Synopses & Reviews
It's 1899 in a small town in Vermont, and the turn of the century is coming fast. According to certain members of the church where Robbie's father is the preacher, the end of the century might even mean the end of the world. But Robbie has more pressing worries. He's sure his father loves his simple-minded brother, Elliot, better than him, and he can no longer endure the tiresome restrictions of Christianity. He decides to leave the fold and decides to live life to the fullest. His high-spirited and often hot-headed behavior does nothing to improve his father's opinion of him, nor does it improve the congregation's flagging opinion of his father. Not until the consequences of his actions hurt others does Robbie put a stop to the chain of events he has set off and begin to realize his father might love him after all.
Review
"Cushmans heroine is a delightful character, and the historical setting is authentically portrayed. Lucys story, as the author points out in her end notes, is the story of many pioneer women who exhibited great strength and courage as they helped to settle the West."
School Library Journal, Starred
"The recent Newbery medalist plunks down two more strong-minded women, this time in an 1849 mining campa milieu far removed from the Middle Ages of her first novels, but not all that different when it comes to living standards. . . . With a story that is less a period piece than a timeless and richly comic coming-of-age story, Cushman remains on a roll."
Kirkus Reviews with Pointers
Review
"A spirited adventure with deftly drawn characters, well-integrated period details, a lively and sharply focused style, and a memorable heroine." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"At every turn, Paterson splendidly balances Robbie's moral choices with pure entertainment, especially as it twists the plot. As the public demands more books with moral issues at their core, here's one that envelops readers with its principled reflections, instead of pounding them over their heads."--Booklist
"Nourishing for mind and spirit both."--Kirkus Reviews
"Paterson tells a multilayered coming-of-age story of loyalty, courage, and the enduring values of family. With warmth, humor, and her powerful yet plain style, Paterson draws empathetic and memorable characters. Readers share the anticipation and the joy of Robbie and his father as they welcome the 20th century at the book's end." School Library Journal, starred review
"Paterson captures the essence of an adolescent's fundamental questions of God and existence in this finely honed novel. . . . Once again placing universal conflict in a historical context, Paterson gives a compassionate, absorbing rendering of an adolescent boy trying to break free from social and religious constraints." Publishers Weekly, starred review
Synopsis
Newbery Honor and Medal winner Karen Cushman's classic novel of the American Gold Rush follows the distraught twelve-year-old Lucy as her family moves from Massachusetts to a small California mining town.
Synopsis
In 1849 a twelve-year-old girl who calls herself Lucy is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a small California mining town. There Lucy helps run a boarding house and looks for comfort in books while trying to find a way to return "home."
Synopsis
Maude must fend for herself in the mining town of Eldorado when her mother dies and her father's "gold fever" inspires him to take off for the Yukon. Her strong desire to leave the frontier town and become an artist makes her take a job in a boarding house, where she forms special friendships that will help her achieve her dream.
Synopsis
Maude must fend for herself in the mining town of Eldorado, New Mexico, after her mother dies and her father's "gold fever" inspires him to take off for the Yukon. Her strong desire to leave the frontier town and become an artist makes her take a job in a boarding house. But young women on their own with no money in the 1890s are not only frowned upon, they are looked at with scorn and suspicion. For Maude, whose strong will tends to get her in trouble, her new life can seem downright unbearable. Luckily, the few special friendships she does form help her achieve her dream.
Synopsis
It's 1899 in a small town in Vermont, and Robbie, the son of the local preacher, can no longer endure the tiresome restrictions of Christianity. He decides to leave the fold and resolves to live life to the fullest. But his hot-headed behavior sets off a chain of events that leaves a man's life in the balance.
About the Author
Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois and lives now on Vashon Island west of Seattle, Washington. She received an M.A. in human behavior and one in museum studies. Ms. Cushman has had a lifelong interest in history. She says, "I grew tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, presidents. I wanted to know what ordinary life was like for ordinary young people in other times." Research into medieval English history and culture led to the writing of her first two novels, the Newbery Honor book CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and the Newbery Medal-winner THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. She is also the author of MATILDA BONE, THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE, RODZINA, and most recently ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN..