Awards and HonorsSLJ Best Books 2014, Middle Grade; Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014, Middle-Grade Books; PW’s Best Books of 2014, Middle Grade: Booklist Editors’ Choice 2014, Fiction, Middle Readers; Booklist Lasting Connections 2014, Language Arts; ALA Notable Books for Children 2015, Middle Readers; VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers 2014, Top of the Top Shelf; Horn Book Fanfare List: Best Books of 2014, Fiction; Parents’ Choice 2014 Historical Fiction, Silver; Capitol Choices 2015
Nineteenth-century Norway: Astri, fourteen, is sold into servitude. She longs to reunite with her sister and sail to America. First, she must escape her cruel master. Author’s note. Diary excerpt. Glossary and pronunciation guide. Select bibliography. Black-and-white photograph and reproductions of sketches.
Topics Human trafficking. Emigration and immigration. Norway. History of Norway. Nineteenth-century history. Sisters. Folktales.
SRC Level 5.300000
SRC Points 12.000000
Lexile 810L
Trim Size 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
JLG Span Spring
Language English
Rights type Print
Publication date 2014-03-31
JLG Release Date May 2014
Minimum grade 6
Maximum grade 8
Reading level Middle
Format Print
Upper Middle School Fiction Plus (Grades 6-8)
Upper Middle School Fiction Plus
Upper Middle School Fiction Plus (Grades 6-8)
For Grades 6-8
This collection features fiction titles selected for older middle school readers who are ready for longer, more layered stories that explore growing independence and changing perspective. Selections include realistic and speculative fiction with increased emotional and narrative complexity, offering stories that look beyond immediate experience and invite readers to engage with broader questions about identity, belonging, and the world around them.