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Ludie's Life

ebook
In “luminous moments told in lovely language,” the poems of the Newbery Medal–winning author of Boris bring a rural woman to vivid life (School Library Journal).
 
Cynthia Rylant returns to her home state of West Virginia with this powerful and evocative collection of poems. In a heartbreaking narrative that flows like a novel, we follow Ludie from childhood to falling in love and getting married, through the birth of her own children, and on into old age. This is the story of one woman’s experiences in a hardscrabble coal-mining town, a story that brims with universal themes about life, love, and family—and all of the joy, laughter, heartache, and loss that accompany them.
 
Would she tell you that six children
were too many,
that some disappointed,
others surprised,
but that, all in all,
six
were too many
and one
would have been just fine?
Would she tell you that she married
that boy at fifteen
not only because he was tall and kind
but also because
she needed a way out?
 
“A brilliant contribution to the growing collection of Appalachian literature that tells the story as honestly and purely as life in the mountains has always been and always will be.” —Teenreads
 
“A collection of Zen-like moments of self-discovery and serenity . . . A powerful read for young and old alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

Expand title description text
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Kindle Book

  • Release date: April 17, 2019

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780544630871
  • File size: 280 KB
  • Release date: April 17, 2019

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780544630871
  • File size: 280 KB
  • Release date: April 17, 2019

Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

Languages

English

Levels

ATOS Level:5.6
Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
Text Difficulty:4

In “luminous moments told in lovely language,” the poems of the Newbery Medal–winning author of Boris bring a rural woman to vivid life (School Library Journal).
 
Cynthia Rylant returns to her home state of West Virginia with this powerful and evocative collection of poems. In a heartbreaking narrative that flows like a novel, we follow Ludie from childhood to falling in love and getting married, through the birth of her own children, and on into old age. This is the story of one woman’s experiences in a hardscrabble coal-mining town, a story that brims with universal themes about life, love, and family—and all of the joy, laughter, heartache, and loss that accompany them.
 
Would she tell you that six children
were too many,
that some disappointed,
others surprised,
but that, all in all,
six
were too many
and one
would have been just fine?
Would she tell you that she married
that boy at fifteen
not only because he was tall and kind
but also because
she needed a way out?
 
“A brilliant contribution to the growing collection of Appalachian literature that tells the story as honestly and purely as life in the mountains has always been and always will be.” —Teenreads
 
“A collection of Zen-like moments of self-discovery and serenity . . . A powerful read for young and old alike.” —Kirkus Reviews

Expand title description text