnegie to appear in a book from this series. He finally got a supplemental info page.

[Simao Nobre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got this book at a recent visit to Ellis Island. It’s a book targeted to kids so is very easy to understand. Ellis island was the light at the end of the tunnel for a lot of people. It’s amazing to learn how welcome most recent immigrants would feel at arrival. Very interesting to learn about some experiences from people who were once there, such like trying a cheese burger for the very first time and being helped by the Ellis Island staff to pass all the different exams.
Recommend the book but specialty to visit the Island itself.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read What Was Ellis Island? to get a better sense of what the series What Was/Who Was/Who Is series is like.

The text is well written and easy to read. Clean line art drawings enhance the text. An occasional call out page goes into greater depth about the topic. Additional features include a photograph section in the middle, a timeline, and a bibliography.

Recommended to readers of shorter chapter books and up.

[Jennifer Siddiqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple book that explained how immigrants came to America and what they went through once they were here. After reading this book, I appreciate the hardships my grandparents endured to have a better life.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually learned a lot from this kids/youth book...... a lot! Quite a good book!

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just OK

[Prachi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about what Ellis Island was and how it was a stop for newcomers in America. This book explained that Ellis Island was found by Samuel Ellis (who the island was named after) and how it was expanded over time. The island had many buildings and was about 30 acres. The book further goes on to explain that people came to Ellis Island in hopes of a better life because there wasn't much food in Europe. Most immigrants would ride on boats to get there and stay there because they could find better jobs and had more freedom. But on November 12, 1954, Ellis Island finally closed.

This book was definitely not something I would enjoy reading in my free time. I didn't enjoy this book because it was non-fiction, however, I did like learning about what Ellis Island was. It seems like an interesting place to visit and learn about. I would recommend this book to people who life non-fiction and want to know was Ellis Islands is. Overall this book was pretty good but was not my favorite, and I most likely won't read it again.

[Kelston]

This book is about the Ellis Isalnd & what it is. The Ellis island was an "Island of hope". It was said that many immagrants came to this island because this was there first stop on their way to America. Most immgrants who had to stop by the Ellis Island came from Europe. Many came to the Ellis Island because the food in Europe was scarced. There wasent many jobs there & they were treated badly because of their religion. The Journey took then across the atlanic ocean & 7-10 days. But through hard times, they never lost hope.

I would recommend this book to someone who likes to read about history & Americas ealry days. Someone who might also like this book is someone who likes to read about immagrants storys.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful overview of what Ellis Island was, what took place there and what happened to it.

This book covers everything from the first immigrants who came to Ellis Island to the last immigrants to come through. It also features a few famous people who came through Ellis Island such as Bob Hope. This book also covers the expansion of Ellis island, the testing that took place, etc. It also covers the recovery and repair of Ellis Island after it was shut down and fell into the hands of thieves and many years of not being maintained.

This was an entertaining look at an important piece of American history that I am glad I shared with my 4th and 6th grade sons.

[Erin Becker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice history of Ellis Island from its founding in 1890 to its present use as a historical memorial. Includes mini biographies of a few famous immigrants who arrived through Ellis Island, as well as a brief nod to other entry points like Angel Island. In a few places shied away from making important connections - in particular the connection between the demographic shift towards Southern and Eastern European immigrants in the 1890s and the federal government taking control of immigration policy. Very brief reference to modern debate around immigration policy. Would be a useful starting point for discussion in a history classroom or at home.

[Rachel Patek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book to read with my third grade students. I teach a reading unit that includes texts about Ellis Island. We have a big lesson where the students pretend to travel to New York and go through Ellis Island. This book was super helpful for my students. I also enjoyed learning from it. Right after reading, I actually took a tript o Ellis Island. I feel like I knew what to look for specfically in the musuem because of all the information I got while reading.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting read for me because my grandfather came over from Slovakia in 1892 and 1902, finally settling in Illinois. I have a better understanding of the process he went through and how frustrating it must have been to wait for the final approval to come to America. The island itself changed as it grew larger during the influx of East European immigrants. This book informs the reader through a basic description of the process of coming to America.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I learned a lot I actually didn't know. This was the starting point for immigration in America. It's strange how some things have changed and other things haven't at all.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Explains the history of Ellis Island (how it goes from small island and built up to hold more people). Explains the rules and regulations to get into US. What it was like at its busiest to how it went downhill and is now a museum.

Learn about important people to its history like LaGuardia.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great history of immigration to America. So many people can trace their ancestors to this famous island. They even give the address: www.ellisisland.org as a way to trace records. What a great way to learn history.

[Elina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice book but a little miserable so onto the story that place was a gateway to people in America also there is museum to celebrate Ellis Island and yeah so we should be thankful nothing like that has really happened like now this generation.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a place where many people came in search of a dream and a better way of life. It is now a place where we can remember them and admire their courage and determination. I was so pleased that I got to visit Ellis Island this year.

[Ellie Michel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informational and helped me learn more about Ellis Island and how everything worked when new immigrants came into the US. It was definitely a little too easy of a read for me but a good book if you want something fast to read.

[Kathy Foley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great way to introduce Ellis Island and it's history to a young reader.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the Who was/What was series. I read this one because we'd just visited Ellis Island and I wanted a quick synopsis of what had gone on there.

[Emily Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

J NF

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visited there today and bought the book at the gift shop for my son.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel so lucky that I had a childhood and did not have to work because my family was dirt poor and in an unfamiliar country.

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent work. Used it in my class this year.

[Quincy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gives lots of history of the island. Very interesting book, but if you want to know everything about the island I would not read it.

[BriAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book that I had no idea about. Very informative. I love this series for their abundance of information while also being a quick read.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informational and a great resource for students who are learning about Ellis Island.