City of Orphans

I loved how creative it was, told the story of a young boy in hard times. Avi is very good at seeing a POV of living in 1893. Sequel is needed!

The genius of Avi never ceases to amaze. The reader tastes and smells and sees and experiences the realness of this time period at the beginnings of New York. The story—the main characters—is riveting. I just can’t figure out why it hasn’t been made into a movie. Yet…

City of Orphans, by the great author Avi, is mostly an insightful historical fiction, with just enough mystery added to keep reluctant readers engaged. Maks is a newsie in gritty, polluted and dangerous lower east side New York City during the mass immigration period of the late 1800's. Avi powerfully tells the story of the disease filled tenements, home to immigrants who work twelve hours a day in factories and don't earn enough money to feed their families. As a newsie, Maks is on the city streets hours a day peddling newspapers to earn 5 cents on a good day. He is a walking target for violent gangs after his money. His older sister, Emma, is lucky. She is a maid in the luxurious new Waldorf Hotel. She is lucky until she is accused of stealing from a guest at the hotel and is thrown into the NYC jail called The Tombs because most people who go in are never seen again. Without the money to hire a lawyer, and only four days until Emma's trial, it falls to Maks to solve the mystery of the theft and save his sister. With the help of his new best friend, a tough orphan living on the streets named Willa, and a sickly former Pinkerton detective, Maks learns how to navigate the world of gang criminals and gets a peek into the world of the super rich. How the two worlds collide is the solution to the mystery. Middle grade readers will love it.

What a graphic portrayal of New York City in the early 1900s. Excellent descriptions of the poverty, job shortages, and lack of food. Loved the newsboy story and the way the child took the lead in helping his immigrant family survive and learn. Good read and historically accurate. Not the same thriller as “The Good Dogs”. Avi is a great writer for all ages.

I was looking for books to interest my 10 year old grandson. He is a Christian and he and his father became enthralled wiithh Avi's "Crispin." Thet are now reading the secod book of this series. I think he will be drawn into this boy's detective story. At least I did. I couldnt stop reading it until this heroic newspaper boy proves his sister innocent.

My son needed a historical fiction book for a book report. He is not a big reader but this book kept him very interested the whole time. Really enjoyed the story too.

Lower Eastside living in NYC at the beginning of the 20th century was turbulent, violent, poor, and miserable...for kids and grown-ups. Avi captures that reality in this wonderfully vibrant book. I'm eternally grateful I was not an orphan in NYC.

Great book. Having lived in this neighborhood, I knew the setting cold. Avi does a great job bringing us back to the Lower East Side of 100 plus years ago. And the characters! Maks and his parents and Willa---all of them are vivid and likable. Great story for young readers, and teachers would be smart to use it in their classrooms.

Great. Prompt delivery

Exactly what I was looking for.