Homeless Bird

In India, it's not so strange for a girl Koly's age to be getting married -- even if she is only 13. She leaves home forever full of courage and hope...until she discovers there's been a terrible mistake. The husband chosen for her is too young, and he's very ill. And as tradition dictates, it's too late to turn back. Koly's future, it would seem, is lost. Alive with the crush of marketplace crowds, the thick smell of funeral garlands, the cooling rush of the holy river Ganges, and the sting of injustice as a girl's life is forsaken, master storyteller Gloria Whelan transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope. Here is the story of one rare woman who, standing against the powerful current of tradition, discovers her own remarkable future. A National Book Award winner.