Synopses & Reviews
Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski is the new face in Karen Cushman"s gallery of unforgettable heroines. One of a group of orphans, 12-year-old Rodzina boards a train on a cold day in March 1881. She"s reluctant to leave Chicago, the only home she can remember, and she knows there"s no substitute for the family she has lost. She expects to be adopted and turned into a slave--or worse, not to be adopted at all.
As the train rattles westward, Rodzina unwittingly begins to develop attachments to her fellow travelers, even the frosty orphan guardian, and to accept the idea that there might be good homes for orphans--maybe even for a big, combative Polish girl. But no placement seems right for the formidable Rodzina, and she cleverly finds a way out of one bad situation after another, until at last she finds the family that is right for her.
Once again, Karen Cushman brings us a compelling story that is thoroughly researched, full of memorable characters, and told with wry humor and keen observation by an absolutely captivating narrator. Afterword.
Synopsis
In 1881, 12-year-old Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski wishes she didnt have to board the orphan train in Chicago. But she has no home, no family, and no choice. Rodzina doesnt believe the orphans are on their way out West to be adopted by good families. Shes sure they will become slaves to strangers. Anyway, who would ever adopt a large, tough, stubborn girl of Polish origin? As the train heads west, all Rodzina has is a small suitcase and her family memories from the past. Will Rodzina ever step off the train to find the family that deep in her heart shes searching for?
Synopsis
Fans of Cushman's witty, satisfying novels will welcome Meggy Swann, newly come to London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy is appalled by London; it's dirty, noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around innot that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks. But just as her alchemist father pursues his Great Work, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation, and in the end, discovers Elizabethan London also has gifts in store for her.
Includes a Reader's Guide.
About the Author
Fans of Cushman's witty, satisfying novels will welcome Meggy Swann, newly come to London with her only friend, a goose named Louise. Meggy is appalled by London; it's dirty, noisy, full of rogues and thieves, and difficult to get around innot that getting around is ever easy for someone who walks with the help of two sticks. But just as her alchemist father pursues his Great Work, Meggy finds herself pursuing her own transformation, and in the end, discovers Elizabethan London also has gifts in store for her.
Includes a Reader's Guide.
(1995, both Clarion) will not be disappointed
"Writing with admirable economy and a lively ability to re-create the past believably, Cushman creates a memorable portrayal of a troubled, rather mulish girl who begins to use her strong will in positive ways."--Booklist,starred review
"Queen Elizabeth I is on the throne. London is a sprawling, chaotic city that teems with all manner of humanity. Meggy has come to London ostensibly to serve her alchemist father, a man she has never met. When he rejects her because she is not male and because she is unable to walk normally, she needs all her pluck and determination to rise above her plight...Cushman has the uncanny ability to take a time and place so remote and make it live. Readers can hear and see and smell it all as if they are right beside Meggy. She employs the syntax and vocabulary of the period so easily that it is understood as if its the most contemporary modern slang. A gem."--Kirkus, starred review
"Cushman adds another intrepid, resourceful, courageous girl to her repertoire in this tale set in 16th-century London...Her courage and confidence grow with each obstacle overcome. Cushman fans who lovedCatherine, Called Birdy(1994) andThe Midwife's Apprentice (1995, both Clarion) will not be disappointed"--School Library Journal,starred review
"Cushman's (Catherine, Called Birdy) newest novel has all the elements that have made her earlier books so beloved. With flawless historical prose, Cushman introduces Meggy Swann....There is no unequivocally happy ending for Meggy, but a better life awaits her, and readers will gladly accompany her on the journey."--Publishers WeeklyKaren Cushman received a Newbery Honor for her first novel, CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY, and the Newbery Medal for her second, THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. Before she became a writer, she taught museum studies in the San Francisco area. She is the author of numerous acclaimed historical novels, all published by Clarion Books. She lives in Vashon Island, WA.