A Family Apart (The Orphan Train Adventures #1)

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Synopsis
Frances felt herself drawn to look at the people in the room, fearfully searching one face, then another, for hopeful signs. Round or long, wrinkled or plumply redcheeked, bushy-eyebrowed or scruffily bearded, no matter; every pair of eyes in every face stared intently at the children. Frances couldn't tell what they were thinking. She tried to look away, but couldn't. For a moment she felt dizzy, and her stomach churned. Desperately, she held Petey even more tightly. Who were all these strangers? Would any of them choose the Kelly children to be their own? What if no one wanted them? What would happen to them then? In New York City,where Mrs. Kelly, a young widow, realizes that she cannot give her six children the life they deserve. Mrs. Kelly makes the ultimate sacrifice of love and sends them west on the orphan train to find better lives with new families. The children, especially thirteen-year-old Frances Mary, feel an overwhelming sense of betrayal and abandonment. Their arrival in St. Joseph, Missouri, separates the children not only from their mother, but from each other as well. One by one they are adopted by western families-some looking for children to love, others only seeking cheap labor. Frances has promised Ma that she will look after Petey, her youngest brother, no matter what. When she masquerades as a boy, "Frankie's" adventures eventually involve her in the activities of the Underground Railroad. Will honoring Ma's request help Frances understand that splitting up the family was really her mother's act of love? "The rapid succession of high-spirited adventures makes for lively read."-Publishers Weekly "Filled with just plausible historical figures and incidents."-The New York Times Book Review WINNER OF THE GOLDEN SPUR AWARD
Copyright:
1987

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
167 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780307827555
Related ISBNs:
9780440226765
Publisher:
Random House Children's Books
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Joan Lowery Nixon and Daniel Weiss Associates, Inc
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
History, Children's Books, Literature and Fiction
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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