Blog Tour: Sally in the City of Dreams

Sally in the City of Dreams is a wonderfully charming and exciting historical adventure with friendship and family at its heart. I have no doubt that young readers will enjoy getting to know Sally and her friends as they travel from early 1900s Ireland to New York, the City of Dreams, to start a new life.

Sally and her sister Bridget are leaving their family’s small Irish farm to sail across the ocean to live with their cousin Catherine in New York.  They hope to start a new life there, where there are more opportunities than at home.  They arrive in America with a new friend, Julia, who they meet on the crossing. 

The welcome they receive from their cousin is not quite what the sisters expected, but they are determined to make the most of their new life and are excited to explore what New York has to offer.  The three girls have an incredibly close bond, a bond that is much needed when an unfair accusation jeopardises their new life.

I absolutely loved this historical adventure which gives a thought-provoking insight into Irish emigration, the struggles and excitement of starting a new life, and the discrimination faced by Irish people in America.  This is a story about the bonds of friendship and the ties of family. It is a story of the kindness of strangers, of sisterhood and standing up to, and for, others.  There is a wonderful warmth and endearing quality to the narrative that drew me completely into the story, eager to explore this fascinating and exciting new place with the three friends as they face both challenges and successes. 

The connections kept with family left behind in Ireland through letters were incredibly moving. I left Ireland over twenty years ago, but it will always be home, and I really felt the ache of missing home when reading the letters.  It’s the little things, like a turn of phrase, or news from home through letters, that really spoke to me, and made me feel a closeness to my Irish roots. 

Sally, Bridget and Julia are incredibly likeable characters which really made me root for all three as they faced different challenges in their new lives.  Bridget’s fiery nature sees her speaking her mind, and sometimes speaking without thinking about the consequences; she has an innate sense of fairness and is a loyal friend.  Sally has a more calm, quiet temperament, but has an inner courage and strength which stands her in good stead when it is sorely needed. The girls have a strong bond of friendship and are there for each other to offer support, encouragement and hope.

A heart-warming, exciting historical adventure with strong friendships, sure to be adored by young readers of 9+.

Author Info

JUDI CURTIN is one of Ireland’s favourite children’s writers. She is the best-selling author of the Alice and Megan and Eva series, Time After Time, Stand By Me, You’ve Got A Friend and the Lily at Lissadell series. Judi won an Irish Book Award for Stand By Me, and she was shortlisted for an Irish Book Award for both Lily at Lissadell and Lily’s Dream. Her books have been published in German, Portuguese, Spanish, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Russian, Serbian, Welsh, Czech and Turkish, and in Australia and New Zealand. Judi grew up in Cork and lives in Limerick.

Thank you so much to The O’Brien Press for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour, and for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour: