Worth by A. LaFaye

Bibliography
LaFaye, A. 2004. Worth. New York: Simon & Schuster.

ISBN: 0-689-85730-6

Summary
Eleven year old, Nate helps father with all the farm work, but after an accident, Nate is no longer able to help. Nate's father brings home John Worth, an orphan, to take Nate's placed with the farm chores. Nate feels even worse about himself once John arrives, creating a wedge between the two boys. As time passes, Nate and John make a connection.

Critical Analysis
The Scott O'Dell Award winning book, Worth by A. LaFaye is a superb story of a boy's pioneer life and the difficult times his family endures. Nate, the main character, mangles his leg in an accident on the farm at the age of 12. Father feels responsible, Nate's heart is broken when he realizes his leg will prevent him from working the farm along with his father, and mother is bitter from the past. In an effort to get help with the work on the farm, father adopts an orphan boy, John Worth.

LaFaye's excellent use of words helps readers make connections to the characters while also develop the style of pioneer life. For example, when Nate thinks what it would be like losing his family like John Worth he was "crushed up inside" (31). Another example can be found when Nate and John "talked death all the way to the house" (99). A third example is found when John is "praying up a storm" when Widow Kerensky points a shotgun at the boys (135).

The story takes place on the plains of Nebraska, where Nate and his father work the land, and mother earns extra money by "tinkering." LaFaye has developed the setting accurately, bringing in the particulars of the time period: orphan train, a soddie school, fighting between ranchers and farmers, fence cutting, lynchings, and horse-drawn wagons.

Additionally, LaFaye designs the plot perfectly for a historical fiction of this time period. She also does an excellent job a maintaining a well balanced historical details.

Worth by A. LaFaye depicts pioneer life perfectly. It is a story that is interesting and heart-felt and could be enjoyed by readers of all ages.

Review Excerpts
Publisher's Weekly reports, "LaFaye paints a realistic picture of the hardships for average families at the time the Orphan Train rode the rails. . . . The author weaves in a subtle message about the power of story, as Nate builds a bond with John by reading him Greek myths out of a borrowed book (2004).

Joel Shoemaker with School Library Journal states, "The author convincingly conveys the boys' gradual realization of the value of one another's friendship. Other themes include the importance of reading and education, meeting challenges head on, relying on and playing a responsible role in your community, and recovering from loss. A special strength of the book is the characterization of Nathaniel's mom, whose fierce anger is emotionally balanced by her dedication to her family's well-being. Although she works as a tinker, she lets her husband take credit in deference to the mores of the time. A satisfying piece of historical fiction (2004).

Review excerpts accessed from http://www.titlewave.com/

Connections
Other stories by A. LaFaye:
The Year of the Sawdust Man
Strawberry Hill
Dad, In Spirit
The Strength of Saints

Other stories about frontier life:
Maude March on the Run!, or, Trouble is Her Middle Name by Audrey Couloumbis
The Misadventures of Maude March, or, Trouble Rides a Fast Horse by Audrey Couloumbis
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Bringing Ezra Back by Cynthia C. DeFelice
Little House on the Prairie and other pioneer stories by Laura Ingalls Wilder