Rodzina

by Karen Cushman

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 accept the idea 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. Like Karen Cushman's other young girl protagonists, Rodzina is trying to find her place in the world—and she does.

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

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Juvenile

215 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois.

She entered Stanford University on a scholarship in 1959 and graduated with degrees in Greek and English. She later earned master’s degrees in human behavior and museum studies.

For eleven years she was an adjunct professor in the Museum Studies Department at John F. Kennedy University before resigning in 1996 to write full-time.

She lives on Vashon Island, Washington with her husband, Philip.

(source: http://karencushman.com/about/bio.html & http://www.arnenixoncenter.org/findin...)

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm afraid the first thing I need to start with is the cover. I am not one who usually makes a big deal about what the cover of a book has (though my graphic designer husband says everyone judges books by their cover even if they don't know they are doing it). First of all I really like Trina Schart Hyman. I love a lot of her art work. I can tell she read this book and thought a lot about Rodzina and what she would possibly look like. Second, I admit this is what I imagine Rodzina looked like at the beginning of the book (her features were the same at the end, but her expression was probably a lot different). Third, if covers have a picture of the characters they should do their best to make the picture of the character look like how the character is described in the book (no blond skinny girls when there is a plump black hair girl. . .). Despite all these three points I don't think this cover choice was a good one. I have had this book on my reading list for a while and I've kept putting off reading it. I realized why when I finally checked it out. I was in a hurry at my library, and I grabbed three books from my to-read list and I checked them out. Previously when I would think about reading "Rodzina" I had more time to look at the cover and decide. There is something extremely forbidding about this book cover. It seems like Rodzina is giving the reader her "stink eye" and just daring us to read her book. Now that I've read it I understand why this picture is accurate and why it is a descriptive picture for this story and characters. Sadly a casual reader will look at Rodzina's "stink-eye" and say, "oh. . . Um, I guess I won't read this book." Thankfully the paperback chose a different picture. This cover was forbidding enough that my sister-in-law mentioned it after just glancing at it while visiting yesterday.

The biggest message of my review is for people to try looking past the cover and give this book a shot (or, if you can't look past the cover, go pick up a paperback copy). I have always been fascinated by the orphan train period. As a child, when I read a book about this period, I would imagine myself as an orphan. Now when I read this book as an adult I tried to think if I could adopt an unknown orphan from the city. This book did an excellent job showing some of the dangers the orphans would have been exposed to. I love how Karen Cushman gives her characters happiness and even happy endings while avoiding the typical Disneyfied unrealistic endings. I look forward to introducing this book to my daughters.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turned out to be a surprisingly good book.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another contender for 12/13 read aloud. This one a probably.

This is another "Orphan Train" book, but so much better done than "Gratefully Yours." Rodzina herself was a fabulous character, I loved her almost from her first sentence. This book seemed to capture all the heartbreak and the anticipation and the fear and the worry that might have been wrapped up in the small breast of an orphan sent out on the Orphan Train.

Cushman did a great job with the characters. There were some surprises about some of them that I really appreciated, Mr. Szprot being one of the most delightful at one point. Just like real people, they caught me unaware at points. Again, the most delightful of all was Rodzina, I just think she's a creation of genius.

Read about her.

I also really appreciated the afterword with extra information about the placing out of children all through history for a variety of reasons.

Some books listed in the back for "more info"...this is for me to have later when I want to learn more...

-Eve Bunting, "Train to Somewhere"
-Annette R. Fry, "The Orphan Trains"
-Isabelle Holland, "Journey Home"
-Marilyn Irvin Holt, "The Orphan Trains: Placing Out in America"
-Joan Lowerey Nixon, "The Orphan Train Series"
-Stephen O'Connor, "Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed"
-Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, "Orphan Train Riders: Their Own Stories"
-Michael Patrick, Evelyn Sheets & Evelyn Trickel, "We Are A Part of History: The Story of the Orphan Trains"
-Michael Patrick & Evelyn Trickel, "Orphan Trains to Missouri"
-PBS Television, "The American Experience: The Orphan Trains"
-Charlene Joy Talbot, "An Orphan for Nebraska"
-Martha Nelson Vogt & Christine Vogt, "Searching for Home: Three Families from the Orphan Train"
-Andrea Warren, "Orphan Train Rider: One Boy's True Story"
-Andrea Warren, "We Rode the Orphan Trains"

[Talia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodzina is a 12 year old orphan living in 1881 Chicago when she is forced to board an Orphan Train headed west. As one of the oldest girls on the train, she becomes like a big sister to the younger ones: Joe and Sammy (“Joe ain’t my brother!”), whiny green-eyed Gertie, and the loveably gullible Lacey. Without a home or parents, this is all Rodzina has, and she wonders where fate will place her.

I really enjoyed this story, and it’s a good historical fiction pick that will evoke a lot of discussion on what makes a family and hopefully encourage additional research and learning. One thing I don’t like is the cover, the one with Rodzina looking like a thug and Lacey cowering behind her, it’s misleading that the story is about a tough-girl who bullies her way around. Rodzina just gives a slightly tough exterior, but she’s as vulnerable as the next orphan.

The book on disk is narrated very well by Becky Ann Baker (Mrs. Weir from “Freaks and Geeks”), she does an exceptionally good job at handling all the Polish pronunciations.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was a good kids chapter book. But that is precisely why I didn't like it as much as Cushman's other books I have read. The Midwives Apprentice, for example I thought could be read and enjoyed equally by all ages, but Rodzina did not hold the same quality. While it did have issues and perspectives that were very meaningful and more mature it just didn't read as well as it could have. I liked the history in it and the culture of the American West in the 1800s, it was very interesting. I would recommend this book for kids between the ages of 10-14 that enjoy historical fiction.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book for me—found the plot compelling and the characters engaging and the prose well-written. But I would never hand it to a child. While it contains nothing graphic, there is a disturbing part of the story that, though probably realistic, describes a depraved side of sexuality a child should have to stumble across in a novel. Rodzina, 12, is placed in a home where the mother is dying. It quickly becomes clear that the horrible father intends Rodzina to be her replacement. She recounts a couple of incidents from her time living on the street in Chicago when men had propositioned her in vulgar terms. She manages to get out unscathed, but what middle-grade child should even have to contemplate that scenario? I sympathized with Rodzina both here and throughout the book, but I did not sympathize with the author's choice to include this theme.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed several of Karen Cushman's other books, and I'm drawn to the late-19th/early 20th century immigrant experience. The Orphan Train experiment is certainly complex and nuanced.

That said, this story was honestly--boring. Until about mid-way through.

Twelve-year-old Rodzina is on a train west from Chicago, fearing and hoping to be picked by a new family at several stops on the way to California. For me, I would much prefer a story that shortens the train/traveling storyline by half and uses the rest of the book to tell us more of the story once the journey itself is over and her new life begins.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fiction for grades 4-7 about a Polish immigrant girl whose family dies in Chicago. Like so many children of that era (1881), Rodzina is put on an orphan train and shuttled out west in hopes of finding a family for her and the other 20 or so children in her company. Rodzina deals with many difficult situations with strength, wit, hope, and her intellect. Along the way readers will get to know more about the Orphan Train, more about Polish people--their foods, their words, their customs, and traditions, and will feel connection and compassion with Rodzina--not anyone's idea of a perfectly adoptable girl.
I loved the cover by Trina Schart Hyman--it definitely drew me to pick it up from a box of books I was donating and decide to read it first.
Karen Cushman, the author is a consummate writer of young adult books. She has a Newberry Award and a Newberry Honor Award winner.
The one thing that tends to annoy me about historical fiction for children is the need to paint prejudicial situations in our current day varnish of political correctness. In this book, no one could talk about the Native American Indians without coming across as an apologist that "we'd" taken their land. Perhaps children's books about historical periods are subject to too much criticism to be able to leave that out--such as the recent controversy about a Caldecott contender for 2016 showing slaves with smiles on their faces. Other than those several mentions, good job.
While I'm giving this book only 3 stars, I think most young readers would give it 4 or 5.

[Judy Khalifa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“That’s pronounced Rodzina,” I interrupted, making that sound between a D and a G and a Z that it seemed only Polish mouths could make, sort of like the G-sound in bridge or cage or huge, but not quite. The lady doctor sounded like a bumblebee with her Rod-zzzzzz-ina."

Rodzina is the name of a Polish girl who lived in Chicago after her family had left Poland. Sadly, her two brothers died in a fire, her dad died because a crazy horse hit him in the head, and her mom was weak and sick so she died. All of a sudden, Rodzina became an orphan and traveled with the rest of the orphans, via train, to the scary west so some nice family would adopt them. Rodzina has all kinds of negative thoughts throughout the journey of her becoming someone's slave, maid, get beaten...etc. A little girl called Lacey gets attached to Rodzina, and eventually Rodzina gets attached to her. In my opinion, Rodzina is a stubborn, caring, intelligent and strong girl. I think this book is amazing for people who like sad, touching books with happy endings. This book certainly touched my heart and got me thinking about the sadness and loneliness of Rodzina...etc. This book has a certain ending and that is what makes it one of my favorite books.If you like open-ended books this might not be the book for you. At the same time, this book has a little bit of open-endness to it that you might like (you will understand what I mean when you read the book).

[Helena Sorensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

We thoroughly enjoyed this read-aloud tale of a girl traveling west on an orphan train. It worked beautifully in conjunction with a unit of study on the Transcontinental Railroad, and we recognized references to the Union and Central Pacific Railroad companies, the Thousand Mile Tree, the Summit Tunnel, and the day-to-day workings of the steam locomotives.

The characters, in particular, made the story sparkle. I have a soft spot for Mickey Dooley and his cross-eyed, orange-haired, endlessly joking warmth. The growing connection between Rodzina and Lacey and Miss Doctor was also sweet, relatable, and compelling.

I appreciated how Cushman dealt with a variety of possible outcomes for those who traveled on the orphan trains. Some found wonderful, caring families. Others ran away, back to the lives they'd been taken from. Still others were overworked or expected to become child brides. Some ended up in workhouses. Rodzina came face-to-face with nearly every one of these fates, and yet her story ended on a hopeful note.

My kids and I were hooked from the very start. A wonderful middle-grade book!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How did I not know the history of the children's orphan trains in the United States? I found myself fascinated all the way through, not just with the events of this journey, but also with the delightful characters.
Rodzina Brodski, a 12-year-old Polish orphan girl from Chicago, and two dozen other children were put on an orphan train headed west in the hope that they could be adopted by good families. Not every family wants a child to love and cuddle, however. In the early 1880s, westerners were mostly hard-scrabble ranchers, farmers and miners, who needed a hard worker with a strong back, not another mouth to feed.
The story of Rodzina, as she grows from grouchy and sad to a more hopeful and independent girl is one that evolves, as she faces two women who want her for her labor, and later, a man who wants her to replace his dying wife.
This is my favorite kind of book -- spunky characters, fun to read, and along the way I learn something!
Recommended for girls 9-12 -- and I enjoyed it, too!

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I like Cushman's writing ... and the cover caught my attention, probably because the girl is neither an endearing waif nor a Disnified beauty.

I wanted ... someplace where I would belong, with a real family, people of my own who cared for me.p 171

There's nothing earth-shattering, surreal, or 'fantastical' in that statement, but it's honest, and it probably describes the thoughts of just about every child who ever rode an orphan train. In a way, this is a coming-of-age tale in that life forced this young girl to strike out on her own before she was ready to do so.

[Susan Chapek]

My favorite Cushman.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I KNEW I had read this book! KNEW KNEW KNEW IT!!! All it took was finding the right cover *feels triumphant*
Its been a while since I read this book. Several years in fact! Yet I can never forget it. Never forget the main character and the things she went through on the orphan train. I could't put it down. I rooted for her, loved the ending, and never forgot it. Ironically, it was one of the last books I read in the kid section before moving up to teens, which explains why I never found it again. Cushman is such an amazing author, every single one of her books leaves a lasting impression.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Newberry winner about a young girl on an orphan train in 1880's. Solid historical novel.

[Ana G · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars] ahhh i am so torn on this book, i keep changing my rating back and forth haha. On the one hand i love this trope, the sad-plucky-orphan-finds-a-responsible-loving-adult plot, and Rodzina is exactly that. On the other hand, this book felt slightly...incomplete. Like...it's that trope, and nothing more. I would have liked the characters to be more fleshed out (this is a complaint I have frequently!), more three-dimensional. Even the protagonists, Rodzina, Lacey, Miss Doctor felt...flat.

So I loved the plot here (or, the promise of the plot), but felt it was not fully realized. The writing style was also not 100% to my liking, but admittedly a lot of that was due to my impatience with the lack of depth and detail. The pacing was fair, the visuals good. If you like "Orphan Train" type books with reasonably happy endings, this may hit the spot. But similar plots far better done exist (e.g. The War that Saved My Life).

[Charity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I missed something about this book.

My son and I made it through about fifty pages when he said, "Mom, I could read this faster if it were more interesting." Okay, that's more of a paraphrase; it's likely he didn't use the subjunctive, but the sentiment remains the same.

I said, "Well, maybe it gets more interesting once they're off the train," paging through to see when they get off the train. But I quickly realized that the whole book takes place on the train. Not only that, it's on a train full of children whom I can't tell apart. There was the one that went missing, and I couldn't even remember which one it was.

We didn't make it much past page 50, but at least my son and I got to have a conversation about how much effort to put into a book before deciding to toss it aside.

[Heather Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 8 year old was given this book by my grandmother, who is fascinated by this historical er and orphan trains in general. My 8yo insisted I read this book, and so I obliged. Rodzina is a head strong 12 year old who is charged with looking after other children on the orphan train, all while mourning the deaths of her parents and struggling to avoid being adopted by people who want to enslave or marry her. Her resilience and willingness to fight are a great message to young readers, but I’d be curious about author Cushman’s research and own voices insofar as Rodzina’s Polish heritage are concerned.

[Jamie Dacyczyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read "The Midwife's Apprentice" and "Catherine, Called Birdy" so when I saw this book (minus the dust jacket) at Goodwill, I grabbed it. All I knew from it was the title, but I assumed it was another medieval tale.

Surprise, surprise, it was actually about an orphan girl from Chicago in the turn of the century, put on an orphan train heading west to find a new home. It's a well detailed story, with period details that made it feel authentic. Definitely a good option for middle readers interested in historical fiction.

[Jenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of book where you hope there is a sequel. After Rodzina and Miss Doctor arrive in San Francisco, after their long train journey, the story could continue to chronicle their experiences in Frontier California as doctor and apprentice. In fact, the reason why I picked up Rodzina to read as a historical fiction story based in Industrial era United States was because I so greatly enjoyed Cushman's The Midwife's Apprentice. I knew I could recommend it when it came time to find a story about the American experience of immigrants and the disadvantaged in post Industrial US. By the time we finished reading Rodzina, all of my children and myself were rooting for Rodzina to find a home where she could be valued and encouraged to continue learning. This book has a surprising amount of cultural commentary on women's roles in a patriarchal society

[Donna Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title was included in the books for our school district's Battle of the Books competition. I can't say that I recall all the details of the book (as I read it over 6 years ago), but I don't remember it as being truly awful. With that being said, it didn't stick in my mind either, so it wasn't a truly memorable book for me either. However, I don't remember our team members complaining too much about it, so this title appeals to middle school readers.

[Hemptastic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if many give thought to orphans of today let alone in the 1880s. This book shows the child as people that can worry on the level of any adult and gives a some insight into the lives of children that have lost there parents during this time. I like that the story is told completely from the child's point of view. Although historical fiction is my favorite I have not read many stories that cover the American West but this is a good one that I will offer to my youngest son.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining children's historical novel about the Orphan Train. 12-year-old Polish American girl is boarded onto an orphan train in Chicago with fears about traveling to the West and a life of unpaid slavery. 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.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Karen Cushman has a knack for creating prickly, yet likable characters and Rodzina is among her memorable cast of independent, sharp-witted protagonists.
While many orphan train stories lean toward somber, sad scenarios, Cushman adds sparkling wit to the plot of reluctant children being herded off to the west and unknown fates.
A read that would a candidate for a read aloud. Enlightening author notes, as well.

[Audrey Matthews · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a wonderful book, it showed how your appearance doesn't change whether you will be loved or not and there is always someone out there for you. This is because Rodzina is just like any girl, but in life rather than an orphan train. This is because she tries her best to find a nice caring family, and she didn't stop searching until she did. Definitely one of the best books i've read.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Best character I've read in an orphan train book...I feel like Rodzina really nailed the voice of what it would be like to have this experience and the secondary characters were also real and three dimensional. I wanted to know how all their stories ended, mark of well developed characters.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about Orphan Trains until now. Of course Karen Cushman does an amazing job creating another one of the strongest female characters I’ve read. I’ve put off reading this book for years because of the god awful cover (not the one pictured here) - I know better, but I still sometimes judge a book by its cover.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Am I allowed to not like a book about orphans? Because I didn’t like this book. If I was an alien and had only read this book without meeting an actual child, I would never want to meet one. No one was likeable. Everything was implausible. And it was dull. Even my kids who are satisfied reading the backs of cereal boxes couldn’t get into it. And that’s saying something.

[Terry]

BTSYA Adult Volunteer Reader (42): The characters are believable with their own unique stories. Most of the story takes place aboard the train, giving descriptions of what the long journey is like, the children's past struggles and their current fears.

Read more of the review at the Reading Tub.

[Susan Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very easy to read book about a young Polish girl and her journey on an Orphan Train. Rodzina is left homeless and on the streets of Chicago where she, and several other children, were forced to ride an Orphan Train headed West.
The book will make you laugh and maybe she'd a year as you join these "ragamuffins" on their journey to find a family to adopt them.
Enjoy😼