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Ashes of Roses Mary Jane Auch Paperback | Laurel Leaf | Juvenile Fiction - History - U.S. | February 2004 | $5.99 | 0-440-23851-X | Ages 12 up

It is 1911, and Ellis Island is overflowing with people who have left their native Ireland in search for better opportunities. The Nolan family is in the middle of the bustling crowds, but things don't work out as planned. Joseph, the youngest Nolan, doesn't pass the health examination for entrance into the United States, and Da has to take him back to Ireland. The plan is to stay with Uncle Patrick, but his family is snobbish and rude, and Ma wants only to be with her husband and baby. Sixteen-year-old Rose and her younger sister, Maureen, convince Ma that America is the place for them, and they set out on their own to begin a new life. Rose finds a job in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, a sweatshop that exploits immigrant girls, and Maureen struggles to continue her education. Things are looking better for the girls until flames engulf the shirtwaist factory, killing 142 workers, including Rose's best friends. What will the girls do? How can they find the courage to stay in America?

COPYRIGHT

Prepared by Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, the South Carolina Governor's School for Arts and Humanities, Greenville, South Carolina.

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