The Unbreakable Code

The next day is the seventh-grade trip to Angel Island. Mr. Sloan substitutes for Mrs. Ortega, who is on bed rest since experiencing early contractions. Angel Island is much bigger than Treasure Island and features a natural landscape. An open-air bus takes the kids to the immigration station. Emily asks the tour guide what was going on with the island in 1851. The tour guide explains that it was a military reserve with a prison ship anchored offshore. Emily isn’t sure Angel Island is a promising lead for the treasure. The tour guide teaches the students about the racism that Chinese immigrants faced when coming to Angel Island. The more she learns about the island, the more it feels like a prison. James mentions that his grandfather had to stay on the island and never liked to talk about it. Emily traces her finger over Chinese poems carved by detainees into the wall. Mr. Sloan copies down some of the poems from the wall. James sees the detainees as heroic, knowing how much they overcame to get to a new life in California.