Annie Moore, First in Line for America

Annie Moore #1

by Eithne Loughrey

‘full of the atmosphere of the time...a very engaging read’ Mary Arrigan, Sunday Tribune

A fictionalised account of the true story of the young Irish girl who was the first immigrant to land on Ellis Island, New York.

Cork-born Annie Moore was the very first immigrant of any nationality to land at the now historic handling station at Ellis Island, New York, on the day it opened in 1892. This first book in the trilogy tells of Annie's new life in New her family, their cramped apartment and her working life. Annie's initial disappointment at her New York life soon disappears as she has a series of adventures.

Genres: Historical Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Susan Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books about Irish immigrants having had g-grandparents that made the journey. This one did not fail to entertain me. I can't begin to imagine coming from Ireland to New York at the age of 15 and having two brothers (ages 7 & 11) to look after on the voyage. I feel that most children during that period grew up much faster than those of today. The responsibilities they faced were much greater than most of today's generations.

Annie's parents came to America three years prior to her arrival. Their oldest son, Tom, came with them and was helping financially. Not knowing what to expect, Annie is somewhat shocked when she finds the tiny room the family will live in. She also is sad that she will be required to work and help out financially rather than continue her education.

With the help of a friend Annie finds work in a laundry. As with many establishments during that era, safety wasn't the concern it should have been (where's OSHA when you need it). The laundry eventually catches on fire killing 11 people and closing for good. We leave Annie with new employment as a domestic.

This is the first book of a trilogy. Although the books are works of fiction they are inspired by Annie Moore who was indeed the first person to step foot on Ellis Island.

Enjoy.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annie Moore was accompanied by her two younger brothers on a steamship traveling from Ireland to meet their parents in New York. She was the first immigrant to arrive at Ellis Island and received a special ten dollar gold coin as a result, which made her birthday even more special. Annie's story reveals the hardships she experienced working at a laundry to her growth trying to unionize her worksite. This book is a quick read and a must read for those with a belief in America being the land of opportunity and also those who want to learn more about the life of early immigrants through Ellis Island.

[Kymberli Briggs · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

I had bought this book over twenty years ago on my first trip to Ireland; thought it was time to read it through again and see how it stands. Not bad, was more entertaining than I thought it would be. It was filled with information about Annie and her life just before crossing to America and then her life in the USA. It was not an info-dump, it was well-written and the story flowed easily. The author showed the hardships of not only an immigrant but a female Irish immigrant. Glad I gave it another go.

Content Warnings- Mentions of Death; Mentions of an Epidemic; Injury; Mentions of a Miscarriage; one Curse Word; Mentions of Blood; Pregnancy; Injury; Physical Abuse; Bullying; Fire and resulting Injuries and Death

[Peggy Gustafson · Rating 5 out of 5]

We bought this book while in Ireland 2 months ago. I now believe we purchased a book for tweens / and young teens. A very lovely story giving life to a 15 year old Irish girl who was the very first to come to America through the newly completed Ellis Island terminal. It depicts the life and times of living in NYC for Irish Immigrants.
It is the first book in a trilogy of the life of Annie Moore.

[Jo Skeffington · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being Irish myself, I enjoy reading books on Ireland and those who immigrated from there to America so was particularly drawn to Annie Moore as being the first to immigrate into Ellis Island. An easy, enjoyable read. Thanks.

[Fran Durbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always been interested in the story of immigration to the US, and even visited the Cobh Heritage Centre in Ireland where Annie Moore’s story is remembered. That’s what drew me to Eithne Loughrey’s book. It was interesting to learn more about her, and it's worth a read if you’re curious about her arrival in America.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this series as a book-starved middle schooler who was thankful for anything she could get her hands on. But now I've aged a bit and my standards have become more refined. :) I LOVED these books when I was younger, and I don't anymore. One reason I don't like them as much is that it seems the books were poorly edited, in terms of grammar and punctuation rules, although I wonder if that's not a cultural difference, since I'm American and the author and publishing company are European.
This book specifically starts out much like a biography, and it didn't "feel" like a story to me until about halfway through the book. The characters and the plot were ok, but there wasn't much character development (something I love dearly, so that was disappointing). Something the author did do well was display the difficult situations that new immigrants often found themselves in. Annie worked for sometimes more than 12 hours a day, 6 days a week in a laundry at 15 years old, completely forgoing any formal education and giving up part of her childhood, and yet she had it easy in comparison to others. This book is clean for kids, and although it wouldn't be my first recommendation for most people, if you're just looking to kill time, it won't do any harm.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this story of Annie Moore, the first immigrant that went through Ellis Island. I am of Irish descent and had never heard of Miss Moore. It was more historical fiction but the author wove the story to make it believable. Another great read for me!

[Sadhbh · Rating 4 out of 5]

i havent read it all yet

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought in Ireland after learning about her on one of our visits to a museum.