In 1892, nine-year-old Dom's mother puts him on a ship leaving Italy, bound for America. He is a stowaway, traveling alone and with nothing of value except for a new pair of shoes from his mother. In the turbulent world of homeless children in Manhattan's Five Points, Dom learns street smarts, and not only survives, but thrives by starting his own business. A vivid, fascinating story of an exceptional boy, based in part on the author's grandfather.

Donna Jo Napoli is the author of many distinguished books for young readers, among them Daughter of Venice, Crazy Jack, The Magic Circle, Zel, Sirena, and Stones in Water. She has a B.A. in mathematics and a Ph.D. in Romance linguistics from Harvard University and has taught widely at major universities in America and abroad. She lives with her family in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, where she is a professor of linguistics at Swarthmore College.