A House of....

Author: Patricia Reilly Giff
Title: A House of Tailors
Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books, 2004
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages: 176
Reading Level (Lexile): 750L

Patricia Reilly Giff is an award winning author, but this book has not received any awards. I found this book in the children’s section of my local library.

Plot Summary: Dina is a 13 yr old girl growing up in Germany, during War in 1870. She works with her mother to sew as many pieces as she can. She can’t help but have admiration and eyes for the soldiers. Dina is forced to leave Germany and go live with her Uncle in Brooklyn, NY. She dreams of America and how her life will be better there. When she arrives, she is not treated as well as she thought she would be. She works hard and eventually grows to love her family. She even saves her cousins from near death experiences.

A House of Tailors fits in nicely with my theme of Relationships. Dina misses her mom and Germany, but knows she has a better life in America. She can’t quite figure out her new family, but works extra hard to impress them. She grows to love them and live happily.
This book, set in the late 1800’s, does remind me of other Historical Fiction stories that I have read. What makes it different is the style of writing Giff uses. As the reader, you can really connect with Dina and feel for her situation. I think it is a good portrait of what a girl’s life would be like in a family of tailors, in that time. The story as it takes place in Brooklyn, also depicts a time when the epidemic was very serious.

A House of Tailors would be a good book to use with upper elementary level students. Even middle school students would benefit from reading this story. Because it is Historical Fiction, teachers could pair this story up with other facts or Nonfiction pieces that give information around this time period. Teachers could also use this book to compare what a 13 yr old girl’s life was like back then with how girls live today. I think this book lends itself well to also allowing students to create authentic projects, like journal entries, newspaper articles, timelines, etc.