Rating: 
Summary: Homeless Bird
Review: Homeless Bird
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by: Gloria Whelan
Reviewed by: S. Akkar
Period 1
In this book, the main character, Koly, is a fourteen-year-old girl who's parents had arranged a marriage for her. Koly had to live in the husband's house for the rest of her life, which is a tradition for most Indians, unless there is a family emergency. Her husband and father-in-law had died due to a sickly disease, and she and her mother-in-law lived alone as widows. The mother-in-law hated Koly. One day, they went to a city for widows, and Koly was left alone. Fortunately, she was befriended by a rickshaw driver and a group of widows who worked in a sari palace. Eventually, she got married to the rickshaw driver and they lived a happy life.
Overall, I liked this book all the way through. The book was emotional, and it was very thrilling. The part where it said that Koly had to get married surprised me. I wondered why she had to get married at such a young age. It was a tradition, I found out. After she got married, it showed the life of Koly in that house through thick and thin.
Another part I liked was the part where she was abandoned in the city and made good friends. I felt happy for her because not only did the friends give her shelter. They also considered her a normal person, not a widow. Eventually in the end, she married one of her friends, the rickshaw driver, and settled down with him in a small house. They lived a happy life afterwards.
I think people of all ages should read this. A thrilling masterpiece written by Gloria Whelan. A novel which, if possible, deserves more than five stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Homeless Bird
Review: In Homeless Bir, i enjoyed the way the author showed the readers a different way of life then we are used to.The fact that young Koly had to marry so youngmade me realize just how different other cultures can be.
Rating:
Summary: Homeless Bird
Review: I just finished a book called Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. This is a wonderful book filled with hope, love, and fate. Now before I tell you what in the world this book is about, you have to understand that this book takes place in a totally different environment, or a totally different country may I say, and also has many different traditions. One which is shown in this book, is that the parents will make a marriage for their daughter with a man or boy they don't even know. Now here is what it is about. Koly`s (a 13 year old girl who lives in India) parents finally find a husband for her. On her wedding day, she finds herself in a strange house, with people that she doesn't now at all. She is fated to stay with these people for the rest of her life but she can't turn back now. When she is thrust into all this she finds out that her husband is soon to die and she will be a widow. There's another tradition you should know. When a girl is married, she cannot go back to her parents unless something terrible happens and then she can visit them. This is all I am going to tell you because there's not much more I can say without giving away the ending.
This is a great book and it is very interesting and exiting from beginning to end. She is always doing something or something else is going on. It always keeps you on your toes. The end was a surprise, but also wasn't a surprise. To know what I mean, read the book. I like the main character in many ways. She is sometimes brave, and has much courage, and strength. Even though this is a fictional character, there could be someone going through the same hardships right now in India.
Not everyone has the same opinion, especially with something like the theme. You might think the theme is, stand up for you self, and I might think something else. For this book I think the message Gloria Whelan is trying to get across is, not every country has the same customs. This is true and I hope everybody can accept that.
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Summary: a homeless bird finds her home
Review: This book made a great impact on my life. Koly's life story was both frightening and exciting. Once you start to read this amazing book it drags you in and will not let you go till you finish.This is the kind of book that is a never ending page turner and makes you want to read it over and over again.Gloria Whelan has done it again. She has taken real life tradgedies and stories and turned it into a spectacular life story.This book makes you think about how some people do not know how could you have got it. This book is amazing in everyway and fills your heart with hope and courage.
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Summary: Homeless Bird
Review: Koly a thirteen year old girl,and married. To her misfortune her husband dies soon after their marriage. She can not go back to her family. She has to stay with her Father, Mother, and Sister in law. Her mother in law doesnt appreciate her much. She had comfort on her sister and father in law who treated her nicely. Her sister in law had to marry and she didn't have any one to talk to anymore. Soon after that her father in law died, and she was left all alone with her mother in law. Then all of a sudden letters started arriving to her mother in law and she acted exteremly nice. Before she knew it they were heading to delhi. First they had to stop by Vrindavan. When they got there Koly went to buy food and after a while she noticed that her mother in law had abondoned her in that city, and there is where new doors opened to her life and old traditions were forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Homeless Bird
Review: "Koly, you are thirteen and growing every day,' Maa said to me. 'It's time for you to have a husband.' I knew why. There were days when my maa took only a bit of rice for herself so that the rest of us-my baap, my brothers, and I-might have more. 'It's one of my days to fast,' she would say, as if it were a holy thing, but I knew it was because there was not enough food to go around. The day I left home, there would be a little more for everyone else."The book Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan is a book that is sure to shock you. Koly is a young girl who was married to a sickly boy that died soon after their marriage. Her stepmother brought her to the holy city of Vridivan, India, and left her there. Koly is a homeless widow and there is nothing she can do besides beg for food or join the many widows that pray at their temple all day, every day. The streets are so crowded with homeless people that they have to fight over a place to sleep and if you wake up before everyone else it is almost impossibe to walk without steping on anybody. Koly was traped in one of the worst lives that I can imagine. What shocked me the most was that this story does not take place in a different world or a long time ago. Koly has a life in our world today. This book made me realize how lucky I am. When reading this book you want Koly's life to get better. You feel what Koly feels and you cheer her on the whole way. This insperational young woman fights her way through life and never gives up. I would give this book . It is also National Book Award winner. The book has inspired me, and has opened my eyes to the world. I hope it will do the same for you.
Rating: 
Summary: A Must-Read!
Review: Thirteen-year-old Koly has to be married to a sickly boy just because her family is giving Koly's future husband's family money. Very soon, Koly's husband dies and Koly experiences the downsides of being a widow, and living with her in-laws. Koly's mother-in-law is a horrible woman, but Koly has a friendship with her sister-in-law, that is, until she is married off. Later, Koly's sweet father-in-law also passes away and her mother-in-law abandons her in a city full of widows. Will Koly surivie?
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Summary: Super Book
Review: 13 year old Indian girl Koly is forced to marry a sickly boy, she soon becomes a widow. She then has to live with her sass and sassur (mother and father in-law). They do not like her much. She thinks she's doomed and is going to be sweeping the courtyard for the rest of her life. Suddenly all this changes when sassur dies, Sass and Koly go to live with sass' family. They stopped at the holy city of Vridian, and Sass leaves Koly there. She knew she was done for until she found Raji. Koly and Raji become really good friends, and when Raji is ready to be married, he asked Koly, she was surprised because it is unusual for a man to want to marry a widow. This is described as the homeless bird finally flying to its home
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Summary: Great book!
Review: i had to read this book for a school report. all my friends who have read it loved it! the only reason i gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that the beginning (the first 15-20 pages) didn't really catch my attention at first... otherwise, its great and i learned alot about india and their cultures!
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Summary: Great story & cultural info
Review: I teach middle school English classes and I plan to teach this book. It's difficult to find good children's books that explore Indian culture, but this one does! You become emotionally involved with the protagonist, a true underdog if ever there was one. I learned so much about Indian culture. Once I started reading, I could not put the book down. It was a very quick read. It would be good for reluctant readers and avid readers alike!
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