The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls

Gr 4-8–It’s 1910 in Cold Creek, CO, and 12-year-old Stanislava Razpotnik lives in the Slovenian enclave derogatorily known as “Bohunk Town,” where her life is a predictable routine of school, chores, kolo dance club, and borrowing books from the penny library. A chance encounter with a book called Katie Arthur at Knoughton College opens her eyes to the possibility of higher education for immigrant women and sparks a desire to one day attend college herself. These dreams come crashing down when older sister Stina—who runs their household and cares for their siblings full-time—elopes with a Protestant, and Stanislava is expected to drop out of school and take her place. Determined to chart her own future, Stanislava changes her name to Sylvia and stows away on a train to Denver to find Stina. But when she arrives, Stina is gone and Sylvia finds herself secretly living in the only place she feels safe: the public library. Like many of the author’s earlier works, this novel introduces readers to a less commonly featured historical moment and setting, observed by a smart, bookish girl who dreams of education and independence. Brisk chapters, strong character development in the protagonist, nuanced themes related to immigrant identity, and the notion of living in a library will engage young readers, including those who may not generally gravitate to historical fiction.