As Vivian and Molly start tackling the boxes, we get glimpses into Niahm's childhood--her departure from Ireland, the misfortunes of her family in New York, and her placement on an orphan train bound for Minnesota. Once there, her hopes for a decent family to take her in are shattered again and again as Niahm (known as Dorothy during this time of her life) tries unsuccessfully to find a home.
Molly, too, is looking for acceptance at her foster home, and she finds she has much in common with Vivian in her early years. When things finally blow up for Molly, Vivian is there to offer her solace and, in return, Molly helps Vivian to fill in missing pieces of her life. A great read for teens and adults. Strictly from a teaching standpoint, this would be a great book to use for an integrated unit in ELA/Social Studies integrating American Indian Studies (Act 31) and Environmental Literacy and Sustainability (sense of place). Molly's character is half American Indian, so American Indian symbolism is investigated in the novel. Also, the characters of Molly and Niahm/Vivian both experience shifting settings as they are constantly moved, which would lend itself to an investigation of a sense of place. Molly also has a school "Portage Project" which would make a wonderful actual integrated project for this novel in ELA and Social Studies. My teacher heart is so excited with this concept!
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