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Catherine Reef
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Alone In The World: Orphans And Orphanages In America Hardcover – January 1, 2005

by Catherine Reef (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings
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Uncovers the true history of American orphanages, revealing what it was like to eat, sleep, study, and play in such institutions, why children were sent to live there in the first place, what happened to them after they left, and more.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    135 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Clarion Books
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 2005
  5. Grade level
    7 - 9
  6. Dimensions
    8.25 x 0.75 x 10 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0618356703
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0618356706
  9. Lexile measure
    1160L
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5-8–Orphans and orphanages, although topics of interest in children's fiction, have been neglected in nonfiction except for accounts of the orphan trains of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This gap has now been filled by Reef's thoroughly researched history of children's homes in the U.S. beginning in 1729, when a place for girls was founded in New Orleans. The author relates how many orphaned or impoverished children were consigned to almshouses, where they often lived in filthy, crowded conditions with criminals and the mentally ill. In the 1820s and 1830s, the view that children should be given "asylum" from the horrors of the poorhouses became widely accepted. Reef also discuses the homes opened for orphaned soldiers' and sailors' children throughout the country following the Civil War and a 1909 White House conference that resulted in a national policy urging that children be kept in their own homes by providing financial aid to their widowed or deserted mothers. She ends with a discussion of the challenges the U.S. faces today in caring for growing numbers of homeless, abused, or neglected children. Illustrated with archival photographs and reproductions, this book contains numerous endnotes and an extensive selected bibliography. An afterword detailing the later lives of some of the children included makes a satisfying conclusion to this fascinating account. An important historical resource for public and school libraries.–Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. What happened to kids in America's poorhouses, orphanages, and foster homes in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries makes for intensely dramatic history, and a few readers might even imagine themselves caught in Oliver Twist scenarios, suffering hunger, racism, and abuse. Reef has certainly done her research, providing exhaustive detail, which is thoroughly documented in endnotes. The book's design is also inviting, with clear type and stirring photos and historic prints. The narrative, however, is distant and dull, a general chronological account that patches together case records and rules of various institutions, perhaps because, as Reef points out, few kids wrote the kind of personal memoirs that might have made the history more immediate. Even so, there's a lot to talk about here, especially the changing image of childhood and the role of government in caring for the needy. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; First Edition (January 1, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 135 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0618356703
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0618356706
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1160L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.25 x 0.75 x 10 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 20 ratings

About the author

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Catherine Reef

Catherine Reef

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Catherine Reef is the recipient of the 2020 Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award, which recognizes her significant contribution to the quality of nonfiction for young readers. Her many books for young people and adults have earned wide recognition.

In recent years Catherine has specialized in biography. Her most recent book, MARY SHELLEY: THE STRANGE TRUE TALE OF FRANKENSTEIN'S CREATOR, introduces the woman who, at eighteen, authored one of the world's most enduring horror classics. This story of love, tragedy and survival gained for Catherine the NOBLE Award for Young Adult Nonfiction and was named to several year-end "best" lists.

Catherine's dual biography, FRIDA & DIEGO: ART, LOVE, LIFE, explores the lives and work of two remarkable artists admired in Mexico and throughout the world, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, in a colorful, richly illustrated format. One of Booklist’s Top Ten Arts Books for Youth 2014, FRIDA & DIEGO received starred reviews from Kirkus, School Library Journal and Booklist.

Catherine also wrote THE BRONTE SISTERS: THE BRIEF LIVES OF CHARLOTTE, EMILY, AND ANNE. This popular young adult book received three starred reviews and was named to several annual lists of “best” books, including Kirkus’s Best Books for Teens, Bank Street College’s Best Children’s Books and the Amelia Bloomer Project List.

Among Catherine’s other notable books are FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE: THE COURAGEOUS LIFE OF THE LEGENDARY NURSE, recipient of four starred reviews, an Outstanding Science Trade Book and a Notable Social Studies Trade Book; and VICTORIA: PORTRAIT OF A QUEEN, one of the Denver Library's Best and Brightest Books for 2017 and Bank Street College's Best Books of 2017.

Catherine works hard at her writing, but she also loves to travel, read, work with her hands and spend time with her family and friends. She likes to cook and can bake a prize-worthy apple pie.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
20 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kathy in CA
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Tough Times Indeed For Orphaned Children
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
It came today and is in great condition for a used book. It is just what I need to supplement my genealogy quest as my adopted and my bio fathers were both grew up in orphanages in New York along with their siblings. This book gives me an idea of what it was like for orphans in the late 1800's and early 1900's. It also has information on poorhouses (almshouses), asylums, etc. It was a very difficult time for young orphaned children, juvenile delinquents, and the mentally ill.

There are wonderful photos, too.
One person found this helpful
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Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars The book is a nice and in very good shape
Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2017
Verified Purchase
I received this book yesterday so it has been a couple of weeks since I ordered. The book is a nice and in very good shape. i wanted to know more about the orphanages in America during this time period. I feel that I found a treasure because this is exactly what I was trying to find.
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Me On Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars so sad. Learned a lot about history from this book
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2017
Verified Purchase
Had no idea about the Orphan Train; so sad. Learned a lot about history from this book.
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kristiann
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015
Verified Purchase
helpful information for the book I am writing
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Janelle
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative book
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2013
Verified Purchase
As a final project for my daughter's Oliver Twist book study, she needed to do research on orphans & write a paper & give a presentation. This book was very helpful for her.
One person found this helpful
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Cindy L Badders
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great Book!
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