Call number
JF AVI
Collection
Publication
Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books (2011), Edition: First Edition, 368 pages
Description
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. Includes historical notes.
Media reviews
'Heroic deeds, narrow escapes, dastardly villains, amazing coincidences and a family rich in love and hope are all part of an intricate and endlessly entertaining adventure. Terrific!'
User reviews
LibraryThing member breakingdownslowly
I don't really do middle grade. It just doesn't work for me most of the time. But this is historical fiction in New York City and I was intrigued.
I actually really enjoyed it. It was this fun little mystery and while bad things are happening all around, it never felt heavy. The realities and the
I loved the characters. There were good guys and bad guys and people that were bad because they had to be. Maks' family was fantastic. His parents were kind but not overly soft. I really loved both of his sisters. They were interesting. Maks himself was brave and fun and courageous but also a good kid. I wasn't a huge fan of his brothers, mostly because they didn't seem to have a huge part in the story. Willa was another wonderful character. She was street smart and strong and just...I wanted to hug her.
I really liked the writing. It was more like somebody was physically telling me this story than I was reading it. It's a style that I've never seen before but it kept me engaged, almost as if I was an active participant in the story. And the pictures were really helpful too. The perspective jumps could be a little confusing, but never impossible.
The mystery of it was fun. It took some time to slowly put the pieces together and eventually it all just made sense, even though the characters couldn't tell yet.
Overall it was just a really good, fun read. The writing was fantastic, the characters were wonderful and the story itself was intriguing. I definitely recommend this one.
I actually really enjoyed it. It was this fun little mystery and while bad things are happening all around, it never felt heavy. The realities and the
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horrors of the time hovered on the pages, but it wasn't distracting and it wasn't the focus. It was all about Maks and Willa and their family. While they weren't going through the best times, having it mostly be about kids kept it from ever feeling truly depressing.I loved the characters. There were good guys and bad guys and people that were bad because they had to be. Maks' family was fantastic. His parents were kind but not overly soft. I really loved both of his sisters. They were interesting. Maks himself was brave and fun and courageous but also a good kid. I wasn't a huge fan of his brothers, mostly because they didn't seem to have a huge part in the story. Willa was another wonderful character. She was street smart and strong and just...I wanted to hug her.
I really liked the writing. It was more like somebody was physically telling me this story than I was reading it. It's a style that I've never seen before but it kept me engaged, almost as if I was an active participant in the story. And the pictures were really helpful too. The perspective jumps could be a little confusing, but never impossible.
The mystery of it was fun. It took some time to slowly put the pieces together and eventually it all just made sense, even though the characters couldn't tell yet.
Overall it was just a really good, fun read. The writing was fantastic, the characters were wonderful and the story itself was intriguing. I definitely recommend this one.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Life for 13-year-old Maks Geless is hard enough, treasuring every penny he makes selling newspapers to help his Danish immigrant family get by. But when his older sister is accused of and arrested for stealing a gold watch, it threatens to tear his whole family apart. With the help of a plucky
Newsies! Gangs! Robberies! Mystery! Murders! This is a historical novel rife with intrigue and adventure. The setting is, of course, well-researched and thorough. Avi draws the reader into 1893 New York City with all its sights, sounds, and smells. The novel features immigrants from many different countries and makes for interesting reading when you think about the similar and different issues that today's immigrants face.
This one is a nice romp and I'd try it on fans of books like UPRISING by Margaret Peterson Haddix or detective stories.
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orphan friend, Maks has to get to the bottom of things... and fast!Newsies! Gangs! Robberies! Mystery! Murders! This is a historical novel rife with intrigue and adventure. The setting is, of course, well-researched and thorough. Avi draws the reader into 1893 New York City with all its sights, sounds, and smells. The novel features immigrants from many different countries and makes for interesting reading when you think about the similar and different issues that today's immigrants face.
This one is a nice romp and I'd try it on fans of books like UPRISING by Margaret Peterson Haddix or detective stories.
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LibraryThing member AMQS
Set in teeming 1893 New York, this historical fiction novel features suspense, heartbreak, and terrific you're-there historical detail. 13 year-old Maks Geless lives with his family of Danish immigrants in a cramped New York tenement. The family barely scrapes by on the few pennies collectively
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earned by all of age to work, and is trying to save money for young Agnes to visit the doctor before she becomes too sick with tuberculosis. Maks sells newspapers on the street, and "newsies" like him are roughed up and robbed by the Plug Ugly street gang. While running from their gang leader, he meets and is saved by Willa, a young, homeless orphan. Maks brings Willa home, where she is welcomed by his family, though soon after, older sister Emma is arrested for stealing a watch from a guest of the Waldorf Astoria. Maks and Willa must find a way to save Emma from imprisonment in a city crippled by corruption, while protecting themselves from the increasingly violent Plug Ugly Gang. Show Less
LibraryThing member VikkiLaw
I originally thought my daughter would like this book since she likes mysteries and we live in the Lower East Side (albeit in the 21st rather than the 19th century.) She read the first page and decided that she would pass. (For those who know my daughter, you'll know that this is a rarity)
I got a
I got a
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kick out of the descriptions of the Tombs (did they really have food hawkers inside the Tombs?), but the writing seemed choppy and hard to follow. The coincidences also seemed too contrived for my taste (although keep in mind that I'm about 20 years older than the book's intended audience). Show Less
LibraryThing member Mad.River.Librarian
Just as the Lorax speaks for the trees, we have Avi to speak for the children. The lives of the children of immigrants in New York City at the end of the 19th century were filled with dangers, suffering, and hardships utterly foreign to children living today. And yet children's lives were also
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filled with adventure, love, and a sense of pride and work ethic. Avi brings these facets to life through his characters Maks and Willa. City of Orphans packs a punch - sometimes literally - and will have young readers at the edge of their seats by its conclusion. Avi is indeed a master storyteller. The pacing is impeccable. The details are meticulous and unobtrusive. The voice of Maks is lively and authentic. And the connections he weaves together by the story's end are more than coincidental - they are miraculous and magical. I only wish I had a classroom of students - especially those immersed in studying Ellis Island and immigration - to read it aloud to and bring it to life. It's that good. Show Less
LibraryThing member lkmuir
In 1893 New York, thirteen-year-old Maks, a newsboy, teams up with Willa, a homeless girl, to clear his older sister, Emma, from charges that she stole from the brand new Waldorf Hotel, where she works. Includes historical notes.
LibraryThing member jothebookgirl
The setting is 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. The families you get to know are living in poverty where every penny is cherished.
LibraryThing member reader1009
children's/teen/middlegrade fiction; historical (1890s NYC). It wasn't bad, I just didn't think I could read a whole book written in Maks' "newsies" vernacular: "Don't forget: I'm telling this story. And don't count on gettin no break from me for a long time. At least not til I meet Willa. She's a
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girl." (*ok, I'm exaggerating here, but that's about how much I got annoyed after the first 13 pages or so--I couldn't even make it to 50 pages.) Show Less
Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2014)
Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2014)
Cardinal Cup (Honor — Young Readers — 2012)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Teen — 2014)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Colorado Book Award (Winner — Juvenile Literature — 2012)
Land Of Enchantment Book Award (Winner — Young Adult — 2014)
South Carolina Book Awards (Nominee — Children's Book Award — 2014)
Teacher Favorites Award (2012)
Pages
368
ISBN
1416971025 / 9781416971023