Lesléa Newman at Belmont Books

Join us for a reading and Q & A from Lesléa Newman, author of Gittel’s Journey!

Gittel and her mother are supposed to immigrate to America together. Before they can board the boat to Ellis Island, the health inspector tells Gittel’s mother that she isn’t well enough to travel. Gittel must make the journey alone. Her mother promises her that everything will turn out fine, but the boat is so big and Gittel is so small. Can she really go across the ocean to begin a new life on her own? Gittel’s Journey follows the incredible true story of a child immigrating alone to a new life in America. A heart-wrenching and heartwarming story beautifully illustrated by Amy June Bates, it offers a fresh perspective on the immigration journey to Ellis Island.

Lesléa Newman is the author of seventy books for adults and children. She has received many literary awards, including the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Award, the Massachusetts Book Award, and a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives in Holyoke, Massachusetts.