This 80-page easy-to-understand reader is one of 12 historical novels in the Hopes and Dreams series, whose diverse and fascinating characters, regardless of their ethnicity, face prejudice, danger, hardships, and setbacks, but survive with perseverance, a little bit of luck ,and a generous amount of love in their new home in the US. Downloadable audio recordings of all 12 novels and free supplementary materials for teachers are available for free.

Plot Summary for Old Ways, New Ways:
Solomon Gold is a Russian immigrant in New York. He is a gifted and hardworking shoemaker. He and his wife keep to the old ways in everyday life and in their religion. They are proud of their heritage. As the story begins, their son Sidney is 14. He already knows that he doesn’t want to make shoes his whole life. He is an excellent student, and his father is proud of him, but Sol wants Sidney and Emma, his daughter, to follow the old ways.