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Nancy Keane's | Booktalks -- Quick and Simple | |
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Napoli,
Donna Jo.
THE KING OF MULBERRY STREET New York : Wendy Lamb, 2005 IL 3-6, RL 4.0 ISBN 0385908903 |
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I'm stranded here in NYC until I figure out how to get back home to Napoli. See Mamma and I were supposed to get on the ship to America together. But something went wrong and she never got on…and I wound up in cargo. Napoli’s in Italy where they call me Beniamino. On the ship and over here in NY they call me Dom. There's a lot about myself and my family that I'm keeping a secret. I don't like NYC. It’s filthy, it stinks, and I can't speak English. And there are thieves everywhere. Not that I have anything to steal, just this new pair of shoes Mamma bought me. These shoes are gonna get me in trouble…or maybe they'll save my life. If I don't watch my back every second I could wind up in an Orphanage or even worse, working for a Padrone. Those guys, they call themselves “Uncles” take boys like me and make us into slaves. Some Uncle! They even tie us up at night so we can't escape. I'm no scugnizo, but I'm lucky I found this barrel to sleep in an alley on Mulberry Street, even if there is a dead dog right nearby. I met a couple of guys here. There's Tin Pan Alley he works for a Padrone. And Gaetano-he’s older and he acts real tough. I'm not sure if I should trust him-even if he is from Napoli! Anyways, those oranges I earned for helping Mr. Grandinetti stack his produce aren't gonna last. I'm starving! Between the three of us, me, Tin Pan, and Gaetano, maybe we can make a plan to make some money and get some food. As soon as we do, I'm out of here and on my way to Napoli. (Nomi Krasilovsky, East Providence Public Library, East Providence, RI) |
| SUBJECTS:
Jews -- United States -- Fiction.
Street children -- Fiction. Immigrants -- New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction. Italians -- New York (N.Y.) -- Fiction. Emigration and immigration -- Fiction. New York (N.Y.) -- History -- 1865-1898 -- Fiction. Historical fiction. |
