Orphan Eleven

 Choldenko, Gennifer.  Orphan Eleven.  2020.  Wendy Lamb Books, a division of Penguin Random House Children's Books.  New York, New York.

Lucy was left at the Orphanage, known as The Home, since her mother died and her step father left her there.  Before  she came to The Home, Lucy talked constantly, would sing, and talked about had much to say about everything.  But something has happened to her during her time at the home and she now refuses to speak.  Desperate to escape the mysterious cause of her ailment, Lucy grabs and unexpected opportunity to run away.  Three children run with her, determined to gain some sort of freedom.  

Finding unexpected help along the way, the children are steered to the Circus.  If they can get a ticket to join the circus before they leave their winter quarters, they will have a job, food, and a place to sleep.  While the other children quickly find places to work, the one place that Lucy belongs requires her to find her voice if she wants to stay.  

While Lucy struggles with her voice, her mysterious past is pursuing her.  Will Lucy be able to find her voice in time to save her future?

Based upon the true story of children who were unwitting subjects of the Fluency Study of the University of Iowa, this tale takes unexpected twists and turns while exploring the ugly implications of human science experiments upon unsuspecting subjects in the United States.  Choldenko based this story upon the book Against Their Will: The Secret History of Medical Experimentation on Children in Cold War America.   I still find it difficult to fathom the depth to which US Scientists stooped in pursuit of their theories in Cold War America.  But, that is a subject for a different day. Choldenko handles the story with warmth and compassion, allowing the reader to see and feel the terror of these children who were already living in difficult situation.

 

 

Author's Website: https://www.choldenko.com/