A Dream of America

The room is so hot it is hard to breathe. My legs ache from pushing the pedals on this machine. My fingers throb from the many times they have been pierced by the needle. I think of home. The cool, green forests. I think of home. No money and no food. The boss shouts at me. I don’t speak much English, so I just pedal harder. How hopeful I was that night as we sailed toward the beautiful statue. On that night, I was so sure that my dream of America was about to come true….

Set in the early 1900s, A Dream of America, follows a young Polish immigrant as she experiences a horrifying journey by sea to New York. She recalls the hours spent under scrutiny on Ellis Island, and while remembering the poverty of her old life, considers whether the loneliness and exhaustion of her new life have been worth the sacrifice.

Yesterday’s Voices is a fantastic series that gives older Hi-Lo readers manageable, yet highly sophisticated, thought-provoking historical fiction. Each story will include a spread that gives the reader the factual background to the historical theme or event explored in the story.