Wow this is a powerful book but it was hard to read sometimes because of how much it made my heart hurt Set in Philadelphia during the 1918 Spanish flu, the ravages of a 100 year old virus so closely and painfully mimicking our situation today.
13 year old Pia Lange is quickly left alone at the mercy of a city and country who care little for the poor immigrants and we have to endure every injustice she is subjected to as helplessly as she does. Meanwhile evil bigot "nurse Wallis" goes around the city taking children under the guise of charity and sending them to orphanages or away on orphan trains in a small effort to rid the city of immigrants. But Pia is a strong girl and there is kindness to be found in the midst of so much tragedy.
This book isn't a light-hearted fun or easy read but please don't let that stop you. Its a story that deserves be read. While Wiseman explains in the author's notes that she isn't aware of any specific nurses acting like nurse Wallis, it isn't hard to imagine that even if it was well meaning, or inevitable many children were in fact separated from their loving families and I just hope that 100 years later we are doing better at protecting vulnerable families and children but I'm not sure we are. It's important to remember history so that we don't repeat our mistakes and I'm thankful for authors like Wiseman who aren't afraid to tell the hard stories.
13 year old Pia Lange is quickly left alone at the mercy of a city and country who care little for the poor immigrants and we have to endure every injustice she is subjected to as helplessly as she does. Meanwhile evil bigot "nurse Wallis" goes around the city taking children under the guise of charity and sending them to orphanages or away on orphan trains in a small effort to rid the city of immigrants. But Pia is a strong girl and there is kindness to be found in the midst of so much tragedy.
This book isn't a light-hearted fun or easy read but please don't let that stop you. Its a story that deserves be read. While Wiseman explains in the author's notes that she isn't aware of any specific nurses acting like nurse Wallis, it isn't hard to imagine that even if it was well meaning, or inevitable many children were in fact separated from their loving families and I just hope that 100 years later we are doing better at protecting vulnerable families and children but I'm not sure we are. It's important to remember history so that we don't repeat our mistakes and I'm thankful for authors like Wiseman who aren't afraid to tell the hard stories.