Rory's Promise

Gr 5 Up—Twelve-year-old Rory Fitzpatrick, a feisty red-haired orphan, helps care for the youngest children at the Foundling Hospital in New York where she lives with her younger sister, Violet. When Rory finds out that about 50 of the youngest orphans, including Violet, will be sent by train to "good Catholic homes" in the West, she secretly vows to accompany them, making a promise to Violet that they will always stay together. Despite the firm and loving guidance of head nun Sister Anna, Rory stows away on the train leaving behind the safety and comforts of the orphanage, (running water, hot meals). When she's finally discovered, the overwhelmed nuns let her stay on and assist with the journey. Fairly predictable up to this point, the story takes a dramatic and unexpected turn when the train arrives in the isolated mining town of Clifton, in the territory of Arizona. The only adoption location not to be pre-vetted in person because of distance, Clifton is inhospitable from the start. Smoke and fumes from the mining operations fill the sky and a menacing mob of women meets the train. Issues of racial violence and environmental illness have deeply divided the town. Most of the women are unable to bear children so when the predominantly white orphans arrive intended for Catholic (Mexican) families, the Caucasian families demand justice on moral grounds—and kidnap the children. Rory is caught in a desperate situation as she struggles to keep herself and Violet safe. Readers will enjoy the fast-paced action and likable main character. Based on a true story and an actual event that took place in 1904, this is a historical novel with a unique topic and plenty of substance, making it especially suitable for class or group discussions.—Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library