Lost in the Empire City

This riveting historical middle grade novel from Newbery Medal–winning author Avi follows a young immigrant from Italy who is desperate to reunite with his family.



Santo is a stranger in a strange land. He doesn't know any English, and he gets separated from his mother and siblings at Ellis Island.



Santo’s father left for America a few years before, and he has finally sent word for the rest of his family to come join him in New York. Though Santo has always imagined America as a land of limitless opportunity, when he arrives at Ellis Island, he soon discovers that it’s not what he envisioned. Inspectors separate him from his mother and siblings, and he’s left to fend for himself in Manhattan.



While searching desperately for a clue as to where his family--and his father--have gone, Santo gets caught up with a group of boys who steal. After escaping the police by the skin of his teeth, Santo is taken in by a wealthy man and his wife—but somehow Santo again finds himself on the wrong side of the law. When an unexpected betrayal leaves Santo scrambling, it might just take all the street smarts he’s gained to find a way back to his family.