Rodzina, by Karen Cushman

After losing her siblings in a fire, her father by a runaway horse, and her mother to despair and fever, Rodzina is “alone, hungry, and miserable.” She finds herself first living on the streets of Chicago and then being taken in by the Little Wanderers’ Refuge orphanage. The orphanage can only house and feed Rodzina for so long, and as per their usual practice, puts Rodzina and dozens of other parentless children on an orphan train headed West. Although Rodzina is frightened and even imagines jumping off the train to live on the streets again, she knows there are good people in the world and continues to pray that she will be adopted by a loving mother and father. She also finds solace in caring for the younger children on the train, and especially feels for those orphans whose families are still alive but could not care for them.

Will Rodzina become a slave to a rich family, wind up homeless again, or find a loving mother and father? Rodzina’s story, as well as the rich Polish and American history woven into the novel, will hook readers and keep them guessing to the very end of this Newbery Medal Winner. Cushman also does an excellent job of detailing the American landscape in late 1800s.

Please click on the screen below to view a trailer for Rodzina:



Cushman, K. (2003). Rodzina. Dell Yearling, New York, NY. ISBN 0-440-41993-X