The King of Mulberry Street

You can't beat this story for a great Young Adult historical novel. The author, who is always good no matter what she pens, really gives the reader a very clear and evocative picture of just what life was like for immigrants arriving from various countries to Ellis Island and further into the streets of New York. Our young hero and budding entrepreneur, Dom from Naples, soon learns the hard way how to make his way in a tough poor part of the city, struggling to eat and having to hide his Jewish faith amongst Italian and Irish Catholics. Beaten, robbed, sleeping an a barrel in a filthy alley, Dom uses his head and his strong heart to soon become the King of Mulberry street. This is a precious and poignant novel that will leave you breathless and in appreciation of just how hard the times were then, and how very hard the immigrants had to work to make their way in the new world. I would recommend this to all adults and teenagers who just love a good story. It will also leave you very appreciative of the spoiled world we live in now.

I loved this book. I am reading it aloud to my 10 and 7 year old sons and they like it. Yes, there is a sad, violent episode,but that just makes it more realistic. I especially enjoyed the entrepreneurial spirit of the boys. I learned much about the immigrant experience,the prejudice of the immigrants towards each other, the life of the street children and Jewish traditions. Read it and give it to your kids to read, ages 10 and up.

It's been a long time since I read a book in one sitting. A tremendous tale...you truly feel like you are living the life of a Five Points orphan in the 1890s. Beautiful work.

Assumptions are made to be broken. Here are a few of mine that have recently been put through the ringer. I always assumed that if a kid wanted a good (not mediocre, not bland) book on early 20th century immigrants, they should probably stick with Patricia Reilly Giff and look no further. Here's another assumption: If you asked me what kinds of books Donna Jo Napoli writes I would've said teen retellings of fairy tales. If you had asked me if she were capable of convincingly written historical fiction I would have adroitly curled my lip and cast ye aside. At this moment in time, however, these assumptions have shattered and lie piled up about my feet. I hold here in my hand "The King of Mulberry Street" (which makes my typing a bit complicated, but at least my point is clear). Though I'm a children's librarian, I avoid historical fiction like the plague. That is, unless the book has been recommended to me as something particularly extraordinary. This book has earned every drop of praise it has ever received and will deserve future drops as well. It's well-written, honest-to-goodness interesting (especially towards the financially inclined), and not half as depressing as it could have been. A plus for those kids who may soon be forced to read it. Nine-year-old Beniamino knows that life in Italy may not be perfect for a Jewish kid like himself, but he's still taken completely by surprise when he's forced to leave. His mother has shipped him off on the nearest cargo ship for America with a pair of beautiful new shoes on his feet and the advice to "simply survive". The boy is shocked but smart. His arrival at Ellis Island consists mostly of him attempting to get shipped back to Napoli and failing. After receiving some advice to head for Mulberry Street, where many Napoletanos have settled, Beniamino (now known simply as Dom) has only one goal in life. He must somehow find a way back too Italy. This dream, however, wanes in the face of learning the lay of the land. Here Dom can start his own business, make friends, and truly becomes the king of Mulberry Street. You think of street urchins in 1892 New York and the images conjured up aren't pleasant. After getting the gist of the book, I had consigned myself to a deeply depressing read in which a boy gets beaten down by an inhuman system and somehow keeps his self-respect. Blah blah blah. I've obviously been reading too much poorly written historical fiction. Ms. Napoli obviously had an entirely different course of action in her mind when she wrote this book. Knowing only that her own grandfather arrived in New York as a five-year-old stowaway and became a successful young businessman, Napoli has given us the history of a relative as it could have occurred. Life obviously isn't a bed of roses for Dom right at the start, but this is one smart cookie we're dealing with. He comes up with a great way of making money and is so brilliant at it that he is able to clothe, feed, and

THE KING OF MULBERRY STREET by Donna Jo Napoli is a fascinating, at times heartbreaking, account of the adventures and ultimate success of a young Italian immigrant in the world of New York, 1882. Dom's story begins with another name, in another place, the center of his loving but desperately poor extended Jewish family in Naples. Illegitimate, his presence costs his mother the opportunity of yet another job that might put food on the family table. A few days later, Dom's mother sends her son off on a boat to America as a stowaway, an ambiguous action that fuels the rest of the story. In America, Dom's only thought is to return to Naples. To do that, however, he needs to survive the hungry and homeless who would steal his only pair of shoes, and the ruthless patroni who would press him into service that is little better than slavery. Dom figures out quickly that the only way to survive is to acquire a band of allies: another street orphan, a patroni-controlled triangle player and a shopowner. In essence, Napoli's book is about the act of creating family, and doing so can eventually turn a place into home. THE KING OF MULBERRY STREET is written for children and Dom never fails to sound like a nine-year-old child. Nevertheless, this is an emotionally sophisticated book. While it takes both Dom and the reader some time to understand and accept that his mother was not left behind by mistake, but deliberately sent a child off to America on his own, Napoli never shies away from the ramifications of this act. Nor does she make the mother inherently evil --- it's clear that Dom's mother does love him, both from the early chapters of the book and from the lengths she goes to in order to give him a small measure of protection. This protection, a new pair of shoes, surfaces and resurfaces throughout the book. In fact, THE KING OF MULBERRY STREET is filled with complex and nuanced characters who make the reader care about their fate. Napoli's prose is particularly engrossing, and her nineteenth century New York setting feels vivid and authentic. A note at the end of the novel, explaining that some of the events are based on stories told about her own grandfather, adds further poignancy to the novel. THE KING OF MULBERRY STREET is a book whose story and characters stay with you long after you've finished the last page. The lessons it contains speak to adults as well as to children, and will encourage readers to think about questions of right and wrong in the context of survival. This is a moving and unforgettable book, and one that I highly recommend. --- Reviewed by Paula Jolin