Water Street

The year is 1875 and the Brooklyn Bridge is under construction. To many, this bridge is a symbol of greatness and ingenuity. This sense of hope and aspiration echoes in the background as the book examines the lives of two Irish American families. Bridget Mallon, called Bird, is about to enter her last year of school and struggles to find her place in the world. She wants to follow in her mother's footsteps as a healer but there are many difficult challenges on that path and Bird is not quite sure if she's cut out for the task. Bird worries about her family and determines to make things better for all of them. Her sister Annie, still unmarried, has few prospects for romance. Hughie, Bird's older brother, engages in illegal back street fighting with crippling results. Nory and Sean, Bird's parents, strive to make ends meet to provide a good and loving home for their family. Thomas Neary is Bird's new friend who just moved into the upstairs apartment with his father, an alcoholic, who spends most of his time at the local pub. Thomas doesn't even know his mother and wonders if he ever will. He spends most of his time with Bird's family and keeps a journal full of stories he has created about the people and the places that surround him. Thomas' steadfast devotion to Bird's family encourages Bird to keep striving for better things. Even in their world of frustration there is that ray of hope and expectation as Bird and Thomas watch the progress of the looming towers of the Brooklyn Bridge and reflect on the possibilities of the future. This book challenges the reader to explore the history of the time and the plight of being an immigrant in America. Giff allows the reader to step into the heart and soul of Bird and Thomas and discover what it means to be called a friend and a family.

This is a wonderfully told tale of two eighth graders coming of age with the building of the Brooklyn Bridge. A great read for young adults facing decisions about their futures. A MUST read for those who love Patricia Reilly Giff's craft and storytelling!

Patricia Reilly Giff's WATER STREET is set in 1875 Brooklyn: Bird Mallon wishes to be a healer like her mother, and longs for a friend to move in the empty apartment upstairs; but neither of her dreams seem to come true; especially when Thomas and his father move in. Fans of Giff's prior 'Nory Ryan's Song will welcome a new generation in Bird, daughter of Nory and Sean.

For a woman who lives in Connecticut, Patricia Reilly Giff certainly seems to be single-handedly creating more quality New York historical fiction than most of the actual residents. I've always had a kind of touch and go relationship with Giff. On the one hand, she's a master of children's literature. When you want to talk about authors who will be remembered for generations and have long elaborate books written about their works, few are as clear a shoo-in as Ms. Giff. On the other hand, I've a low depressing-children's-book tolerance. I loved A House of Tailors, merrily traipsed through Pictures of Hollis Woods, and found myself knee-deep in rotten potatoes with Nory Ryan's Song. About there, however, I found I could not pick up Maggie's Door, no matter how good everyone said it was. Were it not for unforeseen circumstances I might never have found Water Street sitting merrily on my lap, waiting to be read. So read it I did, albeit with more than a little trepidation. Sporting what I consider to be the prettiest l'il ole cover ever given to a Patricia Reilly Giff book, "Water Street" has the power to win over even the thickest of critics (re: me). Engaging and true, this is a comforting return to familiar characters sans harrowing passages and the eating of limpets. Nory Ryan immigrated from Ireland to America. This we know. Now, however, Nory's grown up to be a healer in Brooklyn and her daughter, Bird, is following in her footsteps. Thirteen-year-old Bird wants to learn to heal just like her mother does, but there are other things pecking at her attention. There's the slow building of the Brooklyn Bridge that some consider a bit of late 19th century folly. And there's that new boy, Thomas, who just moved in above Bird's apartment. Thomas is the only son of a drunken, if kindly, lout and he immediately gravitates to both Bird and her kin. As a result he's unofficially adopted by the family and is pulled into their problems. Bird, while visiting a harrowing bit of bloody healing, suddenly is re-examining her calling. More frightening still, her older brother Hughie is getting into bar fights and shaming the family. As Bird and Thomas begin to rely more and more on one another they grow, face difficulties head on, and embody 1875 Brooklyn at its best. Some books feel like a pair of comfortable shoes you can just slip on. In contrast to some of Giff's more harrowing titles, "Water Street" just feels... good. Obviously there's a bit of violence, anguish, and pain here and there. This is old-timey Brooklyn, after all. But somehow in the midst of all this "Water Street" is never anything but a joy to read. The plots and problems of the characters tie together nicely (perhaps too nicely for some). There's an arc to the tale, and a wonderful solution to the mystery of Hughie's actions. And as always, Giff spots her text with tasty descriptive snippets like, "...and then there was a quick memory of that man standing at their door once, his face like