City of Orphans

By Avi
(YA F Avi)
350 pages 2011 Historical Fiction

Thirteen-year-old Maks and his immigrant family live in bustling, crowded New York City in 1893. The family is hoping for a better life in America, but times are hard. Maks’ job hawking newspapers is threatened by a gang called the Plug Uglies who harass him at every turn. His sister, Emma, who works at the fancy Waldorf Hotel, has been arrested for stealing; his father is about to lose his job, and his other sister has been stricken with “wasting disease.” The only bright spot is Willa, a street orphan who rescues Maks from the Plug Uglies. Together Maks and Willa will try to prove Emma’s innocence, solve the problem of the gangs, and keep the family together. An exciting adventure. (Grades 6 & up)

Reviewed by Teen Librarian Kay G.

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