#the ballad of lucy whipple

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Summaries under the cut

Opal Plumstead by Jacqueline Wilson

Opal Plumstead might be plain, but she has always been fiercely intelligent. Yet her scholarship and dreams of university are snatched away when her father is sent to prison, and fourteen-year-old Opal must start work at the Fairy Glen sweet factory to support her family. She struggles to get along with her other workers, who think she’s snobby and stuck up. But Opal idolises Mrs Roberts, the factory’s beautiful, dignified owner. The best thing about Mrs Roberts? She’s a suffragette! Opal’s world is opened to Mrs Pankhurst, and the fight to give women the right to vote. And when Opal meets Morgan, Mrs Roberts’ handsome son, and heir to Fairy Glen- she believes she’s found her soulmate. But the First World War is about to begin, and will change Opal's life for ever.

The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge

On an island of sandy beaches, dense jungles, and slumbering volcanoes, colonists seek to apply archaic laws to a new land, bounty hunters stalk the living for the ashes of their funerary pyres, and a smiling tribe is despised by all as traitorous murderers. It is here, in the midst of ancient tensions and new calamity, that two sisters are caught in a deadly web of deceits.

Arilou is proclaimed a beautiful prophetess one of the island's precious oracles: a Lost. Hathin, her junior, is her nearly invisible attendant. But neither Arilou nor Hathin is exactly what she seems, and they live a lie that is carefully constructed and jealously guarded.

When the sisters are unknowingly drawn into a sinister, island-wide conspiracy, quiet, unobtrusive Hathin must journey beyond all she has ever known of her world and of herself in a desperate attempt to save them both. As the stakes mount and falsehoods unravel, she discovers that the only thing more dangerous than the secret she hides is the truth she must uncover.

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman

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...

Mister Max by Cynthia Voigt

Max Starling's theatrical father likes to say that at twelve a boy is independent. He also likes to boast (about his acting skills, his wife's acting skills, a fortune only his family knows is metaphorical), but more than anything he likes to have adventures. Max Starling's equally theatrical mother is not a boaster but she enjoys a good adventure as much as her husband. When these two disappear, what can sort-of-theatrical Max and his not-at-all theatrical grandmother do? They have to wait to find out something, anything, and to worry, and, in Max's case, to figure out how to earn a living at the same time as he maintains his independence.

MacDonald Hall by Gordon Korman

Bruno and Boots are always in trouble. So the Headmaster, aka "The Fish" decides it would be best to separate them. Bruno must now room with ghoulish Elmer Dimsdale, plus his plants, goldfish, and ants. And Boots is stuck with nerdy, preppy, paranoid George Wexford-Smyth III.

Of course, this means war. Because Bruno and Boots are determined to get their old room back, no matter what it takes.

And the skunk is only the beginning....

The Candy Shop War by Brandon Mull

What if there were a place where you could get magical candy? Moon rocks that made you feel weightless. Jawbreakers that made you unbreakable. Or candy that gave animals temporary human intelligence and communication skills. (Imagine what your pet would say!) Four young friends, Nate, Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon, are befriended by Belinda White, the owner of a new candy shop on Main Street. However, the gray-haired, grandmotherly Mrs. White is not an ordinary candy maker. Her confections have magical side effects. Purposefully, she invites the kids on a special mission to retrieve a hidden talisman under Mt. Diablo Elementary School. However, Mrs. White is not the only magician in town in search of the ancient artifact rumored to be a fountain of youth. She is aware that Mr. Stott, the not-so-ordinary ice cream truck driver, has a few tricks of his own.

Beacon Street Girls by Annie Bryant

Charlotte Ramsey is the new girl again. After causing the biggest cafeteria blunder in history, Charlotte's assigned lunch partners-the very stylish Katani, irrepressible Avery, and super-friendly Maeve-can't wait to dump her. Can it get any worse? Absolutely! Nobody is talking, and Katani wants out of the group. What a mess! Can the girls become true friends or will they remain worst enemies forever?

Rose by Holly Webb

The grand residence of the famous alchemist, Mr Fountain, is a world away from the dark orphanage Rose has left behind. For the house is positively overflowing with sparkling magic—she can feel it. And it’s not long before Rose realises that maybe, just maybe, she has a little bit of magic in her, too. . . .

A Traveler in Time by Alison Uttley

This unusual novel is set in rural Derbyshire in the old manor house, Thackers, where the Babington family and their servant, Cicely Taberner, lived when Elizabeth I was Queen of England. The descendants of the Taberners have farmed the land through the centuries, and to the Taberners of the present day comes Penelope, their great-niece, a sensitive, imaginative girl, who is aware of other layers of time. With her awakened vision she sees people of the past move in their daily tasks among those of the present, and behind the contented life of the household of Cicely and Barnabas Taberner she finds the old tragedy of Anthony Babington and his plot to save Mary, Queen of Scots, being re-enacted. The farm kitchen where Penelope sits with her great-aunt and great-uncle is the home of those others who once lived there. Their desires and fears, their courage and strength enter the girl's mind; their voices float up from the garden and she is caught up into their life. Time is annihilated, and she lives in the closing years of the sixteenth century remembering little of her modern life, until she returns from her traveling in time bearing the anxieties and dreams of the other world. The life of two widely separated times in history - the Elizabethan and the present - goes on simultaneously, each invisible to the other. And only Penelope can pierce the veil, sharing the tumultuous experiences of the Babington family three hundred years ago.

The Deptford Mice by Robin Jarvis

 In the sewers of Deptford, there lurks a dark presence that fills the tunnels with fear. The rats worship it in the blackness and name it "Jupiter, Lord of All." Into this twilight realm wanders a small and frightened mouse-the unwitting trigger of a chain of events that hurtles the Deptford mice into a world of heroic adventure and terror.

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JOMP BPC || August 17 || Oldest Book: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman

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Today's disabled character of the day is Gent from The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, who has rheumatics

Requested by Anon

[Image Description: Cover of the book The Ballad of Lucy Whipple. It depicts two sunflowers in clay pots on the left and right of the frame. In the center is a strawberry, eagle, and red butterfly. The upper half of the book is blue and the lower half is orange. The orange half has the title in purple.]

[orpheaan]

Historical Fiction List

1. Milkweed (Jerry Spinelli)

2. The Ballad Of Lucy Whipple (Karen Cushman)

3. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (Jacqueline Kelly)

4. Caddie Woodlawn (Carol Ryrie Brink)

5. Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)

6. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

7. The Wolf’s Boy (Susan Williams Beckhorn)

8. The War That Saved My Life (Kimberly Brubaker Bradley)

9. Riding Freedom (Pam Muñoz Ryan)

10. The Inquisitor’s Tale (Adam Gidwitz)

11. Maiden Voyage (Sarah Jane)

12. Island of the Blue Dolphins (Scott O'Dell)

[xs2298kk-blog]

children's short stories audiobooks : The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman | Kids

Listen to The Ballad of Lucy Whipple new releases children's short stories audiobooks on your iPhone, iPad, or Android. Get any BOOK by Karen Cushman Kids FREE during your Free Trial

Written By: Karen Cushman Narrated By: Christina Moore Publisher: Recorded Books Date: October 2003 Duration: 4 hours 57 minutes

[the-forest-library]

January 2019 Reads

Just Kids - Patti Smith M Train - Patti Smith Wintersong - S. Jae-Jones The Ballad of Lucy Whipple - Karen Cushman The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey Little Victories - Jason Gay The Door in the Wall - Marguerite De Angeli The Year of Less - Cait Flanders The Girl in the Tower - Katherine Arden

Bold = Highly Recommend Crossed out = Nope

Thoughts: My name is pretty uncommon, and The Snow Child is the first book I’ve read where a main character shares my name. It was so weird! I felt like I was reading about myself in some way.

2017 Reads | 2018 Reads | 2019 Reads

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The Ballad of Lucy Whipple *** (2001, Glenn Close, Jena Malone, Bruce McGill) - Classic Movie Review 10,290

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple *** (2001, Glenn Close, Jena Malone, Bruce McGill) – Classic Movie Review 10,290

Director Jeremy Paul Kagan’s 2001 TV movie The Ballad of Lucy Whipple is a superior, pacy, gripping adventure about a mom, Arvella Whipple (Glenn Close), and her three children heading West after the death of the father, and joining the 1850s California gold rush.

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple is lustily done, with strong acting from a fine cast, plus a handsome-looking quality production.

It also…

[wilderwestqueen]

Books I suggest in general: The Secret Garden, The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, The Midwife's Apprentice, A Little Princess, Palace Beautiful and Maniac Magee. Hope you like them!

Nice, thank you for your recommendations! 

[beatrizestrada-blog1]

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

By: Karen Cushman

Bibliography:

Cushman, Karen. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple. New York City, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1996.ISBN: 978-0395728062

Plot Summary:

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple depicts the story of a twelve year-old girl named California Morning Whipple who moves to California in the Summer of 1849.  After losing her father and brother to pneumonia, she is dragged West to Lucky Digging, California in search of a better life by her stubborn mother, which Grampops referred to her as ‘mule stubborn’.  When she gets there, she finds the place to be very disappointing. California decides to change her name as she states in her letter to her loving grandparents ‘I call myself Lucy now. I cannot hate California and be California.  I know you will understand.’   Lucy California decided to sell pies to miners in order to earn money to go back to Massachusetts as she though California was an ‘awful’ place. Will Lucy California be miserable until she returns to Massachusetts or will she do everything possible to change her way of thinking?  Readers will learn of the unexpected way in which Lucy stops being miserable.

Critical Analysis:

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple is a funny and heartwarming Historical Fiction story. The author, Karen Cushman, describes the life of the California mining settlement together with the story of how Lucy manages to find her way home to Massachusetts.  It provides information about the women and how they helped in the mining settlement in California.  Cushman describes Lucy, the main character, as a strong and determined young girl that was going to do everything possible to find her way back home.

Karen Cushman did an exceptional job providing an “Author’s Note’ to provide additional information about the facts that happened during the Gold Rush.  She also provides references for readers to find information about the history of the Gold Rush.  Readers will fall in love with this book as it provides important information about the California Gold Rush intertwined with a funny story.

 Review Excerpts:  

Connections:

"Cushman’s heroine is a delightful character, and the historical setting is authentically portrayed. Lucy’s story, as the author points out in her end notes, is the story of many pioneer women who exhibited great strength and courage as they helped to settle the West."-School Library Journal, Starred

"The recent Newbery medalist plunks down two more strong-minded women, this time in an 1849 mining camp—a milieu far removed from the Middle Ages of her first novels, but not all that different when it comes to living standards. . . . With a story that is less a period piece than a timeless and richly comic coming-of-age story, Cushman remains on a roll."-Kirkus Reviews with Pointers

Gather other Karen Cushman books to read such as:

v  The Midwife’s Apprentice ISBN  978-0547722177

v  Matilda Bone ISBN 978-0547722429

v  Catherine, called Birdy ISBN   978-0547722184

v  Rodzina ISBN  978-0544540293

 Classroom Connections:

v  This book can be used at the beginning of a Social Studies Lesson (past events).

v  This book can be used as a Writing Activity (alternative ending).

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All of these are by Karen Cushman

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

The Midwife's Apprentice

Rodzina

The Alchemy of Meggy Swann

Matilda Bone

I only have space for three more, so The Alchemy of Meggy Swann and Matilda Bone will have to be left out for now. The rest of these are added!

[musical-otter]

15. 5 most influential books over your lifetime?

1. The Help by Kathryn StockettI read The Help about a year ago and was so upset yet satisfied when I finished it. I was upset because it was written so well, and the story was so amazing that I didn’t want it to be over; In a way, I’m glad it left off where it did. I can’t explain why, though. I think everyone should give this book a try.

2. Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesI just finished this book actually! I own the movie and my grandmother got me the book sometime back. The movie is a piece of art all on its own, but the book is incredible! The whole book is a bunch of adventures all in one. I’m thinking of getting the next two books in the series soon.

3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. RowlingThis was the book that got me into reading. When I was younger, I hated reading; it would take all my energy to take myself to the library on library day at school. The books I was supposed to read I’d skim over and throw back into my backpack without another look. The Sorcerer’s Stone was literally a transportation device to another world I would never have dreamed possible to visit.

4. When the Wind Blows by James PattersonThis book (and its sequel The Lake House) were kind of like prequels to the Maximum Ride series. It was near the end of the school year a few years ago when I picked it up. I had read part of the Maximum ride series and, after reading the summery, it seemed really interesting. It was really hard for me to put down.

5. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen CushmanI had to read this book for a book report in elementary. The only reason I picked it was that my friend was also going to read it. I was really ticked because at that time I still really hated books. I actually enjoyed it though. I should read it again sometime.

[cannondisabledcharacters]

Accepted Characters 4/26/2024

Shannon from Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling

Fethry Duck from the Donald Duck

unnamed doll from Miniland

Gent from The Ballad of Lucy Whipple

Carrie Waylan from Black Box

Adam from How To Speak Dolphin

Ogden from N.O.A.H Files

Lily from ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

Princess Gulltopp (Sonja) from Reisen til Julestjernen

Joshua Spin from Leverage

Ida Manson from Danny Phantom

Cyan from Leif & Thorn

Ned McNulty from Monster Pulse

Ozzy Dieter from Monster Pulse

Sigma Klim from the Zero Escape series

Abel Flores from Monster Pulse

Claire from Monster Pulse

2091 Requests Remain

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Books and Cupcakes Photo Challenge » June 2015    ↳ 3. Summer

[guyalice]

Recently Watched: The Ballad of Lucy Whipple