GIB RIDES HOME

Snyder (The Gypsy Game, 1997, etc.) recreates life in a boy's orphanage at the dawn of this century in a sobering and poignant novel. There is little to distinguish Gibson Whittaker, 11, from his fellows at the Lovell House Orphanage, where poor food, severe whippings, and staff ambivalence are everyday facts of life. When Gib is adopted by the affluent Thornton family, he dares to dream that he's found a loving home at last, only to realize that he has been "farmed out"—a routine practice of the era, where older orphans were adopted but expected to work as field hands. Gib is disheartened, although the workers and owners of the Rocking M Ranch feed him well and treat him kindly. A soap-opera plot twist thrusts Gib back into the orphanage one more time before he takes his place with the Thorntons for keeps. A good look at the period, with moments that are searing, and a heartfelt author's note that readers are sure to find particularly compelling. (Fiction. 8-12)