newbery honor author 

new york times bestseller

Gennifer Choldenko
Gennifer Choldenko
Orphan Eleven

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Orphan Eleven

by Gen­nifer Chold­enko
ages 8 and up
Wendy Lamb / Ran­dom House, 2020
ISBN 978–0‑3759–9064‑9

Synopsis

An engag­ing adven­ture from a New­bery Hon­or-win­ning sto­ry­teller for read­ers who love the cir­cus, and any­one who has dreamed of find­ing the per­fect home.

Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friend­less Chil­dren. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing. No one knows why she doesn’t speak any­more; silence is her protection.

The orphans find work and new friends at a trav­el­ing cir­cus. Lucy loves car­ing for the ele­phants, but she must be able to speak to them, and to warn oth­ers of dan­ger. If Lucy doesn’t find her voice, she’ll be left behind when the cir­cus goes on the rails. Mean­while, peo­ple are search­ing for Lucy, and her puz­zling past is about to catch up with her.

This live­ly, heart­warm­ing nov­el by the award-win­ning author of the Tales from Alca­traz series is full of mar­vels and surprises.

Awards and Recognition

  • Lis­ten­ing Library Selection

Resources

Reviews

“The ten­sion and excite­ment of run­ning away and the fun and fas­ci­nat­ing dai­ly life of the cir­cus will keep young read­ers turn­ing the pages, but it’s Lucy’s real-life back­sto­ry that makes Orphan Eleven a true and com­pelling tri­umph.” (Book­page)

“This uplift­ing tale of hope, sur­vival and belong­ing has all the ingre­di­ents to become a beloved mid­dle grade book.” (Pub­lish­ers Weekly)

“This sto­ry of friend­ship, inner strength and fam­i­ly comes in an adven­tur­ous pack­age that will appeal to read­ers of real­is­tic fic­tion.” (Book­list)

“Heart­warm­ing” (Bul­letin for the Cen­ter for Children’s Books)

“The plot races with fas­ci­nat­ing glimpses of life in the Thir­ties, and insight into the children’s dif­fi­cult jour­ney as they search for hope and sta­bil­i­ty … strong his­tor­i­cal under­pin­nings and char­ac­ters who jump off the page.” (School Library Jour­nal)

“Care­ful­ly researched and authen­ti­cal­ly ren­dered … a fast paced and sur­pris­ing orphan sto­ry.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“A riv­et­ing, uplift­ing page-turn­er.” (Com­mon Sense Media)

“Sen­si­tive and sus­pense­ful” (San Fran­cis­co Chron­i­cle)

“Pure genius, filled with heart, hope, despair and some of the most lov­able char­ac­ters you’ll ever meet. The end­ing leaves you so sat­is­fied, you want to pick it up and start read­ing, again.” (Nor­ma, online reviewer)

”A three-ring cir­cus of a sto­ry packed with his­to­ry, heart­break, and hope. Chold­enko at her best!” (Kir­by Lar­son, author of the New­bery Hon­or book, Hat­tie Big Sky, and the Dogs of World War II series)

“Cap­ti­vat­ing, metic­u­lous­ly researched, and beau­ti­ful­ly told. A spec­tac­u­lar book.” (Eliz­a­beth Par­tridge, Nation­al Book Award finalist)

“A page-turn­er and an escape to the fas­ci­nat­ing and delight­ful world of the cir­cus. I’m now (almost) wish­ing for a baby ele­phant of my own.” (Rebec­ca Stead, New­bery Medal-win­ning author of When You Reach Me and The List Of Things That Will Not Change)

“Orphan Eleven is an amaz­ing book with an even bet­ter sto­ry. I could read it hun­dreds of times and nev­er got bored by it.” (Abby, Sixth Grad­er at Lake Coun­ty Ele­men­tary, First Book Report)