Homeless Bird - Softcover

Gloria Whelan

4.02

13,975 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0439329248 ISBN 13: 9780439329248

Publisher: Scholastic, 2000

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Leaving Home...forever. Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old Koly is getting married. When she discovers that the husband her parents have chosen for her is sickly boy with wicked parents, Koly wishes she could flee. According to tradition, though, she has no choice. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed.

In the wake of her marriage, however, Koly's life takes an unexpected turn, and she finds herself alone in a strange city of white-sari-clad windows. Her only choice seems to be to shed her name and her future and join the hopeless hordes who chant for food.

Even then, cast out in a current of time-worn tradition, this rare young woman sets out to forge her own exceptional future. And a life, like a beautiful tapestry, comes together for Koly-- one stitch at a time.

Books for the Teen Age 2001 (NYPL) and 2000 National Book Award Winner

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:

"What if I don't like him?"
"Of course you will like him."
"But what if I don't?"
Maa impatiently slapped at a fly. "Then you must learn to like him."

But Koly never gets a chance to find out if she does care for her intended groom. Married and promptly widowed at 13, Koly finds herself in the grim position of being cast out by a society that has no place for girls like her. With a seemingly hopeless future in India, this courageous and spirited young woman sets out to forge her own destiny. Through perseverance, resourcefulness, and sheer luck, she manages not only to find a niche for herself, but even to find happiness again.

Gloria Whelan's tale of a remarkable girl in an extraordinary situation will linger with the reader long after the last page is read. The shaping of Koly's life, as anyone's, is in her own hands, as well as the hands of the society in which she lives. Her ability to express herself--and ultimately support herself--with her exceptional skill in embroidery is a symbol of the creative ingenuity that will serve her well throughout her tribulations. (Ages 8 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From the Inside Flap:

Read by Sarita Choudhury
Approx. 3.5 hours
2 cassettes

Like many girls her age in India, thirteen-year-old-Koly is getting married.
Full of hope and courage, she leaves home—forever. But in a grim turn of
events Koly finds herself cast out into a current of cruel tradition. Her
future, it would seem, is lost. Yet this rare young woman, bewildered and
brave, sets out to forge her own exceptional future.

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.