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If you loved
Books like Peppe the Lamplighter
A tender, atmospheric glimpse into immigrant New York, where a young boy's humble job brings light to his family's darkest night. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Peppe the Lamplighter.
- atmospheric
- shadowy
- warm
- hopeful
- 01
The Black brothers
Lisa Tetzner
A soot-stained, visually striking journey through 19th-century child labor that finds its heartbeat in the fierce loyalty of found family.
- 02
Meet Rebecca
Jacqueline Dembar Greene · 2009
A warm, bustling glimpse into 1914 New York through the eyes of a determined girl eager to prove she is growing up.
- 03
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street
Karina Yan Glaser
A bustling, heartwarming story of sibling solidarity and the urgent quest to save a beloved family home.
- 04
Blood on the River
Elisa Carbone
A gritty, immersive journey of survival and self-discovery set against the harsh realities of a newly colonized world.
- 05
Christ in Concrete
Pietro Di Donato
A gritty, unflinching portrait of immigrant survival and the crushing weight of urban poverty.
- 06
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew
Margaret Sidney · 2006
A warm, nostalgic embrace of a story where sibling devotion and a cheerful spirit turn a humble kitchen into the happiest place on earth.
- 07
The runaway visitors
Eleanor Farnes
A breezy, sun-warmed tale of chaotic siblings and forced proximity under the Italian sun.
- 08
Slake's limbo
Felice Holman · 1974
A quiet, gritty survival story about finding a hidden sanctuary in the dark when the world above becomes too much to bear.
- 09
Penny from heaven
Jennifer L. Holm · 2006
A warm, bittersweet summer steeped in family secrets, baseball, and the rich, chaotic love of an Italian American upbringing.
- 10
Mama's bank account
Kathryn Forbes · 1943
A warm, episodic embrace of a book that celebrates the quiet heroism and boundless resourcefulness of a mother holding her family together.
- 11
The brotherhood of the grape
John Fante
A boozy, tragicomic collision with the inescapable gravity of a stubborn, aging father and the chaotic warmth of family.
- 12
Dear America
Susan Campbell Bartoletti · 2000
An intimate, gritty, and ultimately hopeful glimpse into the harsh realities of immigrant life and labor struggles at the turn of the century.
