A House of Tailors

By Patricia Reilly Giff

Dina escapes sewing in Germany, only to find it holds the key to her future in Brooklyn.

4.0/5 Goodreads · 1,142 ratings

160 pages· 33,381 words· Est. 3.5 hour read

$6.99Save 4%

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Bookroo's summary

Thirteen-year-old Dina Kirk flees her family's dressmaking business in Germany, vowing never to sew again. But in Brooklyn, she finds herself back at the sewing machine, battling homesickness and unexpected challenges. As she faces an epidemic and a fire, Dina discovers courage she never knew she had. Her journey leads her to form deep bonds with her new family and Johann, a young tailor. Through sewing, Dina uncovers a hidden talent and a promising future. Experience 1870s Brooklyn through Dina's eyes as she navigates a new world filled with unexpected opportunities and personal growth.

From the publisher

SEWING! NO ONE could hate it more than Dina Kirk. Endless tiny stitches, button holes, darts. Since she was tiny, she’s worked in her family’s dressmaking business, where the sewing machine is a cranky member of the family. When 13-year-old Dina leaves her small town in Germany to join her uncle’s family in Brooklyn, she turns her back on sewing. Never again! But looking for a job leads her right back to the sewing machine. Why did she ever leave home? Here she is, still with a needle and thread–and homesick to boot. She didn’t know she could be this homesick, but she didn’t know she could be so brave either, as she is standing up to an epidemic or a fire. She didn’t know she could grow so close to her new family or to Johann, the young man from the tailor’s shop. And she didn’t know that sewing would reveal her own wonderful talent–and her future. In Dina, the beloved writer Patricia Reilly Giff has created one of her most engaging and vital heroines. Readers will enjoy seeing 1870s Brooklyn through Dina’s eyes, and share her excitement as she discovers a new world.

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