Ballad Of Lucy Whipple, The

by Karen Cushman  |  Grades: 4-6  |  Reading Level 5.8

In 1849 a twelve-year-old girl who calls herself Lucy is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a small California mining town. There Lucy helps run a boarding house and looks for comfort in books while trying to find a way to return "home."

"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 Review

Available Teacher Guides, Novel Units, Lesson Plans, & More For The Ballad of Lucy Whipple: