 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Rodzina
- By Karen Cushman
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Kids may need some historical background.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that though the author pulls most of her punches in consideration of her audience, this is still a depiction of a difficult and bleak life. Kids probably will want the historical background.
What's the story?
Rodzina, the eponymous heroine of Karen Cushman's latest historical fiction, is a big, angry, chunky, homely Polish-American orphan. Though twelve, she looks fifteen, and is sure no one could possibly want to adopt her except to exploit her as a virtual slave. Forced onto one of the Orphan Trains, which took orphans from the cities in the east to find homes in the frontier lands westward in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it seems she may be right -- the only people interested in her are looking for hard workers, not daughters.
The adult caretakers on this expedition, Mr. Szprot and the woman Rodzina calls Miss Doctor, come from the Mr. Bumble school of orphan care -- they are mean and seemingly heartless, though there may be more to Miss Doctor than meets the eye. But if they won't look after her best interests, Rodzina is determined to do it herself, even if it means she never finds a home.
Is it any good?
Rodzina is no winsome and appealing little Oliver Twist -- she's tough and strong and, as the narrator of her own tale, far more engaging to readers than she is to the other characters in the story. But the world she describes is somewhat Dickensian, filled with filth, squalor, and a lot of mean adults who don't like children.
Two-time Newbery author Karen Cushman writes an enjoyable story, but this is not her best work. She softens the story for her audience, and experienced young readers will see the too-pat ending coming a long way off. In the meantime, though, this tale of plucky orphans making their way in a rugged and unfeeling world is entertaining enough, and Rodzina is an unusual heroine.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the orphans' situation and the historical context. Why were the orphans treated the way they were? What happens to orphaned children in America today?
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AGE
The sexual content just not age appropriate!!A twelve year old being propositioned is not the way I would explain it, my thought is why draw pictures when it is not necessary. Too many great books out there without the sexual content!!
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AGE
more by karen cushman
Yes, I loved it. also by Karen Cushman is Catherine called Birdy, and the Midwife's Apprentice.
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Kid, 12 years old
April 14, 2010
AGE
Rodzina
Rodzina is a pretty sad book to read, I think that kids under 8 might get a little scared at some parts.
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| Author: | Karen Cushman |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Clarion Books |
| Publication date: | March 31, 2003 |
| Number of pages: | 215 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
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