THE-NOTORIOUS-IZZY-FINK

1. (Read free) The Notorious Izzy Fink The Notorious Izzy Fink Don Brown audiobook | *ebooks | Download PDF | ePub | DOC #3086823 in Books Roaring Brook Press 2006-09-05 2006-09-05Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .64 x 5.68l, .65 #File Name: 1596431393150 pagesGreat product! | File size: 57.Mb Don Brown : The Notorious Izzy Fink before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised The Notorious Izzy Fink: 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Notorious Izzy FinkBy Jewish Book World MagazineTreacly depictions of 1890's life on the Lower East Side are shattered in this reality tale of juvenile delinquents, ethnic rivalries and Jewish gangsters. Viewed through the eyes of 13-year old Sam Glodsky, half-Irish and half-Jewish, readers are immersed into the gritty and sometimes violent world of immigrants trying to find their way in America. The depicted violence and sometimes-rough dialogue are not gratuitous. They only enhance the harshness of the time. Sam's own mother is inadvertently killed during a gang battle. Young Sam and his nemesis, Izzy Fink, are thrown together in a

2. plot to retrieve a carrier pigeon from a cholera-infested ship in New York harbor. A gaggle of real and invented characters enrich the story line. Interwoven into the story are Monk Eastman, an authentic Jewish gangster and Jacob Riis, the reformer whose famous photographs today provide us with visual evidence of that long disappeared time. The book pulls no punches in describing life on the street where Sam sells newspapers and in the home, where Sam's father works on piecework to survive. The story is captivating and informative and should have particular appeal to reluctant young readers (e.g. boys) looking for action and excitement. For ages 9-12. Sam Glodsky lives among the rough-and-tumble gangs on the streets of New York's Lower East Side. When 13-year- old Sam falls in with fearsome gangster Monk Eastman, he joins an outrageous scheme to rescue Eastman's prize racing-pigeon from a cholera-ridden steamship quarantined in the harbor. The caper Monk hatches to snatch the bird pairs Sam with his archenemy, the notorious Izzy Fink. Widely acclaimed for his picture book histories, Don Brown's first historical novel is a fast-paced tale of immigrant life at the turn of the twentieth century. From School Library JournalGrade 4-8Gang wars, pickpockets, pushcarts, and tenements best describe New York Citys Lower East Side in the 1890s, home to 13-year-old Sam Glodsky, the half-Irish, half-Russian Jewish protagonist. He and his buddy Manny hawk newspapers for pennies to help put food on their tables. Sam gets involved with the Chief Inspector of the Health Department, who enlists his help in tracking down a cholera victim who has escaped a quarantined ship and may be inadvertently spreading the disease. In order to gain access to the ship, the boy takes a job with notorious gangster/animal lover Monk Eastman, who pays him and another boy to rescue a prized carrier pigeon from the ship. The other boy turns out to be Sams archenemy, and when Fink mishandles the bird and breaks its wing, Eastman is out to get him. Expletives and coarse language are a natural part of the characters dialogue. Though there is some mention of Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall, the main focus is on the immigrant factions; an afterword refers to the long-held prejudices of the various ethnic groups that heightened as they competed for jobs and housing. Even reluctant readers will enjoy this engaging, action-packed novel, and the period will spring to life.Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From BooklistWeaving in historical details and characters, tough talk, and nonstop action, Brown builds his story around immigrants from Europe in the 1890s that found their way to the streets of Manhattan's Lower East Side. While his father, a tailor, is "sewing buttonholes for eight cents a hundred," 13-year-old Sam Glodsky, half Irish and half Jewish, is trying to survive as a newsboy, on the run from youth gangs of "Dagos," "Micks," and "Yids," as well as adult gangsters and corrupt coppers. The cast is huge, and there's a lot going on, making it sometimes difficult to sort out who's who and where everyone's loyalties lie. But an afterword, which talks about what's "true and real," provides some context, and the book is honest about both the bitter struggle for survival and the ugly prejudice. Every lively sentence Brown has written lends insight into American diversity. For books on more recent immigrant experiences, see "Core Collection: The New Immigration Story," in the August 2005 issue of Booklist. Hazel RochmanCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorDon Brown's acclaimed picture book biographies include Mack Made Movies, an ALA Notable Book and Kirkus Editors' Choice; and Kid Blink Beats the World, a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year, praised by Kirkus s for its "lively writing." He lives on Long Island, New York, with his family.