Just Call Me Joe

by Frieda Wishinsky

Overview

The year is 1909 and Joseph has just immigrated to the United States from Russia. He thinks that life in New York City will be wonderful, but he has not bargained for the challenges of learning English and of resisting the pressures to skip school, steal and fight to earn a place among the boys in his neighbourhood. Just Call Me Joe presents a full picture of life in New York City for the working poor. Anna, Joe's older sister, struggles to cope with the terrible factory conditions of the time. Aunt Sophie must take in boarders to make ends meet. And Joseph must both accept change and remain true to himself in a new city with new challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554696550
Publisher:	Orca Book Publishers
Publication date:	10/01/2003
Series:	Orca Young Readers
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Lexile:	670L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

"Frieda Wishinsky is the award-winning author of over forty books for young people. She loves humor, history and exploring new ways to tell a story. Frieda was raised and educated in New York City, where she earned a BA in International Relations and a Master of Science in Special Education. Frieda's books have been nominated for international awards, earned critical praise, and have been featured in magazines and newspapers around the world, including The London Times, The Observer and The New York Times. Frieda lives in Toronto, Ontario."

Read an Excerpt

A ball bounced hard into his chest. Startled, Joseph glared at the thin, tall boy with cropped black hair who had thrown the ball.



"Gimme that ball," the boy barked in English..Joseph didn't understand the boy's words, but from the boy's tone and sneer, Joseph knew he wasn't apologizing.



"Watch where you throw," said Joseph, throwing the boy back his ball.



"Watch where you sit, greenie," the boy snarled back, this time in Yiddish.



For a minute both boys stared at each other. Then Joseph's face broke out into a smile. "I am a greenie now," he told the boy, "but soon I'll be a regular American. I catch on to things fast."