This book was very informative and helps the young reader to know what it would have been like to live in New York City at the turn of the last century. It touched on the rich and the poor, where they lived, where they worked, how they spent their leisure time, what life was like for the children, what they wore, what they ate, etc. It conveyed a lot of information in an easy, etertaining style. The illustrations are lovely. My kids all enjoyed it, from my second grader to my high schoolers, although the intended audience is probably about kindergarten through sixth grade.