- Hardcover: 228 pages
- Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre / Not Applicable (Nov 1 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0374336458
- ISBN-13: 978-0374336455
- Product Dimensions: 22.1 x 14.5 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 454 g
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Orphaned Jack, 11, and his stalwart companion, runaway Mandy, 8, roam the streets of New York City in 1882 in search of a home. First they camp in a vacant house. The Children's Aid Society takes them in, but they wind up as unwelcome boarders with an over-populous family in Jersey City. Jack painfully recounts his and Mandy's struggle both to stay together and to survive. They travel on foot to New Hope, Pa. only to confront cruelty and hunger once again. Sheer desperation spurs Jack, and his actions finally enable the two to find a home and someone to care for them. Authentic period details create a strong sense of time and place in this heartrending story. At times dense and slow-paced, the narrative is nonetheless powerful, and the spirit and perseverance of the protagonists are uplifting. Though the last page borders on the maudlin, the reader will feel the two orphans deserve a happy ending. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-7-- The year is 1882, and children of the immigrant poor are expendable. Jack McConnell , an 11-year-old orphan, lives by his wits, but runaway Mandy, only 8, needs Jack's protection and help to survive. The two children bounce from alleys to empty houses in search of a place to live. They chance upon the Children's Aid Society, but miss the orphan train to Nebraska. After a series of misadventures, Jack, with some adult help, rescues Mandy from the clutches of an abusive family. The story starts slowly, but quickens midway into cliff-hanger situations at the end of each chapter. Jack's abilities are limitless, and Karr includes every situation to test his survival skills. Although he'd never been outside of New York City's Lower East Side Irish ghetto, Jack quickly adjusts to the country and even manages to break a farm stallion to his uses. He's too good to be true, and loses some credibility as a result. His first-person country dialect includes many cliches, and the vocabulary is somewhat difficult, but because of their ages, the protagonists won't appeal to older students. Child labor, mill work, child gangs, the Children's Aid Society, and child abuse are topics that are touched upon in a very superficial manner. For a more complete picture of child labor during this period, Perez' Breaker (Houghton, 1988) is a better choice; Joan Lowery Nixon's "Orphan Train" series (Bantam) is more succinct on the efforts of the Children's Aid Society. --Gail Richmond, Point Loma High School, San Diego
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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