Water Street

 

The diversity of genres for books keeps on going, today a children’s book by Patricia Reilly Giff called Water Street.  The book is set in the 1870s in downtown Brooklyn NY, close to the site of the Brooklyn Bridge as it was being constructed.   The story centers on a young eighth grader, Bird, the youngest of three children.  Her mother is a ‘healer’ – like a nurse, and her father is a construction worker.  Her older siblings work as well, and everyone in the family has a bigger dream for the future, especially her brother Hughie, whom has become an underground fighter trying to raise monies to buy a farm.  Life with the Mallons is a struggle, living meal to meal in a large home with other families who also struggle.  Bird attends to patients with her mother on the weekends, when she isn’t in school.  The book captures the various seasons on her school year, which has an unexpected twist when Thomas Neary and his father move into the building.  Thomas becomes Bird’s shadow, doing everything she does and they become close friends.  Thomas’ dream is to become a writer.  His father leaves him alone most of the time as he works, and then frequents the local ‘drinking hole’ to avoid his life without his wife.  The story captures a critical part of Bird’s life and the fight to be like her mother, a healer, help her brother, who is trying to follow his dream, and befriend Thomas, who is struggling to live a life without the love of parents.  All comes to a head when Bird is faced with helping someone else who is facing death.  Will Bird help or flee?   Can she get over her own insecurities?  What can she do to help Thomas?  This is a coming of age, young adult book with lots of good lessons that make us realize we do learn a lot growing up….  Bird certainly is a great role model for that.  Good book to give to your young nephew/niece…