Books like Under Copp's Hill

The American Girl History Mysteries helped to make me who I am today. These books (along with the Magic Tree House series) instilled in me a deep curiosity about how people lived in different historical time periods - they're the reason I majored in history in college, and why I work in the field that I do today. I didn't read every one of the American Girl History Mysteries as a kid, but I came pretty close! Today, as an adult, I work in Boston's North End, and I recently came to the realization that one of the History Mysteries I read as a kid was set in this neighborhood, and I decided to take a brief jaunt into my past by revisiting Under Copp's Hill. To my surprise, I found that I recognized the names in the dedication page - they're the names of my boss and his family, who are related to that author! Since it was my job in the neighborhood that caused me to pick up this book again in the first place, I thought it was a funny coincidence that they were linked.My personal reminisces about the series and my tenuous links to the author aside, I was really pleasantly surprised to rediscover how well written this book was! It had a compelling narrative and packed in a lot of information about Italian and Jewish immigrants of the North End in the early 1900s while still feeling pretty natural. I was had a really lovely time learning about the Saturday Evening Girls and the work of the settlement house, and I'll have a new appreciation for the history of the neighborhood the next time I stroll down Hull Street!