Rodzina

by Karen Cushman (Author)

Rodzina
Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade

Rodzina Clara Jadwiga Anastazya Brodski, a strong and stubborn Polish orphan, leaves Chicago on an orphan train, expecting to be adopted and turned into a slave--or worse, not to be adopted at all. As the train rattles westward, she begins to develop attachments to her fellow travelers, even the frosty orphan guardian, and to believe 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 unfortunate situation after another until at last she finds the family that is right for her.

The compelling narrative is laced with wry humor and keen observation, full of memorable characters, and a thoroughly researched Afterword.

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Paperback
$7.99

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review

Especially interesting as a women's history title...a great story.

Kirkus

A contemporary feel without anachronism.

Hornbook

Rodzina is prickly, stubborn, and heart-sore but she's also honest, likeable and smart...Enough unpredictability to nicely unsettle expectations.

School Library Journal

Engaging characters, a vivid setting, and a prickly but endearing heroine... first-person narrative captures [her] personality and spirit [with] poignancy amd humor. 

Review quotes

An engaging, well-fleshed-out heroine...narrative voice is by turns curious, resentful, humorous, and sad...a comfortable and informative read - The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

[Cushman's] choice of subjects is always excellent...a delightful, thoroughly Polish, heroine. - The New York Times Book Review

Karen Cushman
Karen Cushman's first book, Catherine, Called Birdy, was a Newbery Honor winner and her second, The Midwife's Apprentice, was awarded the Newbery Medal. She was an adjunct professor in Museum Studies at John F. Kennedy University for 11 years, before retiring to Vashon Island, near Seattle, Washington, in order to write full time.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780358097518
Lexile Measure
740
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
November 24, 2020
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013050 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Orphans & Foster Homes
JUV016140 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | United States - 19th Century
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
Library of Congress categories
History
19th century
Orphans
Survival
Polish Americans
West (U.S.)
Orphan trains

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