Fourteen-year-old
Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a
village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of
her life, both spiritual and practical.
In
medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a
sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship,
eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a
contented heart, and a place in this world.
The
daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she
records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures
beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married
off.
In
1573, the crippled, scorned, and destitute Meggy Swann goes to London,
where she meets her father, an impoverished alchemist, and eventually
discovers that although her legs are bent and weak, she has many other
strengths.
In
1849, twelve-year-old California Morning Whipple, who renames herself
Lucy, is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts
to a rough California mining town.
A twelve-year-old Polish American girl is boarded onto an orphan train
in Chicago with fears about traveling to the West and a life of unpaid
slavery.
In 1599 England, twelve-year-old lying, thieving Will Sparrow runs away,
meets many colorful characters on the road, and then reluctantly joins a
traveling "oddities" exhibit, where he learns to see beyond
appearances.
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