Land of Dreams (Ellis Island) - Softcover

Nixon, Joan Lowery

3.78

129 ratings by Goodreads

9780440219354: Land of Dreams (Ellis Island)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0440219353 ISBN 13: 9780440219354

Publisher: Laurel Leaf, 1994

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As Kristin Swensen anxiously awaits her first glimpse of America, she is filled with a sense of the freedom that her new life promises. But she soon finds herself living on a farm in Minnesota where her parents and neighbors cling as closely as possible to the life they had known in Sweden.

Kristin can't accept coming all this way only to re-create what she left behind. She longs to speak English and help the cause of women's rights. Her parents, however, want her to settle down and get married. Must Kristin give up her dream of independence and accept her parents' Old World values?

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From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-9-This third book in the series takes place in 1902, when Kristin Swenson and her parents reach the colony of Great Rock Lake, Minnesota. Strong-willed, unconventional, and ready to embrace the freedoms of her new land, the 17-year-old girl tests the limits set upon her by her parents and by the community. They expect her to conform to the proper behavior of a Swedish young lady and to accept an arranged marriage. After a fire destroys her family's home, Kristin learns that her parents and neighbors are not at odds with her after all. She grows to realize that her own stubbornness stands in the way of her happiness; that accepting the choices of others doesn't necessarily preclude making her own; and that change takes time. Nixon's careful research provides a convincing portrait of Swedish-American church and home life. The historical facts the author shares are occasionally awkward when converted into dialogue, but otherwise make a seamless backdrop to the story. Kristin's rebelliousness and her romance with the young man she is to marry will appeal to preteens and teens alike. A must for fans of the earlier books, but one that stands alone as well.
Sally Bates Goodroe, Houston Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist:

Gr. 6-9. Kristin is eager to begin her life in America. She's heard that it is the land of freedom, and she's ready to make her own decisions. But the rural community that her family joins in Minnesota is very like the Sweden they've left behind: people talk in Swedish; girls are still expected to learn to stitch and bake light cakes; and parents continue to arrange marriages. Like her friends Rebekah (Land of Hope, 1992) and Rosie (Land of Promise ), whom Kristin met aboard the ship to America, Kristin dreams of an exciting future. She'd like to leave the farm and move to Minneapolis, where women gather to earn the right to vote. When fire strikes her home, however, Kristin learns the importance of community support and accepts that change will come slowly. In the third book in her Ellis Island series, Nixon once again offers a compelling, believable story that gives readers a peek at the past. Young teens will sympathize with feisty Kristin's impatience and her struggle to assert herself. Candace Smith

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