Travel back to the Home for Little Wanderers in Boston in 1899. The story begins with Go Forth Day when girls age 14 leave the orphanage to be sent out into the world to work. Hannah is different from the others. She remembers nothing about her parents. She does not aspire to a life of comfort or wealth. All Hannah knows is that living near the sea is necessary. The sea calls to her. The poor girl is sent to live with a kindly couple in Kansas!
Of course, Hannah’s health declines because it is so dry in the plains. Her skin begins to peel away into tiny oval crystals. The crystals are kept in a small pouch which Hannah wears around her neck. It is obvious that Hannah must return to Boston. There Hannah’s real journey begins as she enters the world of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Hawley and their three daughters working as a scullery girl in their grand mansion on Beacon Hill.
An intriguing artist, Stannish Wheeler, comes to paint a portrait of the three Hawley girls; Lila, Clarice, and Ettie. The girls are lovely but Wheeler’s focus is on Hannah. When Lila becomes sick, it is Hannah who takes her place to pose for the portrait. Hannah feels strange around the artist and drawn to him at the same time. He knows something about her that even she doesn’t know.
As life becomes more complicated in the Hawley household, Hannah feels drawn to the water more powerfully than ever. She swims through rough currents and can hold her breath for long periods. What mystery does Stannish Wheeler know that holds the key to Hannah’s identity? Read this enchanting book one of the trilogy, Daughters of the Sea. Grades 6th – 8th.
Of course, Hannah’s health declines because it is so dry in the plains. Her skin begins to peel away into tiny oval crystals. The crystals are kept in a small pouch which Hannah wears around her neck. It is obvious that Hannah must return to Boston. There Hannah’s real journey begins as she enters the world of Mr. and Mrs. Horace Hawley and their three daughters working as a scullery girl in their grand mansion on Beacon Hill.
An intriguing artist, Stannish Wheeler, comes to paint a portrait of the three Hawley girls; Lila, Clarice, and Ettie. The girls are lovely but Wheeler’s focus is on Hannah. When Lila becomes sick, it is Hannah who takes her place to pose for the portrait. Hannah feels strange around the artist and drawn to him at the same time. He knows something about her that even she doesn’t know.
As life becomes more complicated in the Hawley household, Hannah feels drawn to the water more powerfully than ever. She swims through rough currents and can hold her breath for long periods. What mystery does Stannish Wheeler know that holds the key to Hannah’s identity? Read this enchanting book one of the trilogy, Daughters of the Sea. Grades 6th – 8th.