The Orphan of Ellis Island

by Elvira Woodruff

An exciting time-travel adventure to Italy in 1908! One day, on a class trip to Ellis Island, Dominic Cantori faces his worst fantsty--a tour guide asks the children about their families. But Dominic is an orphan, living his entire life with one foster family after another and has no family to call his own. Not wanting to be part of this conversation, Dominic flees from his class and hides in the museum until everyone leaves and it's dark and deserted. Now, his only solace is the recorded voices on the display telephones of the immigrants who came to Ellis Island so long ago. But to Dominic's surprise, the voice of the Italian immigrant suddenly begins to speak directly to him! And before he knows it, he's transported back in time--to Italy in 1908. There he unlocks the door to his past, where he discovers what it means to be loved--and to be part of a family!

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Middle Grade, Historical, Childrens, Audiobook

181 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Elvira Woodruff is an American children's author known for blending fantasy and history in her stories. Born in Somerville, New Jersey, she studied English literature at Adelphi and Boston University. Before becoming a writer, she worked a variety of jobs and later found inspiration while working as a librarian in Easton, Pennsylvania. Woodruff has published numerous children's books, including George Washington's Socks, The Memory Coat, and Dear Levi. Her work has been praised for its engaging storytelling and historical depth. Throughout her career, she has created imaginative, heartfelt stories that continue to captivate young readers.

Reviews

[Tatevik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author is a contemporary but has late 1800s, early 1900s vibes. Slowly becoming her fan. I think I started with her best work - The Christmas Doll. Although, this one was also a very sweet story.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Review:
The setting is NYC, in the late 90’s. Dominic, a lonely foster child who longs for a permanent family, goes on a field trip to Ellis Island. As he hears his classmates speak up about their heritages, he becomes envious. Dominic sneaks away into a closet for privacy. He falls asleep, and the biggest surprise of his life awaits when he awakens!
Excellent book to introduce the history of immigration. The author’s notes about her Italian ancestry are wonderful!

Memorable Quotes:
(Pg. 3)-“Dominic wondered what his family tree would look like. He imagined a little twig with one tiny leaf hanging on it. On the leaf was his name; that was all.”

Overall:
A 😀 book

[Mandy Morrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A young orphan goes on a trip with his class to Ellis Island. There, he lies to his classmates about his family in order to keep the fact he's an orphan a secret. Then, he is told there is a wall where the immigrants' names are written that have come over to America. In order to not have to face his classmates, he hides in a closet where he falls asleep. Then, he wakes up to find it is now night and the museum is closed. He is thrown back in time to Italy and begins his adventure with some new friends. Will he be stuck there forever? This book his touching and engaging at the same time!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The orphan of Ellis island was a very interesting book, and I think this book can help you understand how people used to live, and how they suffered to come to America, on these ships, that are really dirty and no clean water to drink.
I kind of enjoyed reading this book because I really wanted to understand how Italy people immigrated
to America, and how their life was like separated from their family.

[Kasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good book that my daughter asked me to get from the library after her teacher read it to their class. She was so excited to share it with me. We read the first couple chapters together and then she couldn't contain herself anymore...she finished it (for the second time) over a weekend! I'm amazed at what a great reader she is turning into! I took much longer to finish it, but it was a really good story. It is a 4.9 on the AR reading list. I like how the main character becomes connected to his past and ancestry. This book encourages it's readers to become more acquainted with their ancestors and that is pretty special, I think.

[Ms. Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book when looking up info on Ellis Island. It looked to be an interesting time-travel idea -- Would the orphan from modern times find out about his parents when he travels back in time?

Dominic's life is in turmoil. His foster family will be moving out of state and he will soon be placed with ANOTHER family. He's tired of not fitting in, tired of having no friends, tired of not having a family. When on a field trip to Ellis Island with his classmates, Dominic tells a lie about his family name being on the Immigrant Wall of Honor. So he doesn't have to admit lying to his class, Dominic runs off and hides in a closet. There, he falls asleep and is locked in the building after closing. After a strange conversation with an immigrant via the telephone receiver in an exhibit, Dominic is transported back in time to 1911 Italy. There he meets three brothers, who are orphans, and are planning to travel to America soon. Dominic's life is forever changed by the discoveries he makes about these boys and how it relates to his own life.

THE ORPHAN OF ELLIS ISLAND is an entertaining time travel story, full of adventure and mystery. I found it fast-paced and easy-to-read. It will be perfect for those that love adventure stories.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Story time: I don't remember how I first found this book, but I was about 10 years old and it was my favorite thing ever. I read constantly, since I was never found of the ending, I would start again and reimagine what happened to these boys. My 1995 printing of the book was in terrible shape, and on the third or forth read through pages started coming out of the binding. On the fifth read through, whole chunks were missing. Eventually it completely fell apart and my mom threw it away. I was SO upset that I held a grudge over my missing book for 16 years!

But on a recent trip to Ellis Island, with mom, there it was waiting for me in the book store. I very literally shrieked, freaking out the guy at cash register. Story explained, and book in hand, I giddily ran through the museum pointing out all the parts that featured strongly in the book.

It took another month to actually start and finish it, but now that I have I can say - 10 year old me had pretty good taste in books! The charters are lovable, the story in moving and educational at the same time, the reading level is on par for young kids, and the ending still leaves much to be imagined.

[Ash R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about an orphan boy who goes on a field trip with his class to Ellis Island. HE doesn't know any of his ancestors and feels bad when everyone is showing each others theres. She when he hides in the closet and falls asleep he wakes up and somehow ends up in Italy in 1908!

I can make a text to MOVIE connection when a boy gets locked in a museum and cant get out so he explores the museum and finds out stories about the history of the world.

I would rate this book a 3 because it was a good boy because I think I've read better. I think it would be good if you like reading about history and how different parts of the world especially Italy came to be.

[Claire :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. It had a great story that isn’t one you’d lose interest in. I had to read this for my middle school history class. Overall I think it’s a good book.🤩

[Rodger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Orphan fifth grader Dominic surmised he had Italian roots, but didn't know his family heritage and that was uncomfortable on a school field trip to Ellis Island where they talk about how so many of them have family that immigrated there.

Somehow, Dominic gets to experience the immigration experience back in 1908 alongside three Italian boys age eleven, ten and seven.

The author's note at the end has good insight about why many people immigrated from Italy from 1880-1914.

As an orphan, Dominic pictured a perfect family:
"There would be a refrigerator and cupboards that were always filled with pizza and marshmallows and potato chips that he could have any time he wanted. There would be warm, homemade brownies on the kitchen table when he came home from school. And best of all, in his dream family, there would be brothers to play with and lots of pets to care for." P. 4

Another great quote:
"'Mention Rome!'
'Rome?'
'Molto Bene! Very good!' the priest cried. 'I will tell them that I saw you and yes, you mentioned Rome'" p. 81

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Calvin enjoyed this book we read aloud. I like there is a pronunciation glossary, just wish I would have found it before or while we were reading the book. This sparked conversation about Ellis Island and people coming to America.

[Jana Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened with the kids and we all really enjoyed it. Eye opening for my kids to hear about immigrant experiences.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't remember why I borrowed this from the library, but it wasn't half bad. It was definitely for a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it. It was a bit awkward and weird in the beginning and I didn't like the main character, Dominic, too well then, but he improved a little. As this book sends Dominic back in time, he had a hard time remembering that there weren't the Twin towers in America or ambulances could just pick the sick boy up. A bit silly in my opinion but I guess Dominic is only 10. I think him traveling back in time was a good way for him to learn to be thankful for what he has.

Content:
Language: N/A
Sexy Stuff/Romance: N/A
Violence: one character is whipped once (nondescriptive)
Other: A thief steals something and the boys run after him

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dominic Cantori is an orphan who has been shipped from foster home to foster home. All he wants is a real home and family, a pet, and some brothers. During a field trip to Ellis Island, Dominic becomes separated from his classmates and falls asleep in a janitor closet. He wakes up in 1908 Italy among a group of orphans who are struggling to survive. They are willing to let him join their group and it really opens his eyes as to how difficult life is for them. They are ragged and starving and hunted from place to place by bad people. But there are good people too - one of them is the priest who helps them escape on a ship bound for America. When they reach Ellis Island, Dominic is catapulted back into his own time, with a much better understanding of his heritage. And there is a bonus - he now knows his Italian roots, and gets transferred to a foster home that wants to adopt him - pets and brothers included.

[Jennifer Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book. I love Ellis Island’s History. This book however did nothing to pull me in. It starts off slow for me. Granted there is a ‘small’ dilemma of Dominic feeling left out and different, but then it takes eight chapters before we get to the time travel aspect of this story. EIGHT CHAPTERS! I was ready to put the book down well before I reached chapter eight.

Then we spend a lot of time in Italy. Now I know that this is a part of the story that works. When I analyze it, my brain says it does what it needs to. However I wasn’t expecting the story to spend so much time in Italy, so I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to move quicker from that point of the story. I wanted to be on the ship with the children traveling to America.

The boy time travels by falling asleep. Basically he falls asleep at the beginning and wakes up in Italy. Then he’s on Ellis Island waiting in line (at the end) and he drifts asleep and when he wakes up he’s back in present. I always find dealing with that issue of HOW is tough. In my first novel it was easy. There was a specific means ‘a door’ for getting to and from. In this novel I use the sleep factor too. I don’t particularly like this method, but sometimes it is the only way.

I’m left wondering at the end of this book. We learn about Dominic’s past and his ancestors, but then there’s no mention of them dying out or being alive when he gets back to the present. Wouldn’t he try to find out something. There was another brother, wouldn’t there be the possibility of some other family out there? It just didn’t settle my questions good enough. So I was a tad disappointed in the end.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The orphan of Ellis island was a very interesting book, and I think this book can help you understand how people used to live, and how they suffered to come to America, on these ships, that are really dirty and no clean water to drink.
I kind of enjoyed reading this book because I really wanted to understand how Italy people immigrated
to America, and how their life was like separated from their family.

[Jessica Vogt · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my 5th grade class we read this together. Since we where working on a Immigration report it fit in well. I liked it because how true the history was and Elvira Woodruff didnt make the history up or anything. Also my report was based on Italian immigrants since I do have Italian in me. I loved the imagination the characters had in the book.

[Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm mixed about this book. The story is good and sad. Dominick travels back and finds his family that came to America from Italy. However, in the present it seems like it was just a dream and no closer was made for the reader. Granted Dominick gets a sense of worth and pride for family, however I wanted him to find family in the present to live with. :(

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook of this over the course of a few days, just for simple escapism while doing chores. Sure, the story is at times predictable, but it does have its charm. My younger self would have absolutely adored this, since it combines both time travel and orphans - two subjects I always wanted to read about.

[AMHarriman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book to my third grade class, and they LOVED it! Had lots of opportunity for reviewing comprehension strategies, learning new vocabulary, and understand life lessons! And greatest of all, it had my kids excited and wanting to keep reading!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!!!! :) IT WAS AMAZING! i recommend it to anybody who is Italian and has ancestors that came from Italy to Ellis Island a long time ago.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea if this book is actually good or not anymore, but kudos to the author for wowing my second-grade self.

[Random Scholar · Rating 5 out of 5]

There were so many parts of this story that made me cry. From Dominic meeting his great grandfather through time travel to his discovery of how hard life was for his grandfather in Italy around the turn of the century, I found myself crying at almost every page. This book gives a very powerful glimpse into what life was like for many immigrants at the turn of the century. During Dominic's visions he had when he fell asleep in a museum during a class trip, he was able to see touch smell and taste what life was like for his ancestors before they came to America.

My favorite thing about this story was that it showed the hope that millions of immigrants had when they traveled to America in hope of a better life. It also did a very good job of describing just how much harder their lives were historically before immigrating to America. This can be a great story to show the history of why America was considered the greatest country in the world and why millions of people from around the world wanted to come here. I fear that we are living in times when many children are being subliminally conditioned to hate living in America when we still have a lot more freedom and opportunity than many other countries in the world. This book may be an interesting conversation starter on what we have to be grateful for and patriotism in general. This book can also be a great text for social studies classes and creative writing as a possible genre in historical fiction. I would recommend this book to students in fourth grade though it can certainly be read out loud to younger audiences as well.

[Allie R · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this thrilling time-travel novel, Dominic Cantori is currently an orphan living in present day New York City. Dominic has had his share of foster families and is always wishing for a family of his own. When his 5th grade class travels to Ellis Island for a field trip, the park ranger asks the students to share their family heritage. To avoid the embarrassment of not knowing information about his family, Dominic decides to hide in a janitor’s closet. He falls asleep and when he wakes up, Ellis Island is empty! He roams the quiet museum and begins to listen to the recorded voices of immigrants in an exhibit when suddenly, a voice on the recording responds to Dominic! Next thing he knows, Dominic wakes up and has been taken back into time to Italy in 1908. Dominic meets three other orphan boys, Francesco, Salvatore and Antonio. The boys welcome Dominic to their famiglia and have many adventures together in Italy. When the boys learn that they have tickets to America—specifically to New York City, Dominic joins them on their adventure. Over the course of the story, Dominic learns what it feels like to be in a family who loves him and he also learns about his own family heritage. Will Dominic return to the New York he knows and loves, or will he be stuck in the New York of 1908?
Elvira Woodruff’s historical fiction novel is exciting and will teach readers about the challenges many immigrants faced during the immigration boom. I would recommend this book to teachers who teach immigration and students grades 3-7.

[Vanessa C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: This book was about an orphan named Dominic. His class when to the Ellis Island Museum and he got very upset, hid in a closet and fell asleep. When he woke up his class was gone, the museum was closed, and he was alone. He started to wander around and he listened to the stories of the immigrants. One of the immigrants started to talk to him through the phone and he ended up traveling back in time to Italy in 1908. He met 3 brothers that were also orphans and he became very close. After a series of events Dominic ended up figuring out one of the boys was his great-grandfather! He then traveled back to his own time and was placed into a family that wanted to foster him and maybe adopt him.
Reflection: I loved reading this book with my class! It was so captivating and fun to read. The class loved reading it and they did not want to stop. I love how it talks about immigration and why people left their home country to go to the United States.
Teaching: I would use this book to teach immigration. It is a 5th grade standard and it is great way for them to connect to the topic of immigration. When we were talking about immigration with this book we talked about why the brothers wanted to leave for America and I was able to tell them why my grandpa and parents immigrated to the United States. It gave them different perspectives and stories about immigration and they were able to understand immigration a lot.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story seemed vaguely familiar as I was reading it but I don't think I've read it before, maybe it was from flipping through it when I purchased it. A quick engaging read about an orphan boy longing for family and learning his family history in an unconventional way, time-travel while on Ellis Island.

I appreciated the Author's Note which implies the story is based on elements of the author's Italian family history. It also includes a glossary and pronunciation guide at the end. Even though it was a short book I connected with it and felt for the immigrants as it describes their traveling conditions en route to Ellis Island. How they wouldn't complain because immigrating meant so much and they wouldn't risk being kicked off the ship. Mentions foster families and the MC's struggle with moving from family to family.

"Remember what Father Tomaso told us. Turn your other cheek. You know how Father says that it takes more strength not to fight than to fight." pg 60

"One day you will be able to look at everything and discover strength and goodness in the most difficult of changes. For it is the hardships we meet in life that make us strong. And it is our strength that makes us who we are." pg 122

"For now he understood how he had always been and would always be a part of a family. And he could never lose those he loved, not completely. Francesco and the others would be part of who he was for the rest of his life." pg 166

[Jaclyn Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a heartwarming tale of an orphan experiencing embarrassment, this historical fiction novel focuses on the importance of staying true to who you are. Targeted for grades 4-6 this story focuses on the life of young Dominic Cantori as as he meets an older Italian Immigrant who transports him back in time to Italy in 1908. The Orphan of Ellis Island focuses on the theme of family and friendship that are easy for elementary school students to identify with. For teaching purposes, this would be a great novel to model as a read aloud with popcorn reading, or in small literature circle sized groups for differentiated instruction. Teachers can provide guiding questions to ensure engagement and participation in the lesson as well as focus on key words students may not know in the story. This would help focus on context clues which is a skill that will be beneficial on future summative and formative assessments.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to say much about the book that the blurb doesn't have without giving spoilers. I didn't realize this was a fantasy/sci-fi book until I just now added it to my shelves. lol

I can see why young people would like this one. I only had audio, so not sure about the spelling of the names, but after Dominick goes to Ellis Island with his class and ends up hiding. He listens to the recorded voices of immigrants who'd left them, and he ends up asking questions when one voice answers him. Dominick eventually ends up waking up in Italy in 1908. There he meets three brothers: Antonio, Salvatore, and Francesco who are also orphaned and want to go to America.

Oh, and there was a GIANT involved too, but I can't even guess at his name's spelling. lol I can definitely see kids freaking out but not too much.

The brothers told Dominick he is "family" now and that's all Dominick ever wanted...family.

[JenBsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe I picked this up in a Little Free Library. I don't think it would have popped up on my radar otherwise. A Scholastic book, this is about 5th grade level (that's the age of the MC). My "Middle Grade May" is giving me "permission" to read some of these books for younger readers. While this did feel elementary/easy and was quick/short, there was enough there that I enjoyed this as an adult.

I think I've always enjoyed the "time travel" aspect of books ... when someone from today gets transported back into the past. I think it's sometimes easier to connect with that character, seeing the "olden" days through present-day eyes/perceptions. Notice the differences, etc. This was pre-WW1.

As mentioned, I had the physical copy, and was able to borrow audio from the library. There doesn't even seem to be a Kindle copy. There was an author's note in the physical book (not included in audio) that I appreciated. Also included was a glossary of terms and a pronunciation guide.

[Kristie Leaphart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novel written in 1997 about an orphan named Dominic Cantori. He's been in and out of foster homes since he was a baby. Dominic is on a class trip to the Ellis Island Immigrant Museum when he gets upset and runs away from the group. When he wakes up, he's alone in the museum, and he picks up a display phone that has voices of immigrants telling their stories. To his surprise someone starts talking to him and before he knows what's happening, he's transported back in time to 1908 in Italy.
This story is about family. Family isn't always who you're born to. Dominic learns some hard lessons along his journey.
The author tells a little about her family history in the back of the book, which is interesting as she has immigrant ancestors.