Maggie's Amerikay

by Barbara Timberlake Russell, Jim Burke (Illustrator)

“In Amerikay,” Maggie’s da has told her, “we will start anew.”


It’s 1898, and Maggie McCrary and her family have just crossed the ocean to settle in New Orleans. America is the answer to her father’s dream of books and proper learning. For her
mother, it offers the chance to buy land. But living in a crowded tenement watching her neighbors work hard all day, Maggie isn’t sure she likes Amerikay. Then Maggie discovers kinship in Nathan, an African American boy, and hope in the ragtime music he plays – music that seems to shout: Free! Free! I choose who I will be!



Striking illustrations pull readers into the rich mix of people that make up New Orleans in the 1890s and into the story of one young girl’s quest to find her own place in America.

Maggie's Amerikay is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Picture Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published April 18, 2006

Reviews

[Jim Sibigtroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides good messages about the importance of education, family, hard working immigrants, and working with others of diverse backgrounds, the author signals attitudes about prejudice indirectly through illustrations and the way characters say things rather than directly. 2nd graders typically cannot pick up on these implied clues but most third graders can.

[Nicholas & Megan Clinch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely connection of the stories of those who fled 🇮🇪 with the Creole history in New Orleans, sharing music & a new start for children of humble origins.

[Danielle Wrasman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the friendship between a young Irish girl and African American boy during tensions of being a newly immigrated family to America, this book weaves tale of turning fear and the unknown into hope and opportunity. Set in New Orleans, Maggie’s family has moved in order to give her the chance of books and proper learning and their family the opportunity to buy land. The story is about the struggles the family faces at first but how they eventually find things that will change them forever in friendship, music, and the rich mix of people in their new homeland. The large, bright illustrations and authenticity of this book bring it to live and make it a very open door for students interested in the topic of immigration. It also tells an encouraging story of friendship between two oppressed groups at that time in history. The perspective of African American immigrants in addition to Irish in this story adds cross-cultural perspective and voice.

[Ashleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

" In Amerikay, Maggie's da has told her, we will start anew." It's 1898 and Maggie McCary and her family just settled in New Orleans. For Maggie's parents its a chance to go after their dreams, but Maggie is not sure likes this Amerikay. That is until she meets a young boy, Nathan, who teaches her about the ragtime music he plays. It is this music that calls out to Maggie and this Amerikay grows on Maggie.

Maggie's Amerikay is an excellent book. This book shows the young reader the life and hardships immigrants had to face in ways a young child can connect with. Through Barbara Russell story and Jim Burke's detailed illustrations. The Illustrations show both facial expressions and background details.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay, yay! WOOT! WOOT!! This was a marvelous book! The main character is full of spunk and determination. It's a hopeful immigrant story that I can hardly wait to share with my students. I'll probably use it as a read aloud with my America Rocks unit.

Classroom Connection
Writers' Workshop - use of vernacular
Character - determination + hard work = perseverance

[Julia Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I interned with Illustrator Jim Burke and I love this book. The story is great and the illustrations are gorgeous! Especially the originals!

[MJ]

historical fiction/immigration/race relactions