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Homeless Bird
Like many girls her age in the India of her time period, thirteen-year-old-Koly is getting married. Full of hope and courage, she leaves home forever. But Koly's story takes a terrible turn when in the wake of the ceremony, she discovers she's been horribly misled about exactly what she is marrying into. Her future, it would seem, is lost. Yet this rare young woman, bewildered and brave, sets out to forge her own exceptional future.
192 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2000
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5876 people want to read
About the author
Gloria Whelan
76 books343 followersGloria Whelan is the best-selling author of many novels for young readers, including Homeless Bird, winner of the National Book Award; Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect; Angel on the Square and its companion, The Impossible Journey; Once on This Island, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; Farewell to the Island; and Return to the Island. She lives with her husband, Joseph, in the woods of northern Michigan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,753 reviews
August 1, 2012
please don't arrange my marriage.
and if you must, please don't marry me off to some sickly bitchy thing who will soon die and trap me in my inlaws' house where i will be a burden and where they will treat me like a servant but i won't have anywhere else to go until they in turn ditch me in some creepy city where discarded widows try to make a go of it.
just don't do it.
it is the worst.
this book is pretty good, but my warrior-liberated-woman parts gag when confronted with these types of situations. i am very fortunate to have options and all, but it just makes me angry to see how few opportunities other people have.
i am pretty sure this makes me an obnoxious, racist american, but it makes me want to distribute cassette tapes of joan jett and pat benatar to these little girls and dance with them in the streets in perfectly choreographed defiance...
i assume this is also how to achieve world peace.
May 29, 2017
I know this book is probably for like middle schoolers but I loved it. Koly's parents marry her off without seeing the groom and she ends up married to a sick boy whose parents needed the dowry money for his treatment. It all works out as well as you'd expect but eventually she rebuilds her life. I honestly felt so upset for Koly and the way she was treated through out the book. I loved the writing and the narrative and the details the author added only pulled me in to the story more. I can not believe that if people love their daughters though that they have to pay people to take them like how does that make any sense. I don't think there's anything wrong with raging feminists but I'm usually not one but this whole book made me feel like one because why do women get treated that way honestly. It's just upsetting but the book is excellent.
November 20, 2019
"I stitched the marketplace stalls heaped with turmeric and cinnamon and cumin and mustard. I embroidered vegetable stalls with purple eggplants and green melons."
Gloria Whelan-Homeless Bird
"Immediately I knew that it would be the homeless bird, flying at last to it's home."
Gloria Whelan-Homeless Bird
My review:
This book won the National Book award. I can see why.
Koly’s story will Resonate with anyone of any age so though this may be classified as young adults or children, I would urge anybody of any age to read the book especially people who loves Historical fiction and in particular Indian fiction.
This is one of those books that I’m reluctant to talk about. You can read the description but this book is really all about the writing which is a tapestry of words and reads like one long poem. More then just vivid, the writing brings to life the Indian Culture, customs, birds and scenery in an utterly resplendent way that is rare to see. The prose glows.
Koly's journey is a fascinating one and she is easy to care about. I loved to see how her talent for embroidery was woven into the story.
It is an incredibly moving story and one that I feel Will Uplift the reader. I do love historical fiction but this book in particular made an impression on me. It is short and and it’s pretty easy to read. I think this is a definite five star read and was utterly enamoring.
And I look forward to reading more from the author.
Gloria Whelan-Homeless Bird
"Immediately I knew that it would be the homeless bird, flying at last to it's home."
Gloria Whelan-Homeless Bird
My review:
This book won the National Book award. I can see why.
Koly’s story will Resonate with anyone of any age so though this may be classified as young adults or children, I would urge anybody of any age to read the book especially people who loves Historical fiction and in particular Indian fiction.
This is one of those books that I’m reluctant to talk about. You can read the description but this book is really all about the writing which is a tapestry of words and reads like one long poem. More then just vivid, the writing brings to life the Indian Culture, customs, birds and scenery in an utterly resplendent way that is rare to see. The prose glows.
Koly's journey is a fascinating one and she is easy to care about. I loved to see how her talent for embroidery was woven into the story.
It is an incredibly moving story and one that I feel Will Uplift the reader. I do love historical fiction but this book in particular made an impression on me. It is short and and it’s pretty easy to read. I think this is a definite five star read and was utterly enamoring.
And I look forward to reading more from the author.
March 7, 2015
Gloria Whelan's Homeless Bird is a pleasant enough story. Predictable and pleasant. It is a fast read and Koly is a likable protagonist.
But shortly after beginning the book I stopped to research the author. As I suspected after my first few pages of reading, Whelan herself is neither Indian or of Indian ancestry and has never traveled to India. I believe that it IS possible for writers to write successfully outside of their own experiences, but I am EXTREMELY wary of authors who attempt to write of places, cultures, social classes, and experiences that are not their own, nor even similar. To do so requires incredible amounts of research, intense self-reflection, a willingness to consult and learn from others who are more knowledgeable, and an intentional effort to present a truthful, unbiased reflection of reality -- even in the writing of fiction. In fiction like Homeless Bird, the setting is taken as truth by an audience, in this case most likely American children, who may not have the knowledge or experience to spot cultural misrepresentations.
As a white woman living in the woods of northern Michigan who has never traveled to India, it is possible that Whelan could write a truthful reflection of India culture and customs. But, I have a gut feeling telling me to be concerned. Whelan's own words, from her website, don't bring me any comfort. She says, "Sometimes I write about places that are far away or about earlier times. This gives me a chance to live in other countries and in other times -- at least in my head. The research for these books is like a treasure hunt, I never know what I'm going to find. I’ve made imaginary trips to China, India, and Vietnam." As a reader, I want to know that these imaginary adventures into the "exotic" are supported by hard researched, intensely fact checked effort. I am unconvinced.
I lived and worked in India for a portion of this year and I worked with children Koly's age coming from villages and families like Koly's. India is a big place and a vast array of experiences coexist within India culture and customs. Arranged marriages, dowries, and child brides still exist (as does sati -- ceremonial widow burning -- which Whelan seems to deny as something of the past no longer practiced (pg. 34-35)). Similarly, urban life does include Indians dressed in jeans and t-shirts, air-conditioning, and opportunistic men and women (who exist everywhere in most cultures). To me, reading Koly's story felt like a Western voice telling an Eastern story. It did not feel like an Indian voice, born and raised in Indian culture, telling her own story in her own voice.
And that is big problem because Homeless Bird is a National Book Award winner, which means it is frequently used in classrooms, likely as "diversity enhancement." And to read of Indian culture in an inauthentic voice is dangerous and disrespectful. There is so much wonderful literature written by Indian writers, and I am nervous what half-truths and misperceptions might be taken away from a reading of this book by young people, particularly if their teacher is not him- or herself aware of the potential pitfalls of including a text like this in the curriculum without intense critical reflection and the addition of other primary sources.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it threw up red flags for me about the authentic representation of Indian life and culture.
But shortly after beginning the book I stopped to research the author. As I suspected after my first few pages of reading, Whelan herself is neither Indian or of Indian ancestry and has never traveled to India. I believe that it IS possible for writers to write successfully outside of their own experiences, but I am EXTREMELY wary of authors who attempt to write of places, cultures, social classes, and experiences that are not their own, nor even similar. To do so requires incredible amounts of research, intense self-reflection, a willingness to consult and learn from others who are more knowledgeable, and an intentional effort to present a truthful, unbiased reflection of reality -- even in the writing of fiction. In fiction like Homeless Bird, the setting is taken as truth by an audience, in this case most likely American children, who may not have the knowledge or experience to spot cultural misrepresentations.
As a white woman living in the woods of northern Michigan who has never traveled to India, it is possible that Whelan could write a truthful reflection of India culture and customs. But, I have a gut feeling telling me to be concerned. Whelan's own words, from her website, don't bring me any comfort. She says, "Sometimes I write about places that are far away or about earlier times. This gives me a chance to live in other countries and in other times -- at least in my head. The research for these books is like a treasure hunt, I never know what I'm going to find. I’ve made imaginary trips to China, India, and Vietnam." As a reader, I want to know that these imaginary adventures into the "exotic" are supported by hard researched, intensely fact checked effort. I am unconvinced.
I lived and worked in India for a portion of this year and I worked with children Koly's age coming from villages and families like Koly's. India is a big place and a vast array of experiences coexist within India culture and customs. Arranged marriages, dowries, and child brides still exist (as does sati -- ceremonial widow burning -- which Whelan seems to deny as something of the past no longer practiced (pg. 34-35)). Similarly, urban life does include Indians dressed in jeans and t-shirts, air-conditioning, and opportunistic men and women (who exist everywhere in most cultures). To me, reading Koly's story felt like a Western voice telling an Eastern story. It did not feel like an Indian voice, born and raised in Indian culture, telling her own story in her own voice.
And that is big problem because Homeless Bird is a National Book Award winner, which means it is frequently used in classrooms, likely as "diversity enhancement." And to read of Indian culture in an inauthentic voice is dangerous and disrespectful. There is so much wonderful literature written by Indian writers, and I am nervous what half-truths and misperceptions might be taken away from a reading of this book by young people, particularly if their teacher is not him- or herself aware of the potential pitfalls of including a text like this in the curriculum without intense critical reflection and the addition of other primary sources.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, but it threw up red flags for me about the authentic representation of Indian life and culture.
Read
January 5, 2023I was curious when I came upon this book, written by a US author, that is set in India and won an award (National Book award)that is given to books that are used in schools to teach culture and diversity! Maybe the author had lived in India or at least travelled here? But that didn't seem to be the case either.
Nevertheless as it is a very short book, I thought I would read it and see how much, if at all, she got right. The book won the National Book award in 2000 so though the time period is not specified in the story, I assume it is set around that time. There is a mention of computers so it seems right.
Now to come to what doesn't seem ok.. The name Koly..I know that anything can be a name but for a village girl in rural India, I have never heard of this one. Also, Koly refers to her father throughout the book as 'baap'. That isn't a term used to address a father anywhere in India that I know of! Definitely not common. It is not even respectful. Just looking on the internet would have told the author this! 'Bapu' maybe but baap no. Others in the book also use the term when referring to their fathers and it jars.
Coming to child marriage, it was definitely illegal long before this book was written though it may happen in rural areas. The marriage and what happens after it is not consistent with the way Koly's parents are portrayed. They are not in the picture at all even when she suffers a big tragedy. It seemed like she picked the worst qualities possible in her characters!Some details of religious ceremonies and marriage and festivals are written in a way that makes it clear that there was no personal experience behind the same. I felt this throughout the book.
I don't subscribe to the thinking that authors should only write about what they know as there are so many genres of books that stem from the imagination that takes root in reality. However, for a book that won an award for representing a different culture, I would think that at least the basic facts would be correct. This is supposed to be showing what really happens while using fictional characters but it's very far from that. As an Indian, I did not relate to this story because of such discrepancies.
As to why I read it, there was another book written by an Indian who has always lived abroad that was being recommended everywhere as a true portrait of India and I was appalled a few pages in and couldn't proceed! I read the whole book this time as this one would probably have even more weightage in the country it was written in because of the award conferred. This definitely seems like cultural misappropriation to me, not a word I use very lightly.
This book, even with the embroidery and vague references to food because there are no place names mentioned, is definitely not an accurate picture of my country. Something that was read maybe on the internet has been used as a basis to spin a tale and this shouldn't be considered for any kind of educational purpose.
Nevertheless as it is a very short book, I thought I would read it and see how much, if at all, she got right. The book won the National Book award in 2000 so though the time period is not specified in the story, I assume it is set around that time. There is a mention of computers so it seems right.
Now to come to what doesn't seem ok.. The name Koly..I know that anything can be a name but for a village girl in rural India, I have never heard of this one. Also, Koly refers to her father throughout the book as 'baap'. That isn't a term used to address a father anywhere in India that I know of! Definitely not common. It is not even respectful. Just looking on the internet would have told the author this! 'Bapu' maybe but baap no. Others in the book also use the term when referring to their fathers and it jars.
Coming to child marriage, it was definitely illegal long before this book was written though it may happen in rural areas. The marriage and what happens after it is not consistent with the way Koly's parents are portrayed. They are not in the picture at all even when she suffers a big tragedy. It seemed like she picked the worst qualities possible in her characters!Some details of religious ceremonies and marriage and festivals are written in a way that makes it clear that there was no personal experience behind the same. I felt this throughout the book.
I don't subscribe to the thinking that authors should only write about what they know as there are so many genres of books that stem from the imagination that takes root in reality. However, for a book that won an award for representing a different culture, I would think that at least the basic facts would be correct. This is supposed to be showing what really happens while using fictional characters but it's very far from that. As an Indian, I did not relate to this story because of such discrepancies.
As to why I read it, there was another book written by an Indian who has always lived abroad that was being recommended everywhere as a true portrait of India and I was appalled a few pages in and couldn't proceed! I read the whole book this time as this one would probably have even more weightage in the country it was written in because of the award conferred. This definitely seems like cultural misappropriation to me, not a word I use very lightly.
This book, even with the embroidery and vague references to food because there are no place names mentioned, is definitely not an accurate picture of my country. Something that was read maybe on the internet has been used as a basis to spin a tale and this shouldn't be considered for any kind of educational purpose.
August 24, 2021
This 40-year-old read Whelan's Homeless Bird aloud to her 12-year-old and 9-year-old, and we were all transfixed from the first few pages. I worried that the story might become so dark that I had to edit portions on the fly, but Whelan manages to present dangerous and tragic circumstances in a way that is both weighty and entirely appropriate for young readers.
We grieved with Koly. We were angry on her behalf. We wished good things for her. We loved her.
We grieved with Koly. We were angry on her behalf. We wished good things for her. We loved her.
June 7, 2016
a simple short book with a story which will stay in my mind for long, loved this book to the very end. it works as a story of human persistence but very little about Indian Culture. very motivating and satisfying. wish this book was bit longer.
rating 4.5
rating 4.5
February 15, 2018
Koly is forced into an arranged marriage, with a cruel mother-in-law, a sickly husband, and a spoiled yet sweet sister-in-law. She learns to read, and yearns to flee. But one day, she is no longer a homeless bird.
November 19, 2023
2023 Review
It has been quite a few years since I read this one and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it held up.
It has been quite a few years since I read this one and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well it held up.
January 13, 2019
So emotional and touching. This book has been a pageturner. The book is full of death, love, hope, and the cruelness of the world.
September 12, 2008
So there I was in an English Department meeting and Tasche says, "You really should've read this book," since it was on the incoming Freshmen's Summer Reading list. I sat there dumbfounded, not realizing it was on their reading list nor that I had actually read it three or four years ago. It's not that it's a nondescript book, quite the opposite, but you know how it is sometimes when you've zipped through so many short-short good reads and you forget one because a more powerful novel by Rabindranath Tagore or Arundhati Roy's "God of Small Things" can somehow dwarf this colorfully powerful YA piece by Whelan.
Well, Needless to say I zipped through it again last night and was 20 pages into it when it all came flashing back to me, like a scene from "Total Recall".
Anyway, Whelan's short novel is chock full of heritage, local color and "plenty things" to immerse young readers in that most colorful India. It truly is the kind of novel that makes you want to getup and GO there!
Well, Needless to say I zipped through it again last night and was 20 pages into it when it all came flashing back to me, like a scene from "Total Recall".
Anyway, Whelan's short novel is chock full of heritage, local color and "plenty things" to immerse young readers in that most colorful India. It truly is the kind of novel that makes you want to getup and GO there!
November 9, 2014
This is such an inspiring story of finding home. I could not put it down until I finished it. I've met Gloria Whelan, who lives in MI, and she's a wonderful lady. It's fascinating that she can weave such seamless tales of different places and cultures using her own research and imagination. I was amazed to learn what happens to widows in parts of India, left to starve, homeless and often penniless. It's shameless and cruel. But the real heart of the story is in the innocent and somewhat naïve but endearing main character Koly as she discovers herself and decides what she wants for her life. I believe she's a kindred spirit with her love of reading poetry and making art.
January 18, 2019
I felt this was a book of missed opportunities. Despite the unusual setting, so much of the story was superficial, hackneyed, and predictable. While Mrs. Mehta was supposed to be predictable to readers (but not Koly), I saw Raji coming a mile away. It also seemed unnecessarily tailored to modern western readers - arranged marriages are bad and work (even piecework) is better than true devotion to the family and home (even in a non-arranged marriage). You go, girl! Rah rah rah. Bas.
Also, the wholesale severing of all communication between Koly and her family after her marriage was not believable. While they didn't need to be the simple answer to her predicament (a la The Prodigal Son), I just find it hard to swallow that there would be no letters, phone calls, visits - nothing. I think this might also play into the modern values that the author wanted to teach: family is unimportant and they will not help you or sacrifice anything about their outdated high-and-mighty "honor" for your benefit.
I was hoping for more about Mrs. Devi or about Mr. Das - maybe Koly's embroidery reminds one of them of the gorgeous embroidery done by a woman in a village that turns out to be Koly's mother and there is a reunion with all the tears one could want.
There's a big emphasis on reading, but I also feel that for all that, it was underplayed. Here's a homeless girl who can do beautiful embroidery AND she can read and write - why is she stringing flowers and beads? Someone in Maa Kamala's employment agency failed to conduct a comprehensive skills assessment on this girl.
There are also some issues in this book about lying/withholding the truth - Koly never spills the beans about the bridal veil because she's afraid of Maa Kamala learning about her other lie. So the people who are best to her get treated the worst, and there's no comeuppance. Honesty is the best policy; what a tangled web we weave - not utmost in priorities here. Besides, do we really believe that the incredibly generous and kind Maa Kamala is not forgiving and compassionate, what with all she has seen? The withholding the truth from the family is at least somewhat understandable due to the "family honor" thing, but here we have those who have already been shamed and discarded. Yes, Maa Kamala is trying to instill (or at least enforce) some morals, but making mistakes, confessing them, admitting to failure, etc. wouldn't break the whole system. It would strengthen and enhance it. Again, a missed opportunity.
I did enjoy a lot about the book, mostly regarding the setting, and wish I could give it three stars, but these flaws keep surfacing.
Also, the wholesale severing of all communication between Koly and her family after her marriage was not believable. While they didn't need to be the simple answer to her predicament (a la The Prodigal Son), I just find it hard to swallow that there would be no letters, phone calls, visits - nothing. I think this might also play into the modern values that the author wanted to teach: family is unimportant and they will not help you or sacrifice anything about their outdated high-and-mighty "honor" for your benefit.
I was hoping for more about Mrs. Devi or about Mr. Das - maybe Koly's embroidery reminds one of them of the gorgeous embroidery done by a woman in a village that turns out to be Koly's mother and there is a reunion with all the tears one could want.
There's a big emphasis on reading, but I also feel that for all that, it was underplayed. Here's a homeless girl who can do beautiful embroidery AND she can read and write - why is she stringing flowers and beads? Someone in Maa Kamala's employment agency failed to conduct a comprehensive skills assessment on this girl.
There are also some issues in this book about lying/withholding the truth - Koly never spills the beans about the bridal veil because she's afraid of Maa Kamala learning about her other lie. So the people who are best to her get treated the worst, and there's no comeuppance. Honesty is the best policy; what a tangled web we weave - not utmost in priorities here. Besides, do we really believe that the incredibly generous and kind Maa Kamala is not forgiving and compassionate, what with all she has seen? The withholding the truth from the family is at least somewhat understandable due to the "family honor" thing, but here we have those who have already been shamed and discarded. Yes, Maa Kamala is trying to instill (or at least enforce) some morals, but making mistakes, confessing them, admitting to failure, etc. wouldn't break the whole system. It would strengthen and enhance it. Again, a missed opportunity.
I did enjoy a lot about the book, mostly regarding the setting, and wish I could give it three stars, but these flaws keep surfacing.
February 14, 2016
This YA story of an arranged marriage between a girl (13) and a rickety family that only wants her dowry so they can take the almost dead "groom" to Varanasi to be saved by Mama Ganges. Didn't work and she's stuck in this horrible situation waiting on the evil mother in law hand and foot, without even the thought of consummation to remember - oh, yeah she's 13, that's a blessing. This well written story varies significantly from the usual they married me off to an evil/old/abusive/gay/perverted/philandering - yada yada - man and now i'm stuck. No, this story tells a different tale. Widows are de facto bad luck and thus - like any other unusable category of women - ok to abuse, discard, steal from. At least sati (throwing the widow on the funeral pyre) is illegal. This young, bright, talented - virginal even - girl, has no intrinsic value in her society
Everywhere, women without their own resources, and/or a complete education, are abused. God bless the child whose got her own.
Everywhere, women without their own resources, and/or a complete education, are abused. God bless the child whose got her own.
November 21, 2015
To be honest I read this book because one of my teachers said I had to or they'd give me a red slip for being unprepared. So I read it and this book was amazing. This book is realistic-fiction.
A 13 year old girl named Koly needs to get married. When she finally does her new husband falls deadly ill. meanwhile the mother n' law hates her. Soon koly falls to be a Widow and so does her mother n' law suprisingly. Her new mother then takes her and koly to a city a very famous city. A city known for the home of widows (where they are taken and left there). Her new mother takes her and dreadily leaves her there. Koly then finds a home for widows and joins them, provided and job and home and food, koly meets new people and makes friends easily and soon meets a guy and they after a while fall in love and marry after many difficulties and they soon and a nice home, kids and a lovely life.
A 13 year old girl named Koly needs to get married. When she finally does her new husband falls deadly ill. meanwhile the mother n' law hates her. Soon koly falls to be a Widow and so does her mother n' law suprisingly. Her new mother then takes her and koly to a city a very famous city. A city known for the home of widows (where they are taken and left there). Her new mother takes her and dreadily leaves her there. Koly then finds a home for widows and joins them, provided and job and home and food, koly meets new people and makes friends easily and soon meets a guy and they after a while fall in love and marry after many difficulties and they soon and a nice home, kids and a lovely life.
October 5, 2022
Homeless Bird (My Kindle Review)
Koly’s story is a pretty sad one as she’s barely a teenager, her parents arrange her to be married to a young man she barely knows instead of letting her go to school and learn how to read. Now married and living with her in-laws, she will learn a shocking truth about why she was to become a bride while dealing with her mother-in-law treating her like she’s nothing.
Bittersweet throughout, it felt like a sad Cinderella story where she wanted freedom, not a prince. The last few chapters do bring a new sign of hope and happiness for Koly. Honestly harsh yet still touching. A- (91%/Excellent)
Koly’s story is a pretty sad one as she’s barely a teenager, her parents arrange her to be married to a young man she barely knows instead of letting her go to school and learn how to read. Now married and living with her in-laws, she will learn a shocking truth about why she was to become a bride while dealing with her mother-in-law treating her like she’s nothing.
Bittersweet throughout, it felt like a sad Cinderella story where she wanted freedom, not a prince. The last few chapters do bring a new sign of hope and happiness for Koly. Honestly harsh yet still touching. A- (91%/Excellent)
March 16, 2025
The SWEETEST little story that follows the life of Koly, a young girl living in India. The book incorporates many real-life experiences that most girls living in Hindu India face. The author writes about Hindu life very well. The book is a little sad towards the beginning but has the most sweet and tender and precious ending 🥹🥹
September 29, 2025
This book was written so well. I think that this will be a book that stays with me.
September 13, 2023
Very much enjoyed rereading this one! I remembered liking it as a kid, but going back and reading as an adult, I found the story all the more impactful, from the sorrowful parts to the joyous ones. Definitely one I'd recommend!
September 12, 2024
Still one of my fav books
February 15, 2008
Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelanis about a girl named Koly who lives in a poor village in India; and she is 13 years old and she has to get married so that the food in her house could go around. So they marry her off to a "16 year old", but in reality he is 13 years old and he is very sick. Her mother-in-law is very cruel to her because she does not want her to see her husband, they want to take Hari (her husband) to "the Holy Ganges" to heal him.Turns out that Hari dies and Koly has to live with her mother-in-law and father-in-law because she can'tgo back to live with her parents because"it would bring shame to the family",or as koly says. One quote from the book that captured me was on page75,"It was about a flock of birds flying day and night through the skies.Amomg them was one homeless bird, always flying on to somewhere else",page 75.I can connest to this quote because I can imagine myself as the "homeless bird"because I am always going "somewhere else" without any home to go to. Koly (our main character)thinks thinks she is a"homeless bird"because she is very lonely in the book,her family is in another village , her mother-in-law hates her, and to top it all offher husband is dead.I would hate to live that way because because my life would be so miserable,I would give this book a 10 because it was never boring at all.One theme of the book is family because you don't have to be blood-realatedto be family becausein the book her sister-in-law was like her very own sisterbecause she did everything one did. Homeless Bird is kind of like the book of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee because Koly is a "homeless bird" and so is Boo Radely because no one ever listened to Boo like Koly.I guess at the end Koly and Boo both found the home they were looking for.
June 5, 2008
A coming of age story of a different sort. Koly is married off to a boy she's never met--a boy who is ill and she learns the only reason she was married to him was so his parents could gain the dowry to pay for his medical care. Soon Koly is widowed and must face a difficult life against the difficult traditions of her culture. Beautiful and tragic. Grades 4 - 7.
From VOYA:
"Despite the obvious elements of fairy tale—cruel mother-in-law, attractive young male coming to the rescue—the book does not slide into cliché but is unsentimental and fresh. Homeless Bird will satisfy many readers and belongs in every school and public library collection."
From KLIATT:
"This story of hope and redemption embedded in history and culture will provide students and teachers alike with not only an inner glimpse of Indian life but a sense of joy and hope for humanity. The writing is swift, poetic, and beautiful, and an absolute delight to read. Includes a glossary in the back. An excellent book—a must for all middle and high school libraries. A National Book Award winner."
From VOYA:
"Despite the obvious elements of fairy tale—cruel mother-in-law, attractive young male coming to the rescue—the book does not slide into cliché but is unsentimental and fresh. Homeless Bird will satisfy many readers and belongs in every school and public library collection."
From KLIATT:
"This story of hope and redemption embedded in history and culture will provide students and teachers alike with not only an inner glimpse of Indian life but a sense of joy and hope for humanity. The writing is swift, poetic, and beautiful, and an absolute delight to read. Includes a glossary in the back. An excellent book—a must for all middle and high school libraries. A National Book Award winner."
April 19, 2023
I loved this book. It was a perfect fiction novel about a young girl, struggling in her society. You know how when you are required to read something, it's never good? Well I was required to read this for school and it was AMAZING!! Coming from someone who reads the same book 40 times, (Wings Of Fire, I'm looking at you) I will read this book 50 more times!
December 7, 2016
It wasn't that good but it was ok
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January 18, 2023I SAW THIS IN THE LAST BOOKSTORE and I had forgotten I’d read this but the font on the spine brought me right back. I just remember reading this like 3+ times in elementary school. Each time was kind of mid but I kept returning to it so I guess I liked it? But also it was some slim pickings in the Gomes library.
June 23, 2020
Ok I just love her new husband! Also sorry this review took so long it was a class book ;)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 1, 2020
4,5/5
January 28, 2025
This was an extremely well-written book about the struggles of a young woman going through Indian culture. I appreciated the strength and resilience that Koly demonstrates throughout the story and I believe that it is a strong lesson for children to learn from the story. I also thought that the book did a good job of showing Indian culture in a way that was interesting for young adult readers and helped them to learn more about that culture through the story.
January 27, 2025
Great book. Good storyline. Sets up the characters and setting very well and quickly. I like the foreshadowing, and the way problems in the story are resolved. The ending lacked just a little bit but was satisfactory enough. 10/10 would teach in a classroom.
December 2, 2024
One of my favorite books from childhood. Was cleaning out my bookshelves this weekend and read it again on a whim. Still hits home ♥️
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