Thirteen year old Dina sails from Germany to America by herself in 1870 convinced she is moving from a life of sewing for her mother to her rich uncle's home. She hopes never to have to sew again. She enters Uncle Lucas' tiny apartment in dirty, dingy Brooklyn to see a sewing machine enthroned in the main room. Her uncle works in service, caring for the carriage horses and the lawn during the day, and sews at night. He dreams of owning his own tailoring shop, but doesn't have enough money. Dina has traded the open windows fronting on the river of her home, sewing lovely dresses in the company of her mother and sister, for the stifling heat of Brooklyn, windows closed against the soot, sewing men's pants by herself for her uncle. She immediately makes plans to earn enough money to go home.While she hates to sew, she is very talented at dressmaking. She does love to make hats and improvises a beautiful one for herself out of found materials which catches the eye of her uncle's employer.Dina is stubborn and impulsive, traits which usually get her into trouble, but are an asset when the Health Department inspectors come to their door during the smallpox epidemic. Both her Aunt Barbara and baby cousin Maria are infected. Dina cares for them diligently, making sure both are clean and fed, cleaning the house, and brazening out the inspection saving her aunt's and cousin's lives.Fighting it every inch of the way, Dina learns to love her new home and new family, and to appreciate her talent and abilities. She recognizes what everyone who has ever moved away from home struggles with, the desire to stay in the new place competing with the desire to return, creating a tug-of-war in your heart as you try to define which is home.
J Giff, Patricia ReillyYouth Dept - 5 starsI LOVED this book and couldn't put it down until I finished it - it grabbed my interest from the very beginning!A great story by two-time Newbery Honor-winning author Patricia Reilly Giff, this is a story based on the author's grandmother's journey to the United States. Set in the late 1800's, the story begins in Germany during a time of war. Dina, the main character and daughter of a tailor, is a young girl who always finds her way into trouble and one night as she returns from a quick boat trip across the river to "enemy" France to exchange sewing patterns, she is caught by German soldiers accusing her of being a spy. She manages to escape the soldiers and when she finally returns home, her worried widowed mother has already learned of soldiers looking for her daughter. Hastily, Dina's family makes preparations to send her, rather than her older sister who had been planning to make a trip to the United States, overseas to stay with her Uncle.When Dina arrives in the United States, she is disappointed in the small home her Uncle, Aunt and baby cousin inhabit. To start her new life, she vows to never sew again, until her uncle, also a tailor in her "spare" time, put her to work. Dina's talents in sewing continue to outshine the rest of her family, despite her persistance that she hates to sew.Dina experiences many things in her "new world", including a new strange language, getting caught trying on hats on her first day of work at her uncle's employer's house , a dangerous fire, a new family, and of course, the ever persistent home-sickness. Dina is determined to return to Germany, but could all these experiences change her mind?
What do You think about A House Of Tailors (2006)?
In this story, Dina, 13, can't wait to leave Germany. She will begin her new life in Brooklyn with Mama's rich brother and his family. Dina can't want to leave her mother's sewing shop even though her mother reminds her that "the needle and thread love you." When she enters as five-story walk-up, she realizes that she has entered a house of tailors. Dina helps Aunt Barbara with the house and baby Maria, but her Uncle Lucas sees her as a burden. Dina makes forty cents a day as she sews for him. Dina soon begins to love her new family. The story depicts the dilemma of immigrants during the 1870s.
—(NS)Jennifer Reiner
I listened to this book on CD and I really enjoyed it. I thought the narrator did a really good job. I really liked Deena's strong-willed character. I think the neatest thing about this story is that is it based on a true story of the author's great grandma. I loved listening to the afterward where the author talked about the real Deena's life. I'm so glad she ended up embracing her talent of sewing and that she stayed in America. Cute, sweet book about how sometimes life doesn't always go how we planned, but it can be beautiful nonetheless. There are always lessons to be learned.
—Nielson
Genre: Junior Historical FictionSummary: 13 year old Dina has worked in her families’ dressmaking business sewing for as long as she can remember. She leaves her home in Germany to live with her aunt and uncle in New York, and vows to leave sewing behind as well. She eventually learns that life is a struggle and is brought back to sewing as a way to support herself. She is homesick, but faces struggles bravely and eventually feels at home in Brooklyn.Critique:(a)tThis book tells a vivid and accurate story of Brooklyn during the mid to late 1800’s and how life was for the working class in the city during that time. The struggles she faces are realistic as are the feeling of homesickness and sadness that she feels.(b)tThe best part of this book is how the real way of life is portrayed. Dina thought that life in America would be luxurious, but is quickly taught differently. The description of the living conditions and the struggles are told in a wonderful way.(c)tWhen Dina is faced with the smallpox epidemic and the fire, the imagery provided through the text is amazing. The realistic nature of the occurrences, along with their descriptions provide the reader with a realistic experience.Curriculum Connection:This book would be wonderful addition to a historical fiction unit or a history unit about this era in our history.
—Traci
