Historical Fiction-Book Review #2

Historical Fiction-Book Review #2

The Ballad of LUCY WHIPPLE

By Karen Cushman

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cushman, Karen. 1996. THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. New York, NY: Clarion Books. ISBN 0064406849

PLOT SUMMARY

Arvella Whipple lost her husband in the Autumn of 1848, after grieving over what she had lost she made the decision to take her children out west and seek their fortune in California.  California Morning Wipple, the oldest daughter of Arvella Whipple, communicates her experiences over a three year period.  California Whipple who prefers to be called Lucy because California is "an unfortunate name", has been taken out of Massachusetts where she has spent her whole life and taken to uncivilized Lucky Diggins, California.  Lucy does everything she can to find her way back to Massachusetts, she even writes her Gram and Grampop letters describing how miserable life. She has to steer away the men that wanted to marry her mom, bake and sell pies to miners, earn her own money for her return trip and all of these situations add to her misery. She desperately wants to go home, but something always gets in the way of Lucy's plans and she is unable to make her trip back home.  Between befriending a runaway slave and an abused girl, her brother's death, and the entire town burning down, Lucy Whipple grows up. Finally the opportunity comes up to return back East, and now she is faced with the decision of returning to Massachusetts or staying and becoming part of rebuilding the town of  Lucky Diggins.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Through the eyes of a female child, Karen Cushman helps the reader make mental images of what life was like for many children that traveled with their parents to California to seek their fortune with the Gold Rush.  Through the hardships and her imagination that would carry Lucy away, the young adult reader can relate to Lucy Whipple.  Her words, thoughts and actions are all something the reader can make connections with.  Karen Cushman incorporates a vivid description of the conditions of the time through the eyes of the fictitious character, "Lucy" Whipple. The author showed evidence of thorough research of the living conditions of this time period through her recreation of the mining town with phrases true to this time period.

The reader watches Lucy grow up and come to know herself and the difficult challenges she faced.  Cushman does a great job keeping the reader engaged with the situations Lucy faces that take her from being an immature girl to a determined, independent young woman.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: "As in her previous book, Newbery Award winner Cushman proves herself a master at establishing atmoshphere.  Here she also renders serious social issues through sharply etched portraits: a runaway slave who has no name of his own, a preacher with a congregation of one, a raggedy child whose arms are covered in bruises.  The writing reflects her expert craftsmanship; for example Lucy's brother Butte, dead for lack of a doctor, is eulogized thus: "He was eleven years old, could do his sums, and knew fifty words for liquor." A coming-of-age story rich with historical flavor."

KIRKUS: "With a story that is less a period piece than a timeless and richly comic coming-of-age story, Cushman remains on a roll."

BOOKLIST: "With zest and wit, Cushman gives us the domestic side of the western frontier adventure in Lucy's first person story of how she hates being stuck out in the wilderness with her bossy, widowed mother."

CONNECTIONS

*Lucy wrote many letters to her family in Massachusetts detailing the difficult situations she was going through in California.  Have children write a letter telling about a difficult situation they have faced and how they have overcome it.

*Students can research the California Rush, students can research hardships people faced during that time and write about it or create a powerpoint.

*Encourage children to read other books about the California Gold Rush:

Levitin, Sonia. BOOM TOWN. ISBN 0531300439

Gregory, Kristiana. SEEDS OF HOPE:THE GOLD RUSH DIARY OF SUSANNA FAIRCHILD, CALIFORNIA TERRITORY 1849. 0590511572

McNeer, May. THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. ISBN. 0394897153