Rory's Promise: A Review and a Giveaway

Rory is a 12-year-old street smart orphan who keeps her promises.

First, she is determined to keep her promise to her dying mother that she’ll take care of her younger sister, Violet.

Second, she will absolutely not break her promise to five-year-old Violet: Nothing will ever, ever separate them.

It’s just that keeping these promises proves to be a lot more difficult than even spunky, Irish Rory Fitzpatrick ever imagined.

 

From http://christinabakerkline.com/blog/my-next-novel/

Co-authors, Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols use the facts of the Orphan Trains in this fictionalized account starring Rory as the sharp-witted, courageous heroine.  Between 1853 and 1929 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children were put on trains and brought out west. The Children’s Aid Society of New York sponsored many of them. At times, the families used the children for underage labor; this was before there were child labor and foster care laws. On the other hand, The Foundling, a Catholic  organization, took great care to place the orphans in their care in “good, Catholic families.”  

http://www.chsfs.org/blog/evolution-orphan-train-new-practices-and-waiting-children

Although Rory herself is a fictional character, many of the other characters in the book are real: Sister Anna, the nun in charge of placing the children; George Swayne, the agent who worked with The Foundling; Father Constant Mandlin a young French priest who couldn't communicate well with his parishioners  as well as the white women who were furious when Mexican working-class families received children and they didn’t.

http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/novemberdecember/feature/lost-children-riders-the-orphan-train

But I am getting ahead of the story.

Rory’s goal to make sure she and Violet stay together drives this story forward. As far as she’s concerned, not even plans to take Vi out west to the Arizona territory will stop her. Although she successfully sneaks on board the orphan’s train, her journey is not without moments of doubt.  Families who couldn’t have children of their own wanted cute little 5-year-olds—but would anyone want her sister also?

But the more happy families she saw, the more she wondered if Vi had a future that might not include Rory. If Vi had a chance for parents and a home, could Rory stand in the way of that?  p. 144

After a stressful journey, when the train finally arrives in Clifton, Arizona Territory everyone is shocked.  First, the stench of sulfur and a building belching dark smoke greet them. Rory soon learns that the town revolves around mining copper. In the small station, a mob of loud, white women pound on the train’s windows.  Later Rory is told,

"This place is bad for making babies. The air is thick with fumes and the water is full of metals from the mines. Nothing grows here. No trees. No babies.”  (pp.171-2)

A new conflict—one based on history—enfolds. The Protestant women believe they have a right to the children since they are the same race and skin color. But the children have been promised to the Mexicans so they can be raised in “good, Catholic homes.”

The white women are demanding and ugly. Rory is actually relieved when Violet and a little boy, William, are assigned to two kind Mexicans, Elena and Ramon Martinez. But her relief that Violet has found a family is tempered by her anguish of wanting to stay with her sister. Can she find a way to convince the Martinez family to adopt her also?

 

Downtown Clifton, circa 1915
http://visitcliftonaz.com/rich-history/

Rory’s concept of family--people who look alike--is challenged and her courage and loyalty are severely tested.  She needs every ounce of her abilities to think quickly and to act fast to help the orphans and to keep her promises.

At the risk of including a spoiler, I must share one of my favorite parts of this book.  At the end, when she tells Violet about the Martinez’s plan to take them both to Mexico Rory says,

"We’ll never see the Foundling again—or Sister Anna or the other kids,” she warned. “We’ll have to learn a new language too, Vi. And there won’t be any American kids to play with. We’ll always be different."

“Special?” Vi asked, her blue eyes shining with pleasure. 

“”I guess so,” Rory said ruefully.  (p. 250)

Leave it to a five-year-old to have a different perspective on what their new life will be!

Thanks to the generosity of Boyds Mills Press, I’m giving away a copy of this middle-grade novel for girls.  It documents a little-known period in American history, when Mexican families fought for the right to adopt white children. Also useful as a classroom book, Rory’s Promise will spark some interesting discussions about diversity.  If you are interested in adding this book to your library or donating it to a classroom, please leave a comment by Thursday, June 4. If you are new to my blog, please leave your email address also. 

Help for Haiti

“Cupboards were nearly bare before the winds started whipping, the skies opened, and this seaside city filled like a cauldron with thick, brown, smelly muck.”- Marc Lacey

Storms heighten Haiti’s suffering, Charlotte Observer, September 12, 2008.

I used that quote this fall to demonstrate to teachers how image-driven writing should include specific nouns ("cupboards, seaside city, cauldron"); image driven adjectives ("thick, brown, smelly muck"); and figurative language ("winds whipped") to grab a reader's attention.

I didn't know then that I would be able to participate in an opportunity to help the people of Haiti. As followers of this blog know, I generally blog about issues related to literacy. Today I'm taking a detour to let you know what I did yesterday instead of write.

Covenant Day School, a ministry of Christ Covenant Church, announced last week that they were working with the church to provide volunteers, medical goods, and clothing to help fill up a 53-foot trailer. The school specifically helps a school in Gonaives and some of the Crocs, medical supplies, and school supplies were going directly to orphans there.

When I arrived yesterday afternoon, this is what the trailer looked like on the inside:

I had the opportunity to not only interview Della and her father, but I also spoke with Susie Austin who has traveled to Haiti several times. She is returning in February to give hygiene training in three areas: hair care (so they don't get scabies), oral hygiene, and using Clorox to disinfect the children's bedding. Bed wetting is a big problem because there is no indoor plumbing and the children are afraid to go outside at night (tarantulas and the dark are two common enemies). Shoes are extremely important because without them, the children frequently get worms (intestinal parasites) and sand fleas.

A high point of the afternoon was the delivery of donated Crocs. Volunteers of all ages helped to unload the FedEx truck.

The shoes came in lots of colors and sizes, and the volunteers who had been to Haiti were excited about seeing the children's faces when they received them.


By the end of the afternoon, the trailer looked a lot different than when I had arrived.




Click here for more information about ministry to the Haitians or here for specific information about helping orphans worldwide.Technorati Tags:
C3 Missions International, Christ Covenant Church, Covenant Day School, crocs, esmi home, Haiti, Marc Lacey, Orphans
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