NOBODY'S DAUGHTER

In the early part of the 20th century, Emily Lathrop Hasbrouck is already orphaned, but when her Great-aunt Mabel dies, suddenly she is also destitute and alone. She finds a place for herself at the Austen Home for Orphaned Girls (where all are called ``hogs'') until she is 16 and old enough to go into service. Emily is told she is lucky in her circumstances, but she doesn't think of herself as particularly fortunate—she wants to be a pianist and to find her little sister, who was adopted at birth. Cruelties are heaped upon Emily; however, she has a friend in the librarian, Miss Alice and may triumph in the end. A fairly authentic turn-of-the-century feel, strong plot and characterizations combine in this work; although it is not as compelling as Pfeffer's contemporary stories, it is nevertheless a competently presented piece of historical fiction. For avid fans of the period. (Fiction. 8-12)