The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman

"Mama and Pa had long dreamed of going west, even to naming their family for western places: me, the first California Morning Whipple; then Butte, Prairie, Sierra, Golden Promise, the lost baby Ocean and Rocky Flat the dog." Before they set off Pa and Golden have died of pneumonia.

The year is 1850. Ma, Arvella Whipple, takes her family across America from Massachusetts to California in search of a new life and the fortunes promised by gold. When they arrive the first thing her oldest daughter insists on is changing her name to Lucy. It would surely be odd to have the name California in California.

"What an unfortunate name. No one in any book I ever read was called California. I never paid much attention to my name back home. It was a place, a passion, a promise. It was a name that caused people to notice me, talk to me, remember and expect things. It was in no way the right name for me."

The strength of this book comes from the honesty of Lucy herself and the vivid sense of place created by Karen Cushman.

Here are a few text quotes from the letters Lucy writes to Gram and Grampop in Massachusetts:

"There is no school and no lending library, no bank, no church, no meeting house, no newspaper, no shopping or parties of picnics, no eggs, no milk and worst of all no Gram and Grampop ... "

"  ... some miners are thieves and drunkards, men of bad habits and worse disposition; others can be counted as the finest folk on God's green earth. I'm sick of them all - dirty boots and dirty sheets, loud voices and big appetites."

"I am a stranger in a land where they even speak a different language full of derns and dings and have you a pick-axe about your clothes? ... I was wishing Pa was here, but he's not and I am. I am bodaciously sorrow-burdened and wretched!"

"If you see my former teacher, Miss Charlotte Homer of Reedsville, kindly inquire if she might send me a book. I am sick to death of Ivanhoe and Mr Scatter's Bible, and there is not another book in these mountains."

"All of a sudden I am grown mighty popular and it is all due to the box of books from Miss Homer. Men I have never spoken to this whole year come up to me, hat in hand, and say,  'Excuse me entirely little sister, but I hear you might have books for borrying."

Lucy has three rules for her books - she gets to read them first, no tobacco stains and don't pass the book on - return it first. She has to abandon this last rule because everyone breaks it but the books do eventually come back and some contain surprises.

You can read Chapter One and Chapter Two here.

Just over a year ago I attended the USBBY Conference at the University of Washington in Seattle. On the first evening at the dinner event the organisers showcased local authors and illustrators from Washington. There were twelve who shared their work in a series of brief presentations and then each author/illustrator sat at a different table.  I was so lucky to sit with Karen Cushman. I have loved her books for such a long time. Sitting nearby was Laurie Ann Thompson and I was delighted to tell her how much my students had appreciated her powerful book Emanuel's Bicycle.

After talking with Karen Cushman I knew I wanted to re-read her books. Luckily Seattle have a number of terrific second hand bookshops so I easily found a copy of The Ballad of Lucy Whipple which was first published in 1996. I read this book in 1997 but so much of the story had lingered with me - such is the power of this writing.  A movie was made for television with Glenn Close in 2001.  The Ballad of Lucy Whipple would make an excellent addition to your school library and will be enjoyed by readers aged 10+.

Here are some other covers:

It is hard to imagine having to live under the conditions described in this exceptional book and yet women and children did indeed have to live in places like Lucky Diggins. This is a marvelous tribute to their courage, their creativity, and their determination to make a go of things no matter what. It is also a tribute to all those brave souls who have dreams and who are not afraid to pursue them. Through the Looking Glass Children's book Reviews