Historical fiction immigrant stories for kids and teens
Discover captivating historical fiction books about immigrant experiences for kids and teens. Explore inspiring stories of courage, resilience, and cultural heritage in our curated collection of must-read novels.
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Hear My Sorrow
by Deborah Hopkinson
Forced to drop out of school at the age of fourteen to help support her family, Angela, an Italian immigrant, works long hours for low …
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A Coal Miner's Bride
by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Sent from Poland to Pennsylvania to be married to a coal miner, thirteen-year-old Anetka lives a totally new life in a harsh environment she doesn't …
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Dreams in the Golden Country
by Kathryn Lasky
Zipporah Feldman, a 12-year-old Jewish immigrant from Russia, uses diary entries to chronicle her family's activities as they acclimate to life on New York City's …
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Hope in My Heart
by Kathryn Lasky
After her family immigrates to America from Italy in 1903, ten-year-old Sofia is quarantined at the Ellis Island Immigration Station, where she makes a good …
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Nell Dunne, Ellis Island, 1904
by Kathleen Duey
In the 16th book in the "American Diaries" series, Nell Dunne is scared. This New Year's Day will be the most important day of her …
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Rachel
by Vivian Schurfranz
It is 1910 and 16 year-old Rachel Roth and her family are immigrants from Poland to America. When Rachel sees the Statue of Liberty in …
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Journey to America
by Clare Pastore
Now available in a digest-sized paperback format, Berkley Jam's Journey to America book series begins with this story of a young Irish girl who arrives …
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The Journey of Emilie
by Marcia Hoehne
Based on true stories of immigrant families. Will Emilie ever see her brother again? "Nordamerika?" Twelve-year-old Emilie Borner jumped at her brother's shout. Karl leaped …
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Journey of Pieter and Anna
by Helen DenBoer
Based on true stories of an immigrant family. How can Pieter leave behind his dog and his best friend? "I just saw her again," Pieter …
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Nothing Here But Stones
by Nancy Oswald
In 1882, ten-year-old Emma and her family, along with other Russian Jewish immigrants, arrive in Cotopaxi, Colorado, where they face inhospitable conditions as they attempt …
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Ashes of Roses
by Mary Jane Auch
Once at Ellis Island, seventeen-year-old Rose Nolan quickly realized that America was very different from what she had expected and so had to quickly adjust …
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So Far from Home
by Barry Denenberg
In the diary account of her journey from Ireland in 1847 and of her work in a mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, fourteen-year-old Mary reveals a …
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Pacific Odyssey to California, 1905
by Laurie Lawlor
Eleven-year-old Su-Na experiences a harsh lesson in racism when she and her family arrive in California seeking prosperity. As she struggles to retain her Korean …
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Land of Hope
by Joan Lowery Nixon
Russian immigrant Rebekah Levinsky hopes desperately that her dream will come true in America. On the difficult ocean journey to the "land of opportunity" she …
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Land of Promise
by Joan Lowery Nixon
Rose Carney, a young girl from Ireland, befriends Rebecca, from Russia, and Kristen, from Sweden, during the long journey to America. They part ways at …
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Land of Dreams
by Joan Lowery Nixon
As Kristin Swensen anxiously awaits her first glimpse of America, she is filled with a sense of the freedom that her new life promises. But …
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A House of Tailors
by Patricia Reilly Giff
When thirteen-year-old Dina emigrates from Germany to America in 1871, her only wish is to return home as soon as she can, but as the …
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Meet Kirsten: An American Girl, 1854
by Janet Beeler Shaw
The Story of Kirsten, a pioneer girl of strength and spirit around the year 1854 who settles on the frontier.
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Letters from Rifka
by Karen Hesse
In letters to her cousin, a young Jewish girl chronicles her family's flight from Russia in 1919 and her own experiences when she must be …
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Sarah, Also Known as Hannah
by Lillian Hammer Ross
When twelve-year-old Sarah leaves the Ukraine for America in her sister's place, she must use her sister's passport and her sister's name, Hannah. Copyright © …
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A Paradise Called Texas
by Janice Jordan Shefelman
Searching for a better life, Mina and her parents leave their German fatherland in 1845 and sail to Texas where they find hardship, tragedy, and …
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The Journal of Otto Peltonen
by William Durbin
In 1905 fifteen-year-old Otto describes in his journal how he travels from Finland to America, joining his father in a dreary iron mining community in …
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Wildflower Girl
by Marita Conlon-McKenna
Left orphaned at thirteen Peggy O'Driscoll leaves Ireland to seek her fortune in America.
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Twist of Gold
by Michael Morpurgo
A mother and her two surviving children, Sean and Annie, can no longer hold out against the terrible famine in Ireland. Near to death, the …
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An Ocean Apart
by Gillian Chan
With over 400,000 books already in print, the Dear Canada series has fast become the book series for children. Each fictional diary invites readers into …