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The Ballad of Lucy Whipple
Dear Gram and Grampop,Please do not address yours truly as California anymore, California Morning Whipple being a foolish name for a duck much less a girl. I call myself Lucy now. I cannot hate California and be California. I know you will understand.California doesn't suit Lucy Whipple -- not the name, not the place. But moving out West to Lucky Diggins, California, was her mama's dream-come-true. And now her brother, Butte, and sisters, Prairie and Sierra, seem to be Westerners at heart, too. For Lucy, Lucky Diggins is hardly a town at all -- just a bunch of ramshackle tents and tobacco-spitting miners. Even the gold her mama claimed was just lying around in the fields isn't panning out. Worst of all, there's no lending library! Dag diggety! So Lucy vows to be plain miserable until she can hightail it back East where she belongs. But Lucy California Morning Whipple may be in for a surprise -- because home is a lot closer than she thinks... When California Morning Whipple's widowed mother uproots her family from their comfortable Massachusetts environs and moves them to a rough mining camp called Lucky Diggins in the Sierras, California Morning resents the upheaval. Desperately wanting to control something in her own life, she decides to be called Lucy, and as Lucy she grows and changes in her strange and challenging new environment. Here Karen Cushman helps the American Gold Rush spring to colorful life, just as she did for medieval England in her previous two books, Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice, which won Newbery Honor status and a Newbery Medal respectively.
185 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
75 people are currently reading
1404 people want to read
About the author
Karen Cushman
34 books699 followersKaren 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...)
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...)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 280 reviews
July 31, 2022
It may just be my lack of maturity which steers me to young adult fiction, but I reckon it's just good storytelling. That's right, I wrote "reckon," cause this here's a ballad.
I had a helluva fun time reading this coming of age story, with the sassy Miss Lucy Whipple and her moans and groans of dissatisfaction at having been relocated to the wild, wild West. It's a comfort to know that all teenagers, through all time periods, have had the power to make their parents miserable, whether they had a fancy phone or a jar of molasses in their hands.
I highly recommend this to the 12+ crowd, not younger (despite the appearance of the book), and I'm looking forward to reading more from Karen Cushman.
I had a helluva fun time reading this coming of age story, with the sassy Miss Lucy Whipple and her moans and groans of dissatisfaction at having been relocated to the wild, wild West. It's a comfort to know that all teenagers, through all time periods, have had the power to make their parents miserable, whether they had a fancy phone or a jar of molasses in their hands.
I highly recommend this to the 12+ crowd, not younger (despite the appearance of the book), and I'm looking forward to reading more from Karen Cushman.
June 30, 2008
We listened to this book on tape on a drive. I have to get stories that are kid friendly, and this one did not disappoint. I'd already read it, so I knew the kids would like it.
California Morning Whipple has lost her father and little sister, and now must move to California itself from her beloved Massachusetts. She doesn't want to go and does so very grudgingly. Even so, she becomes a big help to her mother, hunting game, making pies and helping in the boarding house where her mother is proprietress in Lucky Diggings, California. Along with her brother Butte, and sisters Sierra and Prairie, they slowly make a life in the rough frontier settlement. But California wants to go "home." She changes her name to Lucy and refuses to give up on her dream of saving enough money to return to her grandparents on the east coast.
All kinds of adventures ensue, with falls in raging rivers, fires, suitors for Mama, and even racial issues. Will Lucy learn to love California? Will she leave her family? I'll never tell! Great story, wonderful and believable characters.
California Morning Whipple has lost her father and little sister, and now must move to California itself from her beloved Massachusetts. She doesn't want to go and does so very grudgingly. Even so, she becomes a big help to her mother, hunting game, making pies and helping in the boarding house where her mother is proprietress in Lucky Diggings, California. Along with her brother Butte, and sisters Sierra and Prairie, they slowly make a life in the rough frontier settlement. But California wants to go "home." She changes her name to Lucy and refuses to give up on her dream of saving enough money to return to her grandparents on the east coast.
All kinds of adventures ensue, with falls in raging rivers, fires, suitors for Mama, and even racial issues. Will Lucy learn to love California? Will she leave her family? I'll never tell! Great story, wonderful and believable characters.
January 16, 2021
Wonderful story;so enjoyable :)
June 20, 2008
California Morning Whipple is distraught at being uprooted from her Massachusetts home, away from her grandparents. But, her mother is determined to fulfill her dead husband's dream of going out west to California to the land of gold on the streets and a new life. Life, as they find out, is difficult and riches are no more common than they are in the east. California Morning hates California so much, she changes her name to Lucy. Lucy lives through back-breaking work, days without books, and death all around her. But, little by little, California becomes home as Lucy realizes it isn't where you live, but being around all you love, and all the people you love are around you...
February 15, 2010
This is a great story about a young girl whose family moves to California during the Gold Rush. She hates her circumstances but finds a way to change her life. It's an all around great story. Karen Cushman writes stories about strong girls.
Just read this again and I still really like it! But this time, the ending meant a bit more to me when Lucy's family went to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii, now) since I have family on those islands.
Just read this again and I still really like it! But this time, the ending meant a bit more to me when Lucy's family went to the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii, now) since I have family on those islands.
January 4, 2013
I thought it was boring and wasn't tremendously thrilled whenever I read it, or was never excited to read it or be reading it. I never really wanted to read it even though i knew I should. I didn't really like it.
June 14, 2010
This is a wholesome story that begins in 1849 and set during the Westward Expansion and the California Gold Rush. Our main character is 12 year-old California Morning Whipple, whose life is unsettled when her widowed mother uproots her and her brother, Butte, and sisters Prairie and Sierra from their comfortable residence in Massachusetts and decides to "Go West" to California where "the gold is just laying around" waiting to be picked!
Faced with the rough reality of the New Frontier and Pioneer life, California misses her previous life and longs to come back home. She vows to be plain miserable and is not afraid to show her feelings of discontent. In search of control, she changes her name to Lucy and starts a journey to find herself and her true home. But home is closer that she knows.
It was fascinating to me that through all the historical fiction and realistic depictions, the author subtly introduced the idea of the first lending library in the Westward Expansion, or, in my opinion, the first librarian of "Lucky Diggings"! Reed for yourselves!
Ages: 9-12
Topics: California, California Gold discoveries, Frontier & Pioneer life, Family life, Gold Rush.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Faced with the rough reality of the New Frontier and Pioneer life, California misses her previous life and longs to come back home. She vows to be plain miserable and is not afraid to show her feelings of discontent. In search of control, she changes her name to Lucy and starts a journey to find herself and her true home. But home is closer that she knows.
It was fascinating to me that through all the historical fiction and realistic depictions, the author subtly introduced the idea of the first lending library in the Westward Expansion, or, in my opinion, the first librarian of "Lucky Diggings"! Reed for yourselves!
Ages: 9-12
Topics: California, California Gold discoveries, Frontier & Pioneer life, Family life, Gold Rush.
Genre: Historical Fiction
June 23, 2013
This is a coming of age story about a young girl who is uprooted by her mother from Massachusetts to the wild west of California. Readers of all ages will enjoy this historical fiction piece. The story contains a strong female maternal figure in her Mother who was the one who made the decision to go west to find their fortune; and her Mother stays strong throughout the book. I think Lucy learns her strength from her mother and because of that is able to do the things she does.
This book kept my attention with all of the tales of living in the Wild West. They settled in a town called Lucky Diggins which wasn't much more than a row of tents and a few inhabitants when they arrived. Within a couple of years, they had built a wood frame boarding house for the miners to live in, had a general store, and a saloon. Also, within that two year span, a huge fire roared through and destroyed the town. But Lucy was determined to stay, even after she was given the chance to go back to her beloved Massachusetts. Her mother, however, decided to venture onward with a new husband and younger kids in town, leaving Lucy behind to make a life for herself. And lo and behold, what did she decide to do? She decided to start a lending library and become a librarian!
This book kept my attention with all of the tales of living in the Wild West. They settled in a town called Lucky Diggins which wasn't much more than a row of tents and a few inhabitants when they arrived. Within a couple of years, they had built a wood frame boarding house for the miners to live in, had a general store, and a saloon. Also, within that two year span, a huge fire roared through and destroyed the town. But Lucy was determined to stay, even after she was given the chance to go back to her beloved Massachusetts. Her mother, however, decided to venture onward with a new husband and younger kids in town, leaving Lucy behind to make a life for herself. And lo and behold, what did she decide to do? She decided to start a lending library and become a librarian!
July 29, 2011
Karen Cushman gives excellent voice to all her characters, but Lucy Whipple is one of my favorites. I relate to her negative view of change as she is grudgingly won over by a new place and people. Lucy, originally named California Morning Whipple, moves with her mother, brother and two sisters to a small town in California during the gold rush. Coming from the East, Lucy misses civilization and heartily despises the dirty and uncouth miners. As she shirks her work and complains about her surroundings, Lucy begins to make friends and recognize some good in a new life. However, it isn't until she faces true hardship and heartbreak that she finds peace.
This was a second reading for me and I read from the perspective of 'what would my 9 year old make of this book?' As an adult reading, I loved all of it. There are some hard issues to deal with, but great learning experiences. It is a perfect read for my nine-year-old, but some of the dialect and subtlety might make it better for a 10-12 audience. It is a great view of life during the California gold rush with lovable characters.
This was a second reading for me and I read from the perspective of 'what would my 9 year old make of this book?' As an adult reading, I loved all of it. There are some hard issues to deal with, but great learning experiences. It is a perfect read for my nine-year-old, but some of the dialect and subtlety might make it better for a 10-12 audience. It is a great view of life during the California gold rush with lovable characters.
February 20, 2012
Genre:Historical Fiction
Quick Book Summary
Lucy Whipple and her family moved from Massachusetts to California by covered wagon. Her brother Butte died from a virus in the water. Lucy grew up and planned to go back to Massachusetts. Her mom got maried, moved to the Sandwich Islands, and Lucy decided to stay at Lucky Diggins and to not go back to Massachusetts.
Justify your rating: A
I gave the book three stars because I liked it and it was a very interesting book to read. It followed a young girls life across the contry and the hardships that her and her family had to overcome. I recommend this book because it shows you how hard life can be. I like how all the characters did their best to live the life they had without their father. I also like the setting because it was old fashioned and they also lived in tents. In this book I liked the part when everybody pulled together when the town of Lucky Diggins burnt down into ashes. The book was sad because everyone had to start over again because of the fire. I would recommend this book to classmates, friends, family, teachers, parents, and especially the people who like Historical Fiction.
Quick Book Summary
Lucy Whipple and her family moved from Massachusetts to California by covered wagon. Her brother Butte died from a virus in the water. Lucy grew up and planned to go back to Massachusetts. Her mom got maried, moved to the Sandwich Islands, and Lucy decided to stay at Lucky Diggins and to not go back to Massachusetts.
Justify your rating: A
I gave the book three stars because I liked it and it was a very interesting book to read. It followed a young girls life across the contry and the hardships that her and her family had to overcome. I recommend this book because it shows you how hard life can be. I like how all the characters did their best to live the life they had without their father. I also like the setting because it was old fashioned and they also lived in tents. In this book I liked the part when everybody pulled together when the town of Lucky Diggins burnt down into ashes. The book was sad because everyone had to start over again because of the fire. I would recommend this book to classmates, friends, family, teachers, parents, and especially the people who like Historical Fiction.
August 2, 2009
Even thought his is considered children's fiction, I thought the
author did a terrific job in keeping the language of the era
authentic. It was colorful!
This is the story of a young girl who's mother drags she and her other siblings out from Massachusetts to the gold fields of California. It is told from Lucy's perspective of the unwilling participant and how she responds to her surroundings and the hardships of trying to make a go of it in with the miners. Her mother gets a job managing a hotel (literally a flop house) in a tent before buildings were put up and the chores the children had to do to maintain a livelihood for themselves. All the time Lucy remembers the family she left behind in Massachusetts and tries to fanagle her way back home to civilization. A quick, great read.
author did a terrific job in keeping the language of the era
authentic. It was colorful!
This is the story of a young girl who's mother drags she and her other siblings out from Massachusetts to the gold fields of California. It is told from Lucy's perspective of the unwilling participant and how she responds to her surroundings and the hardships of trying to make a go of it in with the miners. Her mother gets a job managing a hotel (literally a flop house) in a tent before buildings were put up and the chores the children had to do to maintain a livelihood for themselves. All the time Lucy remembers the family she left behind in Massachusetts and tries to fanagle her way back home to civilization. A quick, great read.
August 29, 2016
As a History teacher, I love historical fiction. I feel like the book does a great job of capturing what life was like during the push for westward expansion. It is very kid friendly and is written in such a way that kids can relate to the struggles of a girl having to give up her friends and "home" to move across the country when it wasn't that easy. This book does an excellent job of broaching several topics that can be difficult for some kids to understand - particularly slavery and in some cases, death. I was also surprised by the encounter between a teenager and an older man in a children's book, so that may account for this being geared toward a slightly older children's audience, such as middle schoolers. This book encompasses the idea that books can be an escape from reality and can reading can help people cope with various situations that arise.
October 30, 2016
Summary: California Morning Whipple is a young girl during the California Gold Rush! Her father passed away her mother moved them to California to try and find some luck! But California hated living their so much she changed her name to Lucy Whipple and refused to be called anything other than that! After a while she learns that home is where her family is and soon doesn't mind living their.
Grade Level -4th-5th
Classroom use: I would read excerpts when going over the Gold Rush
Individual Use: I would give to a student who just moved to the town and wasn't happy or someone who loves the Gold Rush and thought of luck.
Whole classroom: I would keep it on my book shelf and use it in my history class.
Related Books: Any pertaining to the Gold Rush or by the author
Multimedia: The Tv series or audio
Award Winner: Newbery Medal for the Midwife's Apprentice
Grade Level -4th-5th
Classroom use: I would read excerpts when going over the Gold Rush
Individual Use: I would give to a student who just moved to the town and wasn't happy or someone who loves the Gold Rush and thought of luck.
Whole classroom: I would keep it on my book shelf and use it in my history class.
Related Books: Any pertaining to the Gold Rush or by the author
Multimedia: The Tv series or audio
Award Winner: Newbery Medal for the Midwife's Apprentice
November 9, 2009
This is a moving tale of a young girl by the name of California Morning Whipple. She is dismayed that her family is moving to Calfornia. It is the summer of 1849, and California vows to be miserable about her situation. The book relates her adventures over a span of several years, during which time California changes her name to Lucy. She finally comes to the resolution that home is the place where you are loved, safe, and needed. I admire Lucy's obstinance, and can relate to her fears at the beginning of the book. It is a worthwhile read to see the changes she experiences, and how she grows up in the process.
May 20, 2017
One of my absolute, all-time favorite books. Karen Cushman is a wonderful writer, and I like everything she's done, but I guess I relate to this one the most. Perhaps it's because Lucy has lost her father, is moving to a place she has no desire to go to, and LOVES her books. I also appreciate her sassiness and her independence.
The part at the end when she finds "her heart's desire" makes me cry every time. Why am I not a librarian? Why, oh why?
The part at the end when she finds "her heart's desire" makes me cry every time. Why am I not a librarian? Why, oh why?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2008
Since I couldn't find The Midwife's Apprentice by the same author at my local library, I settled for this lesser known title. I am so glad I did. Olivia and read this together. It is a story told by a young lady who was uprooted along with her family to go to California and work and live among miners during the Gold Rush. Fascinating and lively to say the least.
March 12, 2011
California Morning "Lucy" Whipple moves west from Massachusetts with her mother and three younger siblings to become part of the Gold Rush. Although Lucy doesn't like California at first, she eventually overcomes many hardships and decides to stay in CA as a librarian.
July 20, 2020
“The Ballad of Lucy Whipple” is a short, Little-house-on-the-prairie style young adult novel, not that I’ve ever read Little House On The Praire. The story focuses on a teenage girl by the name of California Whipple, who is forced by her mother, after the death of her father and baby sister, to travel to her namesake (California) to make a living off the gold rush population. California is very unhappy about this; she vastly prefers the life and family she had back in Massachusetts, and spends most of the book plotting how to get back. She sheds her name early, deciding instead to be called Lucy, which sticks around decently with her family. The story covers most of a year, as Lucy’s mother sets up a slowly growing boarding house for miners, with financial help from Lucy’s pie-selling business and Lucy’s brother Butte’s work at the general store. Various things happen. There’s a decently memorable cast of characters, exciting enough story developments, and the legally mandated one (1) romance, one (1) black person, and one (1) tragic moment. The story ends fairly predictably, if you’ve ever read this kind of book before, with Lucy making enough money (and being lucky enough) to find a way back to Massachusetts, but ultimately decides she likes California well enough now, and would like to stay.
But you don’t have to read any of that, because apparently they made a made-for-TV movie based off of this book in 2001, so you just go watch that.
But you don’t have to read any of that, because apparently they made a made-for-TV movie based off of this book in 2001, so you just go watch that.
March 17, 2022
I enjoyed this book, but didn't love it. Of course, as an adult, I'm not the target audience. I read this to see if it would be a good book for my daughter. I think she'll be ready for it by the time we study California history in 4th grade. I'm not 100% sure she'll like it. My main issue with the book was that there were alot of undeveloped characters. By the end the author was listing off people from the town and I couldn't visualize them, but it was a shoulder shrug moment because I realized it didn't matter. The people were just props, there to fill a typecast role in this rather unlucky gold rush camp (where you hardly see anyone actually trying to get gold). Also, I didn't find the book very joyous. Lucy is a fun character, very headstrong, with ironic observations, but she's also a grouch.
What I did like about the book was the emphasis on the female experience in the Gold Rush. Historically, there's not much to go on, as there weren't many women in these camps, so it's nice to have a middle grade novel that discusses what it might have been like for a young girl living in this time period.
What I did like about the book was the emphasis on the female experience in the Gold Rush. Historically, there's not much to go on, as there weren't many women in these camps, so it's nice to have a middle grade novel that discusses what it might have been like for a young girl living in this time period.
August 11, 2025
This book was a good light read. It truly gave me a sense of what daily life was like for people establishing a new settlement in the 1850s, which I found really interesting.
October 15, 2025
I loved listening to this audiobook.
November 7, 2022
Another excellent YA book by Karen Cushman, The Ballad of Lucy Whipple takes us to another time period, far from the Middle Ages of her previous books. It’s the tale of family conflict, love, and adjusting to foreign surroundings, not in another country, but on the other side of this one. This book was made into a less enjoyable tv movie starring Glenn Close with Jena Malone as the plucky Lucy primarily due to the jarring changes from book to screen. This would be an excellent resource when studying the gold rush era in CA.
June 21, 2015
"Well, little sister, I'd say a ballad is a poem that tells a story of the extraordinary doin's of ordinary folk. You can say ballads or sing 'em or jist play their tunes for folks who know. I learned me lots of ballads in Texas."
"Tell us one. Please."
"You jist sit back and listen, sis, and I'll tell you a good one. Imagine we're outside, settin' round a fire of cow pies and dry grass. But for the fire it's so dark you couldn't find your nose with both hands, and there you sit, lookin' at the moon through the neck of a bottle and listenin' to the coyotes sing when someone starts in tellin'....."
This book is just like hearing someone tell a good ol' ballad over a campfire of cow pies and dry grass. It has a ring of old-timey goodness to it, an antiquated flavor, as if by opening its pages you're jumping right back in time to California in the 1850s. It's absolutely hilarious-- I laughed so hard over 'The Ballad of Rattlesnake Jake', I spilled tea all over my shirt-- it's tear-jerking, it's got just the right mix of happy times and sad times: just like life.
I immediately found a kindred spirit in California Morning "Lucy" Whipple. She's a dreamer, a reader, and a bit of a melodramatic personality who knows what she wants (or thinks she knows, anyway) and has a stubborn streak a mile wide. I could see myself in her place all too often; getting lost in the woods, starting a lending library of my own books (with very strict rules, of course), spending hours reading a book in the sunshine while I was supposed to be picking berries. Lucy becomes a true friend, bounding out of the pages and into your heart. I loved spending time with her, and I'm sure gonna miss that lil' sister. ;-P
The dialogue is delicious. So many funky slang terms, juicy frontier curses, not to mention fifty words for liquor. No wait, fifty-one.
This books reminded me a little of Larry McMurtry's Telegraph Days; it had that sort of ballad flow to it, an amusing story of a girl and her misadventures out in the uncivilized West. Only this books is written for younger readers, and so it was much more appropriate and therefore I enjoyed it more on the whole. It's wonderfully wholesome, ridiculously entertaining, and just plain-out a rollickin' good time. Go read it.
"Minds, like diapers, need occasional changing."
My rating: 10/10
"Tell us one. Please."
"You jist sit back and listen, sis, and I'll tell you a good one. Imagine we're outside, settin' round a fire of cow pies and dry grass. But for the fire it's so dark you couldn't find your nose with both hands, and there you sit, lookin' at the moon through the neck of a bottle and listenin' to the coyotes sing when someone starts in tellin'....."
This book is just like hearing someone tell a good ol' ballad over a campfire of cow pies and dry grass. It has a ring of old-timey goodness to it, an antiquated flavor, as if by opening its pages you're jumping right back in time to California in the 1850s. It's absolutely hilarious-- I laughed so hard over 'The Ballad of Rattlesnake Jake', I spilled tea all over my shirt-- it's tear-jerking, it's got just the right mix of happy times and sad times: just like life.
I immediately found a kindred spirit in California Morning "Lucy" Whipple. She's a dreamer, a reader, and a bit of a melodramatic personality who knows what she wants (or thinks she knows, anyway) and has a stubborn streak a mile wide. I could see myself in her place all too often; getting lost in the woods, starting a lending library of my own books (with very strict rules, of course), spending hours reading a book in the sunshine while I was supposed to be picking berries. Lucy becomes a true friend, bounding out of the pages and into your heart. I loved spending time with her, and I'm sure gonna miss that lil' sister. ;-P
The dialogue is delicious. So many funky slang terms, juicy frontier curses, not to mention fifty words for liquor. No wait, fifty-one.
This books reminded me a little of Larry McMurtry's Telegraph Days; it had that sort of ballad flow to it, an amusing story of a girl and her misadventures out in the uncivilized West. Only this books is written for younger readers, and so it was much more appropriate and therefore I enjoyed it more on the whole. It's wonderfully wholesome, ridiculously entertaining, and just plain-out a rollickin' good time. Go read it.
"Minds, like diapers, need occasional changing."
My rating: 10/10
December 7, 2018
GOLDEN DREAMS THAT DON'T PAN OUT..
Lucy Whipple is a determined bookworm who surprises her Ma (and us) with her ability to create her own persona and find her niche in the social and natural wilderness of a mining camp. This self-made gal (aged 11-14) clings to her private dream of returning to a stable life and civilization back East, but she has to start from scratch: she changes her odd but given name of California Morning. She is foiled at irregular intervals in her schemes to save up passage money (currency and gold dust) to get back to Massachusetts. She staunchly refuses to let rotten circumstances (and poor mail delivery) rob her of Hope.
Lucky Diggins is a misnomer for a squalid tent village of uncouth miners--whose creative vocabulary abounds in words for liquor, whose social life revolves around saloons, where food and tools are outrageously priced. Little lasting luck is doled out among the eager but selfish inhabitants--until Lucy decides to take her fate and future into her own, pie-making hands. We meet a variety of miners and varmints during these early years of Statehood, when the town suffers from Nature's extremes. Lucy's fatherless family is plunged into the most primitive frontier life, but hardy women of New England stock make their own destiny. Lucy encounters her first Black man, witnesses death, murder, fire, a frontier "trial" and faces that worst of all fates--life without books!
This story has many amusing teenage comments, yet icludes some tender passages as well. There is much historically accurate information (though Cushman does not refer to Placer mining per se). BALLAD is a great introduction to Gold Rush studies which will also interest boys. This heroine follows the tradition of her literary predecessors, Catherine, called Birdy and the Midwife's Apprentice, Alyce. A delightful book which conveys information without readers realizing that are learning! This is the California Gold Rush from the woman's point of view, revealing the creativity and flexibility of children to help earn a living and survive incredible hardships. Cushman also wrestles with that perennial theme: where is one's Home? Read this story to find out her definition, but be ware--you may learn a lot more about the early Gold Rush than you ever dreamed!
(November 19, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
Lucy Whipple is a determined bookworm who surprises her Ma (and us) with her ability to create her own persona and find her niche in the social and natural wilderness of a mining camp. This self-made gal (aged 11-14) clings to her private dream of returning to a stable life and civilization back East, but she has to start from scratch: she changes her odd but given name of California Morning. She is foiled at irregular intervals in her schemes to save up passage money (currency and gold dust) to get back to Massachusetts. She staunchly refuses to let rotten circumstances (and poor mail delivery) rob her of Hope.
Lucky Diggins is a misnomer for a squalid tent village of uncouth miners--whose creative vocabulary abounds in words for liquor, whose social life revolves around saloons, where food and tools are outrageously priced. Little lasting luck is doled out among the eager but selfish inhabitants--until Lucy decides to take her fate and future into her own, pie-making hands. We meet a variety of miners and varmints during these early years of Statehood, when the town suffers from Nature's extremes. Lucy's fatherless family is plunged into the most primitive frontier life, but hardy women of New England stock make their own destiny. Lucy encounters her first Black man, witnesses death, murder, fire, a frontier "trial" and faces that worst of all fates--life without books!
This story has many amusing teenage comments, yet icludes some tender passages as well. There is much historically accurate information (though Cushman does not refer to Placer mining per se). BALLAD is a great introduction to Gold Rush studies which will also interest boys. This heroine follows the tradition of her literary predecessors, Catherine, called Birdy and the Midwife's Apprentice, Alyce. A delightful book which conveys information without readers realizing that are learning! This is the California Gold Rush from the woman's point of view, revealing the creativity and flexibility of children to help earn a living and survive incredible hardships. Cushman also wrestles with that perennial theme: where is one's Home? Read this story to find out her definition, but be ware--you may learn a lot more about the early Gold Rush than you ever dreamed!
(November 19, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
August 20, 2016
As I read this an adult female, this was a really good, well-written book. I came to read this book, however, with my 8 year-old, 3rd grade son as part of his school unit on the Gold Rush. I would not say it is the best book for him or really any student (in particular a boy, but girls, too) of that same age. Indeed, the book is actually recommended as a young adult book (and classified as such in the library), for ages 12 and up. 3rd graders and 8 year olds are NOT young adults, and the content shows.
The book is told in first person from the perspective of the title character, Lucy Whipple, in the form of letters and kind of like a diary. Lucy Whipple, of course, is a girl approximately 12-14 years old who is forced to move from Massachusetts to California during the gold rush period. The book is actually far less about the gold rush and far more a coming of age tale, for girls. Themes in the book include death of family members, social awareness (including drinking, such as 90 names for liquor), and domestic violence. My son did enjoy the book (it is quite funny at times)and handled the issues well, however, I was reading it aloud to him and was able to talk through and about many of these issues. Had I known about the content beforehand, I would not have read this book with my son at his age, and I certainly would not appreciate him reading it on his own (which originally would have been the case in a school assignment). I enjoyed the book greatly as an adult female, and would highly reccommend it for teenage girls as well, but I strongly encourage teachers to know what they assign and know their audience ahead of time. It is NOT appropriate for 3rd graders in general (generally speaking, 12 and up and young adult classification should be a clue - 3rd graders aren't 12), and as mentioned before really doesn't provide great insight into the gold rush anyways. As a coming of age tale set in a historical period, however, it is a great book and thus warrants 4 stars for that.
The book is told in first person from the perspective of the title character, Lucy Whipple, in the form of letters and kind of like a diary. Lucy Whipple, of course, is a girl approximately 12-14 years old who is forced to move from Massachusetts to California during the gold rush period. The book is actually far less about the gold rush and far more a coming of age tale, for girls. Themes in the book include death of family members, social awareness (including drinking, such as 90 names for liquor), and domestic violence. My son did enjoy the book (it is quite funny at times)and handled the issues well, however, I was reading it aloud to him and was able to talk through and about many of these issues. Had I known about the content beforehand, I would not have read this book with my son at his age, and I certainly would not appreciate him reading it on his own (which originally would have been the case in a school assignment). I enjoyed the book greatly as an adult female, and would highly reccommend it for teenage girls as well, but I strongly encourage teachers to know what they assign and know their audience ahead of time. It is NOT appropriate for 3rd graders in general (generally speaking, 12 and up and young adult classification should be a clue - 3rd graders aren't 12), and as mentioned before really doesn't provide great insight into the gold rush anyways. As a coming of age tale set in a historical period, however, it is a great book and thus warrants 4 stars for that.
November 24, 2009
"The only constant thing in this life is change", I think that is the basic theme for this book. Lucy learns through hard work, sweat and tears that sometimes we must do things that we don't want to do and that includes moving from Massachusetts to California during the gold rush days when the west was wild. Lucy learns to make the best of a bad situation and meets many colorful characters along the way.
I picked up this book because I like the other books that I've read by Karen Cushman. This is the first Cushman book that I've read that does not take place during medieval times. One of the reasons I like Ms. Cushman's works is because she always does her research. She is a history buff, so you know whenever you pick up a book written by her, it will be historically accurate. She always includes some historical facts at the end of her books which I enjoy and learn from.
Another reason that I like this author is because she always writes about strong female characters. They may start out a bit whiny in the beginning, but they always learn from their adversities and become stronger because of them. All of her female characters have spunk and some are quite feisty which makes it even more fun.
If I were a teacher, I would not hesitate to recommend this and other books by this author to my students, especially the girls.
I picked up this book because I like the other books that I've read by Karen Cushman. This is the first Cushman book that I've read that does not take place during medieval times. One of the reasons I like Ms. Cushman's works is because she always does her research. She is a history buff, so you know whenever you pick up a book written by her, it will be historically accurate. She always includes some historical facts at the end of her books which I enjoy and learn from.
Another reason that I like this author is because she always writes about strong female characters. They may start out a bit whiny in the beginning, but they always learn from their adversities and become stronger because of them. All of her female characters have spunk and some are quite feisty which makes it even more fun.
If I were a teacher, I would not hesitate to recommend this and other books by this author to my students, especially the girls.
June 17, 2009
I thought I had read this book when I was younger, but the story did not sound familiar to me at all. All I remembered was the title and one scence with an indian girl. I figured I had the wrong book, but when I read it; there is was! I remember picking this book up because some girl in my class thought it was awful and crass and so descriptive and dirty. She went on and on about this scene with this indian girl who had menstal blood running down her leg. This was in like 4th or 5th grade, and I don't think I liked the girl so of course I had to read it to see what the big deal was. Turns out there was a reason for not liking this girl... That horrid scene (the only scene I remembered and remembered accurately, thank you) is really an indian girl walking through the woods and Lucy's friend tells her the reason she won't look up or be friendly is because she has come to her woman time and needs to be alone for a few days. Wow, some people...
Anyway, that aside, I did really enjoy this book. I have always liked the coming of age stories, and I like reading about people who begin to understand life, and learn what it is all about. I liked this book, and will probably own it at some point.
Anyway, that aside, I did really enjoy this book. I have always liked the coming of age stories, and I like reading about people who begin to understand life, and learn what it is all about. I liked this book, and will probably own it at some point.
February 1, 2008
Karen Cushman is a great author. I liked her book, "The Midwife's Apprentice" better. This book is great though - I laughed out loud several times at Lucy's anecdotes. Ending was a little predictable but I still like it.
Here's the review from Amazon:
Amazon.com
When California Morning Whipple's widowed mother uproots her family from their comfortable Massachusetts environs and moves them to a rough mining camp called Lucky Diggins in the Sierras, California Morning resents the upheaval. Desperately wanting to control something in her own life, she decides to be called Lucy, and as Lucy she grows and changes in her strange and challenging new environment. Here Karen Cushman helps the American Gold Rush spring to colorful life, just as she did for medieval England in her previous two books, Catherine Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice, which won Newbery Honor status and a Newbery Medal respectively. For ages 8-12.
Here's the review from Amazon:
Amazon.com
When California Morning Whipple's widowed mother uproots her family from their comfortable Massachusetts environs and moves them to a rough mining camp called Lucky Diggins in the Sierras, California Morning resents the upheaval. Desperately wanting to control something in her own life, she decides to be called Lucy, and as Lucy she grows and changes in her strange and challenging new environment. Here Karen Cushman helps the American Gold Rush spring to colorful life, just as she did for medieval England in her previous two books, Catherine Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice, which won Newbery Honor status and a Newbery Medal respectively. For ages 8-12.
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October 23, 2013Historical Fiction. This book was very well written and a perfect example of a well done historical fiction novel. The story follows the tale of a girl named California Whipple who changes her name to Lucy once her mother and siblings move to California during the 1800s because she realizes she hates California. This book was a story about finding home in the ones you love, Lucy has the chance to move away from this place she once hated but decides not to because she met a man who becomes her home. The main literary element in this book that was quite impressive is the sensory words used to describe the scenery and actions in the book, it really brings the book to life and creates an entertaining story instead of just a dull retelling of historical events. If I was a teacher I would use this book in a class room of sixth graders, because children between the ages of 11-15 would be able to grasp the plot line and have an understanding about religion enough that parents wouldn't think I were trying to convert their children.
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