At home in a new land

Fleeing famine in Sweden in the late 1860s, Carl Erik and his family find refuge homesteading in Minnesota, where they are welcomed by the Swedish immigrant community and by its Ojibway neighbors. At first it is hard for Carl to speak English, but he learns to read in the schoolhouse on a nearby farm, makes friends, and finally celebrates Christmas with his extended family when his father and uncle return from their work at a logging camp. Line-and-watercolor illustrations on every spread show the boy at work on the farm and at play with his new friends. This chapter book in the I Can Read! series can be read independently, of course, but it can also be used to begin discussions about inclusion and displacement.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2007 Booklist

Gr 1-3-This story follows a boy as he immigrates to Minnesota from his home in Sweden in the mid-19th century. Carl Erik accepts new responsibilities as his father leaves for an extended time to find work in a nearby town. Ridiculed by some of his new classmates and fearing to befriend the local Indians, he tries to feel at home by learning a new language and customs while he shoulders the burden of providing his family with food. Watercolor and ink illustrations add realistic detail to a story that reveals Carl's lifestyle and warm bonds with his family and friends. The text highlights an American Christmas celebration in the 1860s. An author's note on the final page explains the immigration experience of Swedish families during the "hunger years" of 1868-69. With its large print and generous white space, this book provides a solid introduction to historical fiction for early readers.-Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Primary) The journey begun in Sandin's I Can Read title The Long Way to a New Land (rev. 2/82) and continued in The Long Way Westward (rev. 9/89) culminates here for young Carl Erik, a Swedish immigrant, and his family as they meet up with relatives in Minnesota. This gentle yet balanced view of nineteenth-century homesteading life shows Carl Erik enjoying comforts from his native land, such as his aunt's cooking and familiar Christmas traditions, while trying to get used to his new home. School is taught in English, and at first the unfamiliar words in his schoolbooks make him feel, as a classmate taunts, like a ""Dumb Swede."" But hard work and the presence of his close-knit family, rendered affectionately in Sandin's ink-and-watercolor illustrations, help him adjust. Still, he can't manage to catch any animals in his traps, and thus he worries that he isn't truly filling the role of ""man of the house"" while his father and uncle are away working at a logging camp. Congenial interactions with the Ojibwe neighbors gracefully illustrate the point that it's not Carl Erik's hunting skills but rather his compassion for others that reflects his manhood. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.