Schneider, Mical. Annie Quinn in America. CarolRhoda, 2001. ISBN 1-57505-510-4. $15.95. 246 pp. C 5-7 FIReviewed by Sandra L. Tidwell Twelve-year-old Annie and her younger brother Thomas immigrate to America in 1847 to find their big sister Bridget, who is employed as a maid. They find Bridget but also find another set of hardships that physically and emotionally challenge them. In their native Ireland, during their voyage across the ocean, and in America, the youngsters run into many undesirable people, including a young thief who steals their possessions during their first few moments in New York, a drunken stable man who abuses children, and a dishonest housekeeper. The children’s dream of earning enough money to send for their mother and other siblings seems impossible. It seems unrealistic that so much happens to two little children in early America. The happy reunion with their parents is almost too good to be true, and at times the text is unclear and confusing. The author gives no list of sources she used to write this piece of historical fiction, nor is there an explanation of the characters and experiences.
