A Place for Joey Book

From the moment they arrived in America from Italy, Joey Calabro's parents have dreamed of moving to the country and buying a farm. But Joey can't imagine living anywhere but Boston's North End. He loves the sights, sounds and smells of the neighborhood, from the horse-drawn wagons rumbling over the cobbled streets to the smell of salty air from the waterfront. Secretly Joey plans to find a job and remain in the North End. One day, while playing hookey from school, he heads down to the docks looking for work. Ethnic tensions and Joey's part in a terrible disaster combine to help Joey find his own dream. Carol Harris's spirited and moving novel carries readers back to the immigrant world of early twentieth-century Boston.

James Joshua Keels - Alan Review

Boston's North End is the setting of this heartwarming coming of age story about Joey Calabro, an Italian immigrant. Conflicted by his family's plan to move to rural farmland (or "la terra"), and his own desire to remain in Boston, Joey decides to quit school, find a job, and gain economic independence. Harris aptly shows us Joey's struggle, presenting a likeable and imperfect protagonist who is frustrated with learning to speak English. Joey's dilemma culminates in a tragic event, when molasses tanks explode on the waterfront. Joey must decide whether he should perform a heroic act or resist fate. The resulting action allows us to see change, both in the way Joey sees himself, and in the way others see him. While Harris' plot is often predictable, and the resolution somewhat contrived, the spirited prose and vibrant characters bring the story alive. Well researched and historically evocative, A Place For Joey would have particularly strong appeal for boys and recent immigrants. 2001, Boyds Mills Press, 90 pp.,