A House of Tailors

1.      BIBLIOGRAPHY

Giff, Patricia Reilly. 2005. A House of Tailors [Unabridged] [Audible Audio Edition]. Narrated by Blair Brown. New York, NY: Random House, Inc. Listening Library. ISBN 9781400090556

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

German thirteen-year-old Dina Kirk hated to sew. Falsely accused as a spy in Breisach, Germany, her hometown, she was sent to America to live with her uncle, his wife, Barbara, and their baby, Maria, in Brooklyn. She thought America as a land of wealth with no sewing, but she quickly found out that she had arrived to a house of tailors and sewing was exactly what she had to do to contribute to the family funds. Longing to go home and working to raise the cost of return passage, her efforts save her aunt and niece from smallpox and a fire, helping their family to rebuild their lives. In the end, she finally realizes that she is home and that indeed designing dresses and hats is her passion.

3.      CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Patricia Reilly Giff has created an endearing, believable character in Dina Kirk. Readers will relate to her struggles with fitting in, doing the right thing, and accomplishing what must be done-for her, sewing, something she is gifted at but sees as drudgery. Through Giff’s word, readers can feel the angst of having to leave home, homesickness, and the desire to go home. She accurately recreates the atmosphere of 1870, both in Germany and Brooklyn. Giff relates realistically historical details of the Franco-Prussian war, the process of immigration with its long voyage across the Atlantic and the examinations at Castle Garden, the threat of the dreaded smallpox epidemic with its forced removal of victims, and the danger of fire. The historical details scaffold the story and never overwhelm it. She relates the fine details of everyday life, clothing made by hand, ethnic food, cramped housing, and the sights, smells, and sounds of 1870 Brooklyn. Giff relates the recent immigrant’s struggles and pleasures in a new language, a new home, a new world, along with new friends and family. The story is realistic, not softened, creating an emotional story that will draw readers in. Dina shares in the first person her emotions-fear, wonder, love-and feelings for both of her families, expressing the pain of leaving home and knowing that she will never return, along with the adjustments she had to make in America. Through Dina’s experiences, Giff, therefore, presents universal difficulties in terms that readers can understand and hopefully gain insight for solving their own predicaments. 

In her Afterword, the author shared that the story was based on the life of her great-grandmother, Dina, and her family from Heidelberg. The story of smallpox was true, except that Johann was the one who cleaned the house and protected Dina and their baby. Some of the details of her life were changed for the story, but Patricia Reilly Giff hoped that the spirit of her great-grandmother Dina would be able to live on, to increase today’s readers’ awareness of themselves through reading the lives and thoughts of other people.

Blair Brown narrates the audiobook, using different voices for each of the characters, using a convincing German accent. She reads the book with expression and depth, giving additional life to all of the characters and greater emotional impact to the book overall.  

“If only…” is the statement that defines Dina’s life as she thinks about things that she has done or that have happened to her, but ultimately she is an example of the fact that sometimes circumstances work out in unanticipated, pleasant ways. She is an inspiration to young readers aged 10 and up to realize that life may not be what we expect at the moment, but with persistence and hard work, dreams can come true.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

ALSC Notable Children's Recordings

Review from School Library Journal: “This novel is rich with believable, endearing characters as well as excitement and emotion. Dina, 13, can't wait to leave Germany and begin her new life in America with Mama's rich brother and his family. She longs to finally escape the drudgery of her mother's sewing shop…As soon as she arrives at the cramped, five-story walk-up, however, she knows that she has entered a house of tailors…Gradually, Dina grows to love her new family, meets another "greenhorn" with whom she can reminisce and trade new American words, and becomes a promising hat and dressmaker. Readers get a glimpse into life in Brooklyn in the 1870s, especially the dreaded Health Department inspections during the epidemic. Sprinkled with letters from home, the story captures the universal immigrant dilemma, "we would always have a longing to go back, and a longing to stay.”

Review from Booklist: “In 1870, 13-year-old Dina is forced to flee Germany after being mistaken for a spy, and she takes her sister's place on a ship to America, where she will live with Uncle, his young wife, Barbara, and baby Marie. After arriving, Dina finds herself in Brooklyn, sleeping in a stifling closet. Worst of all, she must earn her room and board by sewing…There are many books about immigrants in the U.S; the strengths of this one are its profuse details and its cranky heroine. And a heroine Dina is, sometimes exaggeratedly so, as when she saves both Barbara and Marie from a fire. Yet, Dina is not a stock character; she's a real child, who works hard, literally and figuratively, to find her way. When she realizes that designing dresses is something she loves, readers will cheer her perseverance, and the happy ending seems well deserved."

5. CONNECTIONS

*Encourage children to write a short story about one of their ancestors. Other creative ideas would be to create a scrapbook page or Glog if photographs are available. If not, have children draw pictures of how they believed the story might have looked like. Research could also be done on the computer to find pictures and more information on their ancestors’ country of origin.

*Have students gather ideas about the struggles that Dina had to face in coming to a new country. How might they handle such difficulties? Have teams of students brain-storm for solutions to the dilemmas they imagine a recent immigrant would have to overcome. Have students think how they might help a recent immigrant or even a new classmate make the adjustments necessary to fit in? 

*Other books for children about immigration:

Freedman, Russell. Immigrant Kids. ISBN 0140375945  

Levine, Ellen. If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island. ISBN 0590438298

Woodruff, Elvira. The Memory Coat. ISBN 0590677179 

*Other books about dealing with relocation, friendship, and family:

DiCamillo, Kate. Because of Winn-Dixie. ISBN 0763644323

Hobbs, Will. Take Me to the River. ISBN 0060741449

Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. ISBN 0547577095

Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. ISBN 0385738838