Reviewer: Connie Payne
Title: Emily Makes a Difference - Part of the Sisters in Time series
Author: JoAnn A. Grote
Publisher: Barbour
ISBN-13: 9781593102067
Release Date: February 2004
Genre/Sub-genre: Youth/Juvenile
Publisher’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 8-12
OUAR’s Age/Grade Recommendation: 8-12
Year/Setting: 1893/Minneapolis
Overall rating: 3.5
JoAnn's Website: None found
Times are hard in 1893. People are out of work, many are homeless and hungry. Emily and her cousin, Ted, are becoming more and more aware of the problems that surround them when they meet newsboy, Erik. Their parents cautioned them against getting to know newsboys, but Erik seems different. In fact his family was hit hard by the economic crisis that seems to envelop the country. So much so that he had to quit school in order to get a job.
They feel bad for their friend, yet nothing could dampen their excitement over going to the World’s Fair in Chicago!! New inventions and innovations to peruse, a Ferris Wheel to ride, so many sights to see. So much trouble to get into. And get into it, Emily does. Her mother wishes she were more like her sister, but Emily wants to be herself, something that often creates chaos. And it’s one such incident that cuts the trip short.
Now they’re all upset and aggravated with her. But that’s the least of her worries, as school starts again it’s become painfully clear how many people have been affected by the economic crunch. Many homes are without food, fathers are without jobs. Emily wants to make a difference, but how? Soon she comes up with an idea just in time for Christmas. If only she can find a way to make it happen…
Emily Makes a Difference is a great look into a time of trouble and of hope. The historical aspects of the story were intriguing and attention-getting. Emily, Ted, Erik, and Frank all run the gamut of different emotions through these hard times. Erik and Frank do what they have to in order to survive. Emily and Ted struggle between their desire to help and their desire to have their own wants and wishes fulfilled.
Ms. Grote has penned another heartwarming tale designed to take the reader to another time and perhaps make them aware that it only takes one person to make a difference.
Connie
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