Gwynne Spencer (Children's Literature)
I really loved Water Street by Patricia Reilly Giff, about 1875 in Brooklyn. It is the story of Bird, daughter of an Irish healer-woman, and their upstairs neighbor boy, Thomas (not Tommy) whose mother left when he was born, and whose father drinks too much, Thomas writes. This book is destined for the Newbery, I think. Giff has done a number of books that I love very much--all award-winners, all magnificent (one of my ever-always favorites was Gift of the Pirate Queen. But I must also mentioned Lily’s Crossing, Pictures of Hollis Woods, and Willow Run, which would enrich the lives of any adult who reads them, believe me.) The details of life in 1875 Brooklyn, before the bridge was built, are discussed, using the pilings as the backdrop for the story. Bridges in our lives that connect us to our past and tell us our future are the gift from parents, which is secondary to what this story is about. 2006, Random House, $15.95. Ages 9 to 12.

Melissa J. Rickey (Children's Literature)
Giff vividly portrays the ordinary, wonderful, and painful aspects of 1870s family life in Brooklyn, where Bird Mallon lives in a crowded walk-up apartment on Water Street. Bird and her family eagerly anticipate the completion of the Brooklyn Bridge and the change it will bring to their lives. In the meantime though, they must work and do their share to support and contribute to the family--her father as a shift worker on the bridge, her sister at a box factory, and her favorite brother as a gang member who participates in illegal but potentially lucrative boxing fights. Bird wants to be a healer like her mother, but her reaction to helping stitch up a young boy’s severely cut head shakes the foundation of this assumed path, and Bird struggles with strong doubts about her gift and her fortitude. When another eighth grader, Thomas Neary, and his alcoholic father move into the apartment upstairs, Bird finds a true and lasting friendship, and the spirit to bring her family and members of their community together in loving and life-affirming ways. This book is a fine example of historical fiction that also addresses contemporary themes about life, friendship, and findings one’s place in the world. 2006, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, $15.95. Ages 9 to 12.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 16))
Bird Mallon wants to be a healer like her mother, but she has doubts about her capabilities. She also worries about her sister Annie and especially her brother Hughie, who is trying to earn money in illegal bare-knuckle fights. New neighbor Thomas Neary is Bird's age and has troubles of his own. His father spends most of his time at the pub and leaves Thomas alone to dream and write about a better life. Thomas and Bird's friendship becomes the catalyst for changes that affect their lives and the lives of the people they love. Revisiting the Irish immigrant experience of Sean and Nory from Nory Ryan's Song (2000) and Maggie's Door (2003), and introducing their children, Giff has meticulously recreated the sights, sounds and atmosphere of 1876 Brooklyn during the construction of the towers of the great suspension bridge being built across the East River. By focusing on one small group of strong, complex and believable characters, she opens a door to the past and makes it all come alive for modern young readers. Historical fiction at its best. 2006, Wendy Lamb/Random, 176p, $15.95. Category: Historical fiction. Ages 9 to 12. Starred Review. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Carl A. Harvey II (Library Media Connection, February 2007)
Author Patricia Reilly Giff has brought readers back to the characters she created in Nory Ryan's Song (Delacorte Press (Random House), 2000) and Maggie's Door (Wendy Lamb Books (Random House), 2003), this time focusing on Nory's daughter, Bird. Bird longs to be a healer like her mother. She follows Nory on her appointments and soaks up all of her mother's knowledge. However, the blood and mess during an emergency send Bird running, convinced being a healer isn't for her. When Thomas moves in upstairs, he spends most of his time with the Mallons to get away from his alcoholic father. Nory pushes Bird to help Thomas feel a part of their community, and in time they form a close bond. Bird also worries about her brother who is participating in illegal boxing matches. All of these stories intertwine and come together with the backdrop of the Brookyln Bridge being built. Immediately the readers feel a connection with the characters-whether they have read the previous novels or not. This is a strong addition to the books Giff has created with Nory and her family, and readers will certainly be hoping for more. Recommended. 2006, Wendy Lamb Books (Random House), 176pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 9 to 12.

Elizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2007 (Vol. 60, No. 5))
Nory, from Nory Ryan’s Song (BCCB 10/00), is now well established in America and has a family of her own with Sean Mallon, who labors on the Brooklyn Bridge. Eighteen-year-old Annie is employed at a box factory, son Hugh ostensibly works at a market but in truth makes most of his money at illegal bare-knuckle fights, and thirteen-year-old Bird—the focus of this tale—wants to be a healer like her mother. Now old enough to attend at births, Bird is thrilled when her first delivery produces a healthy child that the grateful mother names after her. Other outings don’t go so smoothly, though, and when Bird can’t tolerate the bone and blood as her mother stitches up the head of a young brawler, Bird’s well-laid future plans are now in question. Fortunately, the support of lonely upstairs neighbor Thomas, who latches onto the Mallon family like a second son, puts her dreams back on track. Giff limns a fully credible family with a firm toehold in their adopted country; they may not be prosperous, but thanks to their cohesiveness and determination, the American-born children are on their way to the lives their parents sacrificed for them to enjoy. Equally credibly, the Mallon children tend to roll their eyes a bit when Mother and Father launch out on admonishing tales about starving times on the old sod. Readers who accompanied Nory’s family through its darkest hours will be in the rare position to appreciate this family story from both sides. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2006, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2006, Lamb, 164p., $17.99 and $15.95. Grades 5-8.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Spring 2007)
The story begun in Nory Ryan's Song continues: it's now 1875, and Nory is a hardworking healer/midwife; her thirteen-year-old daughter Bird aspires to be just like her. The barely nascent Brooklyn Bridge serves as a metaphor for Bird's coming of age--and for the fortunes of her family and friends. Though the plot in this optimistic novel is tidily symmetrical, Giff sidesteps predictable situations. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2006, Random/Lamb, 164pp, 15.95, 17.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 2: Superior, well above average.

Stephanie Petruso (VOYA, December 2006 (Vol. 29, No. 5))
Although Bird takes great pride in learning to be a healer from her mother Nory, she desperately wishes for another girl with whom to spend time. When new neighbors move into her Brooklyn apartment building, though, they have only a son. Thomas is a lonely boy with a love for writing about anything and everything. At her mother's insistence, Bird begins spending more and more time with Thomas, and he quickly becomes part of their family. When Bird suffers a crisis of confidence and does not believe that she has the strength to become a healer, Thomas's faith and encouragement finally help to restore Bird's belief in herself. This novel is the author's sequel to Nory Ryan's Song (Delacorte, 2000/VOYA February 2001) and Maggie's Door (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 2003). This heartwarming story tells of Nory and Sean's daughter coming-of-age in New York City in 1875. Set against the backdrop of the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, this quiet novel is reminiscent of Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Harper Collins, 1947). Although written for younger teenagers, it will appeal to older teens and adults who enjoyed the earlier novels. Both school and public libraries will want to add this latest to their children's or teen collections. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, 176p., $14.99. Ages 11 to 15.